The lead singer of Blue Traveler, John Popper, has faced a long-standing battle with obesity due to his eating habits. However, his health took a serious turn for the worse while he was enjoying a vacation with his girlfriend in Hawaii.
They were having a great time, soaking in a hot tub on a beautiful evening when things suddenly took a frightening turn. Popper began to experience intense pain in his chest. “I had been feeling these chest pains for about a year, but this time it felt different,” John recalled.
In 1999, Popper suffered a life-threatening heart attack that nearly claimed his life. Within minutes of the incident, he found himself in the hospital, having a conversation with doctors who delivered a stark warning about his weight and his current health condition.
How did Popper lose so much weight?
Fans always ask how did Popper do it. But it wasn’t an intentional weight loss. Rather it was a near-death experience. When John reached the hospital, doctors saved his life but they warned him about his habits saying “Your life is going to change”.
Doctors also warned that he must undergo an emergency angioplasty because of 95% arterial blockage. Later, Popper also underwent gastric bypass surgery. Because of this, he lost a significant amount of weight.
Before surgery, John weighed about 420 pounds. Now that’s a very unhealthy number in terms of weight. However, after surgery, Popper lost 238 pounds. That surgery saved his life.
How did Popper gain so much weight?
The main question is, How did he reach there in the first place? Because this is what made the story. Popper had the habit of overeating. He never analyzed how many calories was he taking.
John also had the bad habit of drinking too much and taking he*oin. Given the habits, it was obvious that the results wouldn’t be good. And he ended up in the hospital.
Change in Popper’s Habits
After that deadly heart attack, Popper worked on his eating and drinking habits. He started noting what he was consuming the whole day.
John also gave up he*oin. In place of heavy and junk food, he turned to vegetables and light food. Popper also started doing exercises.
What did John say about surgery?
“It was a truly awful experience, one that will stay with me forever,” Popper somberly shared. “But you know what? It also opened my eyes to my own bad habits, to all the things I had been doing wrong for so long. It was like a wake-up call, urging me to make some serious changes.”
Where is Popper now?
As of now, John lives near Snohomish, Washington. However, his reports are not good given his weight. He has, again, gained a lot of weight.
Conclusion
Eating pizza and burgers feels good. Drinking beer with your friends at the bar sounds cool. But these all things have more bad side effects than feeling cool. As you can see, Popper’s overeating brought him near death.
So, analyze what you are feeding to your stomach. There is a lot of good stuff other than junk food and alcohol. Enjoy time with your family. And, of course, with your friends too but without alcohol. Because sobriety is very enjoyable. Take care of your health and smile.
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