x
Breaking News
More () »

Wellness Warrior: Fit Men Cook and now so do millions of followers

Kevin Curry opens up about personal health journey, anxiety.

DALLAS — It's tough to catch Fit Men Cook founder Kevin Curry. The Dallas-based Instagram sensation with more than one million followers and a new book out, is zipping from coast to coast and around the world to inspire healthy eating and healthy living.

"It's been great! I love the energy," said Curry, from his new Deep Ellum studio space. "Sometimes I have to take a moment for myself."

Curry helped his own parents to adopt healthier lifestyles and decided to share what he learned on a blog. He really blew up thanks to social media. His app earning top spots in the U.S and U.K. 

All that attention came at a cost for a guy who quietly struggled with social anxiety. 

"I get energy from people, but afterward I feel so exhausted. It's been something that I've struggled with before," Curry said. "That plus social media, plus the camera, plus the business now of Fit Men Cook-- I'm just always always always on."

Curry said he has learned to develop boundaries like putting the phone away and not reading comments on social media. 

"I just can't get so caught up in this virtual world about people's comments-- even the good ones-- that I'm missing the present moment and the now with real people," Curry said. "Also, I think it's really easy to let comments become a mirror for the way you see yourself." 

Curry's own insecurities about self-image are what started his personal transformation. 

"It all started through Facebook really," said Curry, 37. "Somebody posted this really bad photo of me that they thought was really nice... and I was like 'Yo! Is this me?' Un-tag, unsubscribe, delete the friend... all that! So that was the first time that I really began to think about my health because I didn't like the way that I looked."

He got to work-- trading in happy hours for gym sessions and fast food for fresh foods. 

"There is nothing more motivating to me than seeing results," Curry said. "Things just began literally to fall into place." 

Curry documented his workouts and learned his way around the kitchen slowly, offering simple, practical and budget-friendly recipes, all of which are translated into Spanish. 

"When you look at the rates of diabetes and heart disease, they're really prevalent within the black and brown communities," Curry said. "So I wanted to make sure the language of health is as pervasive as possible."

Curry's recipe for success: strength, willpower, and wisdom. 

"It takes strength to say 'no' to the candy bar and 'yes' to the fruit," Curry said. "It takes willpower to follow through with that. And it takes wisdom also to know that this piece of fruit over here is going to help me out much more in the long run, so I'm going to stay the course."

Before You Leave, Check This Out