‘This has opened up a whole new world for me’: Manitoba man thriving after 200 + pound weight loss
Posted October 21, 2026 5:19 pm.
James Sutherland weighed in at over 500 lbs in December of 2024 and was warned he needed to lose weight to receive life-changing surgery.
Today, Sutherland is 236 pounds lighter, and over the weekend, he competed in his first race.
“It sounds almost cliché, but if I can do it, anyone can,” said Sutherland.
Sutherland’s running journey began in June. He’s been documenting it on social media, with over20,000followers on TikTok.
The 36-year-old says he knew the warning from his doctors was a wake-up call and that it wastimeto make a big change in his life.
“It was definitely a gut punch, being told that I had passed 500 lbs,” said Sutherland. “Lit a firein me.I will say, once the shock of it all subsided…”
Sutherland knew his weight-loss journey wouldn’t be easy but decided to combine his love for the outdoors with his fitness goals.
“I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors,” said Sutherland. “I’ve always enjoyed just being out and active. It’s j just very hard when you’re morbidly obese.”
After losing 75 pounds, Sutherland had bariatric surgery in November of 2025, a procedure that helped him continue to shed more pounds.
At his heaviest, it took Sutherland 34 minutes to walk just a kilometre and a half. Sutherland says that after his weight loss, he can now run five kilometres in just under 38 minutes.
In June, the 36-year-old set a goal to race in the WFP’s 5K race this fall.
“I was terrified. I normally run at home in Traverse Bay, where I don’t see anybody, ever,” said Sutherland. “Being a big guy exercising, I can be quite self-conscious about it. And the thousands and thousands of people was overwhelming.”
Sutherland says that as soon as he heard the gun go off, he locked in immediately.
“When I crossed the line, I probably looked like I was drunk,” joked Sutherland. “There was a lot of stumbling around and trying to not let my legs turn into Jell-O.”
Sutherland says he isn’t ready to slow down just yet. He plans on running a half-marathon in February and attempting the Yukon Arctic Ultra, a 480-kilometre trek, which Sutherland hopes to race on cross-country skis.
“That’ll be one day, and then once I do that, I don’t know,” said Sutherland.
As a result of Sutherland’s weight loss, he hopes to receive umbilical hernia surgery. For Sutherland, he says he’s happier and has a new lease on life.
“I really didn’t truly appreciate how much I was missing out on in life,” said Sutherland. “Right now,at277, I’m lighter than I was at 15. So, this has opened up a whole new world for me.”
