When Sal Reedus uploaded a TikTok revealing he weighed 725 pounds, he wasn't chasing internet fame.
He was trying to keep a promise to himself.
"I posted it publicly to say the thing out loud," Reedus said on the latest episode of Columbus in Color, The Dispatch's podcast highlighting the people shaping central Ohio. "That should then hold me accountable."
What Reedus expected was a small community following along as he worked toward a healthier life. Instead, his first video quickly reached more than 100,000 people, launching a social media audience that has since grown to more than 800,000 followers.
The Columbus native has become known for documenting every step of his weight-loss journey − not just the victories, but the setbacks, frustrations
and moments that would be easy to edit out.
That honesty, he says, isn't a strategy. It's simply who he is.
"I don't do well being someone else," Reedus said. "The No. 1 character is yourself. So just be yourself."
Who is '@journeywithsal?'
Behind the weekly weigh-ins is a story that nearly ended before it began.
Within roughly a year, Reedus survived diabetic ketoacidosis, heart failure and atrial fibrillation − three life-threatening medical emergencies that forced him to reconsider the future he wanted for himself. It wasn't until a cousin told him, "I need you not to die," that he committed fully to changing his life.
Nineteen months later, Reedus has lost more than 240 pounds. But he admits he's still learning how to celebrate victories beyond the number on the scale.
Being able to shop in stores, fit comfortably into different vehicles and even use an airplane restroom are milestones that once felt impossible. Yet he acknowledges that lasting happiness is still something he's working toward.
"I don't like that," Reedus said of tying so much of his self-worth to the scale. "I'm working on it."
That willingness to admit he doesn't have everything figured out may be the reason so many people continue to follow his journey.
Rather than presenting himself as someone who has already reached the finish line, Reedus invites people to walk beside him while he continues searching for it.
The conversation also explores his love of travel, growing up on Columbus' east side and why he believes the city is "a really big city, but also a very small city"− a place where every neighborhood has its own identity while remaining part of something larger.
For Reedus, the weight-loss journey has always been about more than becoming smaller.
It's about getting his life back.
And for hundreds of thousands of people watching online, that may be the most inspiring transformation of all.
Trending reporter Amani Bayo can be reached at abayo@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus influencer's weight-loss journey lands him nearly 1 million followers
