Dad Loses 135 Pounds by Walking and Picking Up Trash: ‘I Feel Amazing’

Curtis “Dusty” Stilwell estimates he used to eat 10,000 calories a day with a diet of donuts, candy, fast food, soda and huge dinners. He was also leading a sedentary lifestyle that consisted of just working, eating and playing video games. His weight reached 520 pounds. “I’ve always been big. I’ve always overeaten. I’ve always not exercised,” Stilwell, 39, who lives in Newalla, Oklahoma, tells TODAY.com. But last December, he decided he’d had enough. He was separating from his wife and thought about his two young daughters. “How can I be a good dad if I’m this giant man?” he recalls, yearning to be a good role model for the girls, who are now 5 and 10 years old. “They’re really healthy, but eventually they would probably pick up on a lot of my habits of overeating … so I decided to get healthy and get control of my life.” Like many people, Stilwell just started walking. But there’s a twist: He started picking up trash along the way, cleaning up the routes where he regularly walks. It’s now part of his exercise routine, which also includes weightlifting. The daily walking combined with the trash pick-up mission gives him an extra sense of purpose, accomplishment and motivation to keep going. Walking outdoors boosts his mental health. He’s changed his diet and has lost 135 pounds, aiming to lose even more. Stilwell wears a “custom trash can backpack” on his walks to collect the garbage he comes across and invites people to send him to places that need cleaning up via his website and social media pages. Weight Gain Stilwell’s weight kept rising over the years. When he was at his biggest, his typical day’s menu was “embarrassing,” he says, noting he’d start the day with five donuts, then eat candy as a mid-morning snack. Lunch would be two McDoubles, two McChickens, and large fries at McDonald’s, followed by a “really ridiculous” afternoon snack. He’d finish the day with a huge dinner and some sweets. Standing 6 feet, 8 inches tall, Stilwell weighed 520 pounds last year and felt “terrible.” That’s when he decided to make a change. He calls overeating his coping mechanism for severe depression. “It was just an endless cycle of like, ‘Oh, now I feel bad, but all right, now I’m going to overeat. That’ll make me feel good for 10 seconds,’ and then I do it again,” he recalls. Stilwell started going to therapy for the first time six months ago and calls it a big help. Walking and Picking Up Trash The dad started walking in December 2025 when he and his wife separated. He averages 4 miles a day, or at least 10,000 steps, though he sometimes walks up to 8 miles. Along the way, he got tired of seeing all the trash. “I was like, somebody should do something about this. This is ridiculous. And then something just told me, ‘You could be doing something. Why don’t you do something?’” he recalls. So he started picking up the trash, eventually using what his daughters call “oversized chopsticks” to grab it and toss it into his “custom trash can backpack.” It’s a regular trash can with backpack straps attached and pool noodles added to the back for comfort. Picking up trash is therapeutic — Stilwell sees the difference he’s making, and it makes him feel good. He works as a pool cleaner and his schedule can change, so he describes his walking routine as “inconsistently consistent.” Every week is different, but he makes time to walk every day. Besides Stilwell’s daily walks, he’s also cleaned up places suggested by people who contact him on social media, including parks, school grounds and neighborhoods. His daughters often come along. The 10-year-old does artwork for his webpage. “I’m just being more involved with my community. I want to connect with people,” the dad says. Stilwell’s exercise routine also includes lifting “super heavy” weights several times a week. “I love lifting big weights, so that’ll always be a part of what I do,” he says. Diet Changes Stilwell is now trying to stay under 3,500 calories a day and eat more whole foods like oatmeal, sweet potatoes and chicken. He avoids ice cream, cakes and donuts: “I haven’t eaten them in forever. I’ve cut out a lot of stuff,” the dad says. He now weighs 385 pounds and hopes to get to under 300, with a goal weight of 260 pounds. The dad wants to connect with a dietitian to guide his next steps. Stilwell once considered taking a GLP-1 weight-loss drug but decided he wanted to lose the weight on his own. The big focus is walking, lifting weights, counting calories and boosting his mental health. “I’m tired sometimes, but I feel so driven right now, and I don’t want to feel tired,” he says. “I feel great. I feel amazing.”