‘If you want it bad enough, it’s yours’: WA officer’s 197-pound weight loss journey becomes a book

A former Marysville police officer who once weighed 408 pounds says he lost nearly 200 pounds over three years without injections or weight-loss drugs — and he’s kept it off for 15 years.

David Vasconi, a 30-year veteran of the Marysville Police Department, said his wake-up call came in 2007 when he strained his back in his sleep and stepped on a scale at the doctor’s office.

“I saw a number that changed my life, and that number was 408,” Vasconi said during an interview with ‘Seattle’s Morning News’ on Friday. “I lay there, and I pondered my life, and I thought to myself, what will I weigh next year, and what will I weigh the year after that? And when will I be dead?”

WA officer feared early death, committed to lifestyle overhaul

Vasconi was 42 at the time and said he didn’t believe he would live to see 50.

After a week off work, he devised a high-protein, low-carb, low-calorie eating plan with no sugar and low sodium. He began walking five to six days a week and eventually added weight training.

In 11 months, he dropped 100 pounds. By 20 months, he was down 160 pounds. After keeping the weight off for a year, he had surgery to remove excess skin around his midsection.

Before his transformation, Vasconi wore size 58 jeans. He now wears a 34 or 36.

Vasconi, who also served as a reserve deputy with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office for nine years before joining Marysville, said the journey hasn’t been without its struggles. He still fights to maintain his weight daily.

“Just because I lost all this weight doesn’t mean I haven’t been struggling,” he said. “What I learned is that folks who are fit are working hard to have it every day.”

New book details weight-loss journey, daily struggles with obesity

He chronicled his story in a new book, “Redemption: One Officer’s Story and Successful Battle with Obesity,” available on Amazon. He said the book is designed to walk readers through both his failures and his successes.

Asked about the growing popularity of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, Vasconi said he doesn’t judge anyone’s path.

“However, you can lose it, lose it,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how you lose your weight. Lose your weight, because that’s the key to longevity and a better life. Obesity kills lots of people every year, and we don’t hear about that.”

Manda Factor is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. Follow Manda on X and email her here. 

Follow @MandaFactor