The Pickleball Changed My Life series was born from a post that we made on a forum about Picklers experiencing weight loss in their Pickleball journey. The comments flowed in, and it was incredibly inspiring, heart-touching, and overwhelming to read the pickleball weight loss journey of numerous members.
In an effort to make a positive impact on their personal communities, we went one step further and interviewed Todd âHappyâ Boynton who has been through an incredible personal transformation journey. We caught up with Todd to hear how he is inspiring others through pickleball and we found a joyous character with an infectious smile.
Table of Contents
- TODD âHAPPYâ BOYNTON
- How Pickleball Changed My Life: Todd Boynton
- Before His Pickleball Weight Loss Journey:
- Final Thoughts:
- Bonus questions:
TODD âHAPPYâ BOYNTON
Name: Todd âHappyâ Boynton
State and country: MA, USA
Business: Happy Pickleball And Pickleball Palooza
How Pickleball Changed My Life: Todd Boynton
Addiction, a love for ice hockey, chronic back pain and depression were the norm for Boynton, before discovering the joy of pickleball.
Before His Pickleball Weight Loss Journey:
Before Todd âHappyâ Boynton was executing pro-level dinks on the court, he tipped the scales at 350 lbs. After playing Pickleball frequently and deciding to completely transform his life, he dropped down to 250 lbs.
He currently sits at 272 lbs, but we all need that insurance of winter weight to shield us from the cold in the chilly months. Especially where Todd lives. Happy, as he prefers to be called, is based up in Massachusetts, which averages around 33 degrees fahrenheit in January. Jokes aside, if I put it into perspective, losing 100 pounds means he shed 71% of my total body weight.
His weight loss story is incredible, as it was an area that has plagued him throughout his life, especially impacting his desire to play hockey.
On Thin Ice
Todd explained that his first love was ice hockey, and he played as a goalie for 30 years, from the age of 12 until he hit 42. However, a vicious cycle reared its head throughout his career as âHappyâ would gain weight, which would prevent him from playing hockey, but not playing hockey only aggravated his weight gain.
After 3 surgeries, chronic back and knee pain, and more injections than Pfizer can store in their warehouses, he called time on the ice. The man lived for hockey, and just like that, it was taken from him, which led him to a dark place of the three âdâsâ including depression, drinking, and drugs.
The Pickleball Court
When we asked Todd why he started playing pickleball, he quipped, âIt was something other than suicide.â Only those of us who have been deeply depressed can truly understand how helpless Mr. Boynton felt but we are glad those days are behind him because he is a hilarious individual who has so much to offer the world.
He took up pickleball during the height of the pandemic and has remained practically sober for over 4 years. âHappyâ does enjoy a cold one from time to time, but there is nothing wrong with that when youâre in control like he is. With all the recreational sports on offer, we were curious why he chose pickleball, and it stemmed from his lifelong friends teasing him to play tennis.
He admits he was no Novak Djokovic on the court, and endured his worst injury on the tennis court. He didnât elaborate on the injury, but it couldnât have been good. Anyway, those friends enticed him to have a go at pickleball as the popularity of the sport was on the rise, and in his words, it was âLove at first dink.â
Greenfield Pickleball Pioneers
Todd was among the first dozen picklers to hit the courts in his hometown of Greenfield 4 years ago, and now the group boasts 1200 enthusiastic picklers. Aspiring pickleball players around the Greenfield area in Massachusetts should check out the Greenfield (MA) Pickleball group.
Pickleball Is A Fun Way To Lose Weight
Mr. Boynton speaks wisdom when explains that the entertainment aspect of pickleball encourages weight loss. It keeps him on the court for hours at a time, where many calories are burned and the health benefits of pickleball are recognized.
Todd joked, âIf running was fun, heâd be thin,â and you canât argue with him. The man doesnât even care for score or competition. He just likes being out on the court as is evidenced by his weekly routine. He plays an impressive 12 to 15 hours of pickleball per week, at an average of 3 hours a session.
However, he started to slow, only playing once a week for 2 hours for the first year of his journey, then upped the ante, and the results speak for themselves.
Here is a before and after photo of âHappyâ pre-pickleball and today.
The Battle in the Kitchen
At the moment, Todd is shedding an average of 2000 calories a day, which is commendable. However, the calorie loss makes the big guy hungry, and if he eats the incorrect foods, it undoes all his hard work to erase the calories. He admits that this is the biggest challenge he faces in controlling his weight, but he is working on it.
The Pickleball Effect
Mr. Boynton explained his âpickleball effectâ theory to us, where moving on the court makes you feel better. As you feel better, you want to move more because your body is working and it craves more movement.
Another positive impact of the constant movement and feeling better is a quality nightâs rest. Pre-sobriety days, Todd struggled with sleep, which also impacted his bouts of depression. These days, he says he dreams of nothing more than jumping pickleballs.
Pickleball Breeds A Community
Besides exercise, a healthy mind requires close friends and family, and Todd has found his people on the pickleball court. He explained that 90% of his contacts and everyone in his current social group are picklers, including those he goes to trivia with on Saturdays.
Happy lives by the more is merrier approach, telling the entire world about the goodness of pickleball. He admits that he never shuts up about the sport and wants to share this bar of gold with the world.
Donât Get Hurt
Rule number 1 in pickleball is donât get hurt, but we canât always avoid it. Just ask Todd, who played his guts out in a friendly encounter and got hurt. However, his ice hockey toughness surfaced, and he took to the court 2 days later in a tournament, which he actually won.
First off, we praise his tenacity and never-say-die attitude, but we want to see you on the court for years to come. Take it easy.
Watch The Todd âHappyâ Boynton Interview With Sara Weiss and Dave: How Pickleball Literally Saved My Life
Final Thoughts:
Todd âHappyâ Boynton has an inspirational story highlighting the ability to lose weight by playing pickleball. He has already shed 100 pounds but will need to work on his performance in the kitchen to balance his diet and complement his calorie loss.
One of the biggest killers of motivation and weight loss is a poor diet. You could lose 2000 calories like âHappyâ but put the majority on if you slot a pizza post-game or a big bag of crisps. Weight loss requires a combination of improved nutrition and exercise.
Advice For Others Using Pickleball for weight loss ?
Four rules:
1. Donât get hurt
2. Have fun
3. Donât be a d*ck
4. The more, the merrier
Bonus questions:
Did you face any skepticism or doubts from others about pursuing pickleball for weight loss?
Constantly. My wife is a big F45âer. That works for her. Iâd rather pickle. And my pickleball calories burned dwarfs hers, despite the misconception that pickleball is not an active game and doesnât help you lose weight.
How has pickleball changed your overall outlook on life and well-being?
Itâs definitely been positive. Iâve learned a lot about forgiveness and tolerance. There are a lot of different personalities on the court. You never know what someone is going through and how much a good game may mean to them.
