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About a year into the coronavirus pandemic, Chris Sandberg decided it was time to get serious about losing weight, turning his health journey into a TikTok challenge.
In January 2021, Sandberg, 37, began working out every day until Taco Bell brings back your favorite menu item, the Grilled Stuft Nacho.
He has continued with the challenge for more than 480 days: lose about 87 pounds in the process.
“Because it’s TikTok, you can’t just lose weight, you have to make it a challenge,” Sandberg, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, told Fox News Digital. “I didn’t want the trip to be about a number on a scale.”
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“I wanted it to be fun and maybe the goal was something that I wanted,” Sandberg added. “And for some reason, the first thing that popped into my head was the Grilled Stuffed Nacho, and I stuck with it.”
On January 4, 2021, Sandberg posted his first video of the challenge. At the time, she weighed about 275 pounds, she told Fox News Digital.
“Day one of working out every day until Taco Bell brings back the Grilled Stuft Nacho,” Sandberg says in the clip, out of breath.
Sandberg captioned the video: “Do the right thing #tacobell.”
Grilled Stuffed Nacho
Taco Bell first introduced the Grilled Stuft Nacho in 2013, according to the Taco Bell Wiki.
The menu item, which is described on the website as “a flour tortilla, shaped like a nacho, stuffed with beef, cheesy jalapeño sauce, sour cream and crispy red strips,” was discontinued in 2015.
Sandberg said he first tried the Grilled Stuft Nacho just before it was removed from menus.
“It was the best I’ve ever had at Taco Bell,” he said. “And then I had it every day for a week.”
When Sandberg returned to his local Taco Bell the following week, he said the Grilled Stuft Nacho was no longer available.
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What makes the Grilled Stuffed Nacho so special to Sandberg is the cheesy jalapeno sauce, which Taco Bell doesn’t use for any other menu item.
In January 2021, Chris Sandberg, 37, decided to work out every day until Taco Bell brings back his favorite menu item, the Grilled Stuft Nacho. At the time, he weighed around 275 pounds.
(Chris Sandberg)
After more than 480 days of exercise, Sandberg has lost about 87 pounds. She currently weighs around 188 pounds.
(Chris Sandberg)
“I want to make this clear: the cheesy jalapeno sauce is different than your creamy jalapeno sauce,” Sandberg said of another sauce on Taco Bell’s menu.
Although it’s been about seven years since he first ate the Grilled Stuft Nacho, Sandberg said he still thinks about it.
“I just haven’t let it go.”
Make weight loss fun
Sandberg told Fox News Digital that, over the years, he’s lost and regained hundreds of pounds at different times with different methods.
Sandberg said another motivation for trying to lose weight again was the fact that people who are overweight are more vulnerable to COVID-19. Overweight adults are at risk for serious chronic disease and “increased risk of serious illness from COVID-19,” the CDC states on its website.
Also during the pandemic, Sandberg turned to TikTok and started making videos.
“It just occurred to me that if I spent as much time focusing on my health as I did on TikTok, then maybe I could lose the weight that I’ve always talked about losing,” Sandberg said.
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Making the Grilled Stuffed Nacho part of Sandberg’s goal served two important purposes: to add humor to the process and to give Sandberg something else to focus on besides his weight.
“The dichotomy of exercise and fast food is obviously a lot of fun,” Sandberg said.
“The Grilled Stuft Nacho has been amazing because it’s something that has made this trip fun for me,” he added. “For people who struggle with weight, it’s a serious thing and it can be very difficult for people to overcome. I know it was for me. Allowing the process to be fun was very helpful.”
By making weight loss fun, Sandberg was able to “stay consistent” and not burn out.
“If something is funny and silly, you take yourself less seriously,” he said. “You are able to laugh a little more at yourself.”
“And if you’re able to take yourself less seriously, you’re less in your head,” he continued. “That space in your mind is now open to exert yourself physically.”
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No matter how much fun he had, Sandberg said he made sure his goal was authentic.
lose 87 pounds
As her TikTok challenge suggests, Sandberg has worked out every day since January 4, 2021, though she told Fox News Digital that she includes a weekly recovery day on Sunday where she stretches and exercises her core.
Over the course of his challenge, Sandberg has lost about 87 pounds, going from 275 pounds to about 188 pounds today.
Even though he considered stopping his challenge twice, Sandberg stuck to his guns, working out for nearly 500 days straight.
(Chris Sandberg)
Sandberg said he takes recovery days, where he focuses on stretching and working his core, rather than doing a full workout.
(Chris Sandberg)
When he started his fitness challenge, Sandberg said he did Beachbody on Demand for several months. Since then, he has moved on to weight lifting and some cardio.
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Sandberg also focused on changing her eating habits.
Sandberg said that focusing on the specific nutrients in your food, not just the calories, is what helps you achieve your goals.
“For me, I realized that it’s not about losing weight, it’s about building a stronger body,” he said.
Sandberg said she has learned healthier eating habits, but hasn’t eliminated anything from her diet.
“I couldn’t do this if I had to give up the food I love. I just don’t eat it every day,” she said.
Sandberg said he regularly enjoys a “reward” meal, not a cheat meal.
“You should never call it a cheat meal,” he said. “You’re not kidding yourself. You’re definitely indulging. And if you’re being efficient and conscientious throughout the week, eat a burger, eat pizza. That’s fine.”
stick to that
Sandberg said he considered stopping his challenge just twice over more than 400 days. He had sustained knee and shoulder injuries, which meant he had to do lighter exercises and cardio, instead of lifting weights.
The other time he considered quitting was after a year, when his local Taco Bell specially prepared Sandberg and his fiancée Melissa Grilled Stuft Nachos. Taco Bell also gave Sandberg a jar of the cheesy jalapeno dip he loves so much.
“I was like, is this the natural ending?” Sandberg said. “When I looked at the videos, I said ‘working out every day until Taco Bell brings back the Grilled Stuft Nacho,'” Sandberg said. “It doesn’t just make me one.”
Sandberg said that when Taco Bell made his own grilled stuffed nacho for him, he asked if the company would bring the item back to its menu.
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“They said, ‘Anything is possible,'” Sandberg recalled.
Taco Bell did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
immense love and support
Sandberg has received encouraging messages from many of her 448,600 TikTok followers.
His fiancée Melissa, whom he has been with for four years, has been a “foundation” for him, Sandberg said.
“She loved me when I was heavier,” Sandberg said. “And it was important to find someone I could fall in love with at a time in my life when it was hard to love myself.”
Melissa’s support took the pressure off Sandberg’s weight-loss process, she said.
“I know he’s going to love me no matter what size I am,” Sandberg said. “She just wants her to be healthy and happy.”
