About Me

My name is Matt and I’m currently working
on losing over 100lbs.

“Discipline Equals Freedom”

Self-discipline is the root quality that will improve every aspect of your life.  It’s discipline to face your fears so you can conquer. “Jocko Willink”

Food

Keto
December 2nd 2017  I started using a Ketogenic diet to help me lose weight.  It was a lot to adjust to and after months of being on again / off again I restarted June 27th 2018.  I’ve been eating Keto ever since.  I started by eliminating the main triggers from my diet and am slowly targetting my food to fit my long-term lifestyle goals.

Move

Exercise
Growing up I was always active.  But during college I started slowing down quite a bit.  Over the years I packed on quite a bit of weight and quite frankly, stopped moving.  I love swimming, biking and playing sports – but with 150 extra pounds (from my college weight of 240) I use to find exercise difficult.  Now I lift weights and walk.  I tried Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for a while and LOVED it! I’ll be going back to that someday too.

Mind

Clarity
It’s amazing how connected our mind is to our body.  The heavier I’ve been the less clearly I’ve been able to think.  I’ve had to develop strategies to help me overcome anxiety and isolation – but as I’ve been eating better (Keto) and moving more I’ve noticed my mind getting clearer.  The mind-body (and I’d say spirit) connection is an amazing thing.

Highest Recorded Weight

Current Weight

Goal Weight

My Journey So Far…

I was born – June 1978

I’m told I was a beautiful and active baby!  My mom and dad are the best parents ever – and I have one amazing sister! I grew up in rural Ontario, Canada with wide open spaces and lots of time to play outside!
i

College life begins – September 1997

In the fall of 1997 I moved to Peterborough to attend college.  My first few years there I was single and had no car.  I walked A LOT and was in decent shape.  Not thin, but healthy and able to walk quite a ways.  Half way through college I got married and got a car and stopped walking anywhere.  I drove EVERYWHERE.  And along with the stress of finishing school I started letting myself go.

I get divorced – 2012

2012 / 2013 were the toughest years of my life.  I found myself going through a separation and divorce; I had three kids and knew I needed to do so much better for them.  I found that the event of divorce is on par with experiencing death of someone close – the stress is almost equal.  I made a choice that I needed to get my life on track and take control of my actions.  I’d like to say that I dug in and made it happen all at once, but this has definitely been a journey of time.

We got a dog – June 2016

Life takes so many twists and turns.  What we have in our minds about pursuing a goal is not always the reality.  My family is amazing – my wife and kids, my parents, my sister, my in-laws…I feel like I can achieve my goals because of the love and support I have. Oh, and we got a dog.  She can be cute…sometimes…
L

I become a Lifeguard – June 1993

All growing up I was a pretty active kid.  I remember being one of the bigger kids in class, but looking back at photos I don’t think I was fat.  Just bigger.  I loved playing sports – especially baseball – and was introduced to swimming early on.  Around 1993 or so I completed the courses I need to become a lifeguard, and kept that job through highschool.
>

My weight climbs – 1997 to 2011

From the middle of college until about 2011 my weight fluctuated, but ultimately rose.  In about 12 years I gained somewhere around 160 pounds and at my highest I can guess that I was close to 400 pounds.  Weight gain like this comes for a variety of reasons – but needless to say I was incredibly unhealthy and tried every diet you could think of.

I get married – August 2015

In 2014 I started dating my wife and on August 8th 2015 we got married! She is absolutely amazing.  In a few short years I’ve experienced such a wide range of emotions – from the depths of despair to the heights of joy.  Through it all I worked on myself and my weight – and I learned that weight loss is WAY more than simple calories in and calories out.  Our body, mind and spirit are connected.  So my journey continued and I started to see a change!
9

Today

Life really is what you make of it.  I’ve been learning not to compare myself or my journey to anyone else – my challenges, while common to many, are uniquely mine to face.  How I react to things is the most important factor in success.  My wife is amazing and the most supportive person to me.  I love my kids (all 6!) and want to be the best I can for them – but at the end of the day, I have to really want this change for me.  So I’m not done.  I’ve got a ways to go on the scale and challenges to overcome for the rest of my life – I will overcome, renew and be transformed.
[et_bloom_inline optin_id=”optin_2″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][/et_bloom_inline][et_pb_line_break_holder _builder_version=”3.0.47″][/et_pb_line_break_holder]