FORT MEADE, Md. -- Just a year ago, Christian Montijo was a different man. In fact, he was almost twice the man he is today.
He figured he weighed a little more than 350 pounds. But it was more of a guess, since his scale only went up to that number.
Overweight and realizing his unhealthy habits, the 28-year-old banker from Kissimmee, Florida, set a goal to transform himself. And, if he could, revive his dream of joining the Army.
"I would wake up tired," he said Tuesday. "I'd be sitting down watching TV and my wife would be, 'are you OK because you're breathing really heavy?' So I decided that I had to make a change."
The father of two started to eat healthier and drink water instead of several bottles of soda each day. He began to walk after work, then that turned into a jog and eventually a 2-mile run.
He also worked on his situps and pushups as the pounds shed off.
"Last year at this time if you told me that 'I'd give you a million dollars to do one pushup,' I could not have done it," he said. "Honestly, I would go down but I couldn't go up to save my life."
A NEW MAN
Over the past year, his daily routine allowed him to lose about 160 pounds.
"It's night and day. I'm a whole new person," he said. "I wake up with energy, I sleep through the night. I can run now and be fine, and I can keep up with my kids."
His new frame also met the Army's weight standards. Coming from a military family, Montijo aspired to be a Soldier since high school.
Now eligible, he searched for a job that fit his interest in either technology, communications or intelligence. He then came across 25S, a satellite communications systems operator-maintainer.
"It had two things that I wanted: communications and technology," he said. "It was a two-for-one pretty much."
In January, he plans to ship out to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for basic training.
POSITIVE EXAMPLE
Before signing his enlistment papers, Montijo credited his recruiter, Sgt. 1st Class Isaac Ayala, for motivating him when he was still overweight.
Ayala stayed in touch with Montijo since the summer to answer his questions and help map out his goals.
"I wasn't really expecting that type of engagement that he had with me," Montijo said.
But for Ayala, he said Montijo's positive attitude got himself into shape and prepared for the strenuous training to come.
"He's more than ready, because he's continuing to lose weight," Ayala said. "All the working out he has done has been on his own."
If Montijo is able to carry that same outlook into the Army, Ayala said he wouldn't be surprised if he quickly jumps up in rank.
"I explained to him that if you have this type of drive to accomplishing his goal, you're going to pass me up a lot faster in rank," he said. "The sky's the limit on the stuff you can accomplish while you're in the Army."
Ayala also likes to use him as an example when potential recruits get discouraged about being overweight.
"They look at me all dismayed that their bubble has been popped about joining," he said of when he informs them about the weight standards.
The recruiter then goes over to his computer and shows them his desktop screen, where he displays Montijo's before and after photos.
"They're like 'wow' and I even had a couple people say, 'well if he can do it, I can do it,'" he said.
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