Rafael Hernández:”Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and can’t believe it…”

“I’ve always felt guilty about how I ate because I knew it wasn’t right. It wasn’t healthy food; it was junk”, said Rafael Hernández.

Rafael Hernández is Wandering Stefany’s husband. They have been together for over 14 years, spending about 10 years traveling non-stop. Just as they embarked on the adventure of exploring the world, six months ago they also accepted a new challenge together: transforming their diet. At that time, Rafael weighed 272 pounds (123.4 kilograms). Concerned, his friend Cecilia, a healthy coach, said, “Give me a month, and you’ll see.” He agreed, and Stefany joined in.

“I had to make a list of everything I used to eat, and from June 1st, I started writing a journal with everything I ate, how much water I drank each day, and how I felt at the end of the day,” he tells Parriva. The result: Rafael lost 26 pounds in that month.

“This works, I thought, this really works. I was so excited that I decided to continue. So I went through the second month, losing slowly but surely. I started exercising a bit and lost 18 more pounds, and by the third month, I was already 16 pounds lighter,” recalls Rafael. Today, Rafael weighs 204 pounds, going from wearing size 3XL to L in just over 6 months.

He remembers his parents taking him to buy clothes in the “husky” section for big and strong kids. Of course, over the years, things got out of control. (Rafael Hernández)

“Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and can’t believe it… I spent so much time being overweight that I got used to it. I see pictures from that time and say, ‘Oh my God, I was really big.'”

And being ‘big’ is something Rafael has lived with since childhood. He remembers his parents taking him to buy clothes in the “husky” section for big and strong kids. Of course, over the years, things got out of control.

“I’ve always felt guilty about how I ate because I knew it wasn’t right. It wasn’t healthy food; it was junk. I would get depressed after eating junk food, asking myself, ‘Man, how could you eat that garbage?’ I would decide to eat healthy next time, but I would go back to eating junk food. I had no discipline,” he confesses. Today, he is proud of what he has achieved. Not only has he learned to eat well but also to know what to drink, when to do it, and to what extent.

“Self-control. Now I can go to a party and not drink alcohol even though everyone else is,” he says. For years, parties, excessive food, and drinking were the pattern that Rafael and Stefany followed. He says that’s how they both gained weight almost without realizing it because when they met, both weighed much less than they did at the beginning of June, the month they changed their diet.

On Stefany Hernandez’s Instagram page, @wanderingstefany, she frequently promotes the beauty of women regardless of their appearance and encourages them to feel beautiful dressing however they want. Rafael thinks the same.

Rafael Hernández with his father. Other times, another life. (Rafael Hernández)

“One doesn’t have to meet certain conditions or follow certain patterns to look good. We are all different… And that’s one of the reasons why I support my wife’s message. Feeling and looking beautiful in whatever size is very valid… and there’s a lot of pressure in society, especially with women. Although even I, being a man, have felt it, like when we’ve been in the pool area of a luxury hotel. Even with my shorts on to cover my big belly, I felt uncomfortable,” Rafael recalls with laughter. “So I can imagine what women feel because they are judged for their bodies much more than we men are,” he adds.

Stefany’s Journey: “My only interest is to have more energy and feel better.” (1 of 3)