How Simon Lafontant Lost 150 Pounds to Become a Bodybuilding Champion

Simon Lafontant was tired of experiencing health issues, so he made a major commitment to change his life.

This story is part of our ongoing “First Steps” series, where we share extraordinary stories of men who transformed their bodies, minds, and lives with a focus on the first steps it took them to get there (because, after all, nothing can change without a first step!). Read all of the stories here.

Simon Lafontant, 32, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada navigated symptoms of low testosterone and health complications from Crohn’s disease for years before he decided enough was enough. He got medical help for low T, then entered the 2024 Summer Shredding competition and used social media to stay accountable—winning the competition and shedding over 150 pounds. Here, in his own words, he shares how he became the healthiest version of himself and a bodybuilding champ.

IDON’T FIND my story unique. It’s simple: I had bad habits and vices. Over time, I became depressed, overweight, and unmotivated. In early March 2020, Crohn’s disease came close to taking my life. I was immediately admitted to the hospital and stayed there for the next seven months, where I had 11 colorectal surgeries and went septic three times. I knew that being morbidly obese and having bad lifestyle habits amplified my health complications from Crohn’s disease.

After a trip to Medellín, Colombia, with my brother in December 2022, I got my testosterone levels checked. I had been in a rut at this point in my life and, having a background in nursing, I figured something wasn’t right with me. I just couldn’t pinpoint what it was. After getting a full blood panel done, I found out that my testosterone levels were in the absolute gutter. My total testosterone levels were in the 70s, which is way below the normal range for men. (I later learned that my two-month stint with anabolic steroids at 18 back in college was the cause of over 10 years of low T.) My lack of energy and motivation all started to make sense: I was a walking billboard of symptoms for low testosterone.

Getting a prescription for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) felt like adding color to a black-and-white picture. All of a sudden, life became exciting again. Instead of wanting to sit inside and play video games all day, I wanted to go for walks outside and hit the gym. I fell back in love with my old passion: powerlifting and Strongman competitions. I created social media content for many competitors at the World’s Strongest Man and the Arnold Classic, so I was around that world. But the idea behind a Strongman competition is that mass moves mass.

My mindset was, I’m going to see how big I can get so I can try to get a 700-pound deadlift. I got close, I hit 680 pounds, but my health wasn’t improving. I weighed 372 pounds and I was still going to the hospital every few months for Crohn’s-related health issues. Something was always going wrong, whether it was an infection, a bowel blockage, or an ulcer on the verge of rupturing.

ONE DAY, IN August 2023, I woke up at 5:38 a.m. I turned around in bed to reach for my phone. To my surprise, I was out of breath from that movement. I was like, no, this can’t be it. There has to be more to life than this. And that’s when I texted my friend Martina Raskova, who’s a nutrition coach: “I’m gonna fu*king do it. I’m going to commit to eating clean. I’ll learn how to count macros. I’m going to need your help. Because this shit will be the hardest thing I ever do.”