{"id":49628,"date":"2015-02-07T07:17:24","date_gmt":"2015-02-07T12:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fitzness.com\/blog\/?p=49628"},"modified":"2015-03-10T19:37:15","modified_gmt":"2015-03-11T00:37:15","slug":"success-story-matthew-millheiser-sheds-72-lbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitzness.com\/blog\/success-story-matthew-millheiser-sheds-72-lbs\/","title":{"rendered":"Success Story: How Matthew Millheiser Shed 72 Lbs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Matthew Millheiser,\u00a044,\u00a0IT Analyst\/Developer,\u00a0Fort Lauderdale, FL<\/strong><\/p>\n

How much weight have you lost?<\/strong>\u00a072\u00a0pounds.<\/p>\n

Tell us what the \u201cold you\u201d used to be like.\u00a0<\/strong>I used to tell people that I came from a race of giants, because all the men in my\u00a0family are tall and broad with tendencies to get \u201cstocky\u201d. Growing up we were the\u00a0Football linemen, shotput\/discus throwers in Track, or stuck in the outfield in\u00a0Baseball. Still, I managed to stay active, fit, and healthy for many years after\u00a0college — at least until I got that first corporate job that required a lot of business\u00a0travel. You know the drill: endless airports, hotel rooms, breakfast buffets, room\u00a0service, chain restaurants\u2026 yeesh. This was compounded by my work in\u00a0Information Technology, featuring endless hours spent plopped down on my\u00a0Royal American in front of a computer monitor.<\/p>\n

\"Before\"

Before<\/p><\/div>\n

Thus the pattern would engage: the weight would go up, the diet would start,\u00a0some minimal exercise would be involved, and the weight would go down. And\u00a0I\u2019d stay healthy and mostly fit\u2026 until I wasn\u2019t anymore, creating a M\u00f6bius strip of\u00a0yo-yo\u2019ing weight. Ensuing health issues eventually made themselves aware. By\u00a0my late 30s I developed sleep apnea, hypertension, and fatigue from chronic\u00a0anemia. What would later be diagnosed as ulcerative colitis further sapped me\u00a0not only of energy but of the motivation to do anything to improve my physical\u00a0well-being.<\/p>\n

By the time I turned 40, I was extremely overweight (clinically I was \u201cobese\u201d, but\u00a0with my body type I was told I \u201ccarried it well\u201d), lethargic, always out-of-breath\u00a0(even during such simple acts as cooking dinner or singing karaoke), and making\u00a0every excuse I could possibly imagine to justify my wistfully woeful condition!<\/p>\n

What prompted your weight loss?\u00a0<\/strong>I turned 40.<\/p>\n

OK, I know, that\u2019s the walking, talking cliche, right? Mea maxima culpa on that\u00a0particular revelation. Yet, it\u2019s true. When I hit four decades of life, I had that\u00a0honest self-evaluation period. Call it vanity if you will, but I was tired of hating\u00a0every picture of me I saw on friends\u2019 and family\u2019s social media. I was sick of my\u00a0limited wardrobe of clothes I felt \u201ccomfortable\u201d wearing. I loathed feeling slow,\u00a0weak, and tired every moment of every day.<\/p>\n

No one enjoys feeling like 50 gallons of lumpy potato salad in a 25 gallon bag. I\u00a0mean, unless that\u2019s your \u201cthing\u201d…<\/p>\n

And then this happened: my wife Kim and I took a cruise to Jamaica and Haiti to\u00a0celebrate my 40th birthday. While grabbing some sun by the pool I was asked by\u00a0some event coordinator if I wanted to participate in the \u201cBelly Flop Contest\u201d.<\/p>\n

That, as they say, was all she wrote…<\/p>\n

How did you lose the weight?\u00a0<\/strong>I remembered listening to the WDW Radio podcast a few years previous, in\u00a0which host Lou Mongello and his guests were discussing running the Walt\u00a0Disney World Half Marathon. At the time it sounded like something fun that\u00a0maybe I could do in the future… but let\u2019s face it, I wasn\u2019t a runner. I was never a\u00a0runner. I was too big to be a runner. I wasn\u2019t cut out to be a runner.<\/p>\n

\"M1\"<\/p>\n

So right around then I figured I\u2019d become a Runner.<\/p>\n

After a wee bit of research, I discovered the Couch to 5K program online. To my\u00a0utterly inexperienced sensibilities, it seemed like a reasonable start to a running\u00a0and fitness regimen. Thus on the sunny afternoon of January 31, 2011 — two\u00a0days after returning from that \u201cBelly Flop\u201d-filled extravaganza on the high seas — I\u00a0took that first tentative, near-terrifying step on the treadmill\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026 and around ten weeks later, that \u201cNever Gonna Be A Runner\u201d Dude ran three\u00a0miles. THREE MILES — continuously! Just driving three miles used to be a chore. And steadily over time, this former \u201cBelly-Flopping Master of Melancholia\u201d was\u00a0chalking up the miles like they were going out of style.<\/p>\n

While this was happening, I cross-trained with weights and elliptical, and kept a\u00a0rigorous food journal, monitoring my caloric intake with (apologies to Monty\u00a0Python fans) ruthless efficiency and fanatical devotion. This wasn\u2019t diet and\u00a0exercise; this was a massive lifestyle upgrade. And the more I committed to the\u00a0cause, the more wanted to commit to the cause. A mental overhaul.<\/p>\n

To quote George Harrison in the Yellow Submarine movie: \u201cIt\u2019s all in the mind,\u00a0ya know?\u201d<\/p>\n

How long did it take?\u00a0<\/strong>The results came very quickly. On average I was losing about 9 pounds a month.\u00a0No pills, no shakes, no fads and no gimmicks; just healthy eating and exercising\u00a0six days a week, and unshakeable constancy.<\/strong> In just around eight months, I\u00a0dropped over 70 pounds.<\/p>\n

Eating sensibly and moving the body around — funny how that works.<\/em><\/p>\n

What was the hardest part?\u00a0<\/strong>Taking that first step was the hardest part — I should have snapped a selfie while\u00a0I was climbing aboard that treadmill with a look of abject horror on my face! That\u00a0was really it, though. Once I was moving, I was motivated, and once I was\u00a0motivated I started seeing results\u2026 and once I started seeing results, that\u00a0pushed my motivation even harder.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the opposite of a vicious cycle? A \u2018virtuous\u2019 cycle? I like the sound of\u00a0that…<\/p>\n

Most fun part of your weight loss?\u00a0<\/strong>The continuous ego-stroking from friends, family, coworkers, and admirers?\u00a0Yeesh, vanity again\u2026 No but seriously (like I wasn\u2019t serious just now!), my runs\u00a0became my relaxation time. My mind cleared, the stress of the day vanished, and\u00a0when I popped in my headphones to listen to my music, podcasts, or\u00a0audiobooks, I was somewhere else. Somewhere strong, focused, calm, and\u00a0balanced. Was that the fabled \u201cRunner\u2019s High\u201d? Maybe. But I loved that feeling of\u00a0being outdoors and removed from that mundane choir of everyday cacophony.<\/p>\n

\"M4\"<\/p>\n

Most rewarding experience?\u00a0<\/strong>Remember that aforementioned Disney Half Marathon? When I started my\u00a0journey in January 2011, I vowed to run that Half Marathon in 2012. Six months\u00a0later, I registered for the race. And on January 7th, 2012, I ran the Walt Disney\u00a0World Half Marathon — my first distance race. Ever.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t even think I have the words to describe what that experience felt like. I\u2019ll\u00a0just throw the phrase \u2018MEGA EUPHORIC TRIUMPH\u2019 out there and hope that\u00a0suffices.<\/p>\n

Since that time I\u2019ve completed 9 5Ks, 5 10Ks, 23 half marathons, 4 full\u00a0marathons, a Tough Mudder, and a host of other relays, specialty runs, obstacle\u00a0races, and so forth.<\/p>\n

Who\/what inspires you when you feel like quitting?\u00a0<\/strong>The way I see it, I\u2019m continuously being hunted down by the person I was pre-\u00a0January 31, 2011. The overweight, lazy, lethargic, unhealthy version of myself. If\u00a0I slow down even for a second, he\u2019s gonna show up with an extra-large pizza, a\u00a0case of beer, video game controller and a Netflix subscription over a Google\u00a0Fiber line. He\u2019s a fun guy, that one. Jolly, happy, and carefree\u2026 which of course,\u00a0is the ultimate delusion. In actuality, he was none of those things. I\u2019ve been down\u00a0that rabbit hole and stayed there for a long time. I ain\u2019t heading back anytime\u00a0soon.<\/p>\n

How has this weight loss changed you life?\u00a0<\/strong>It didn\u2019t so much change my life as much as it gave me life. It felt good to feel\u00a0good, period. My sleep apnea vanished almost overnight, which meant more\u00a0restful sleep and in turn better health overall. I felt mentally sharper, more\u00a0confident, and more upbeat. It gave me motivation to improve myself in every\u00a0capacity — professionally, intellectually, and definitely spiritually. There wasn\u2019t a\u00a0single aspect of my entire life that didn\u2019t improve from becoming more fit, healthy,\u00a0and active.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve also met legions of new friends in the running community: locally, through\u00a0run clubs, and worldwide throughout the Internet. Almost all of them have their\u00a0own inspirational stories that placed them on the road to fitness. These journeys\u00a0motivate us to keep moving, reinforce our communal bonds, and provide\u00a0motivation for countless others.<\/p>\n

Have any advice for others who\u2019d like to lose weight?\u00a0<\/strong>Fad diets, surgical procedures, magnets, supplements, and other such gimmicks\u00a0won\u2019t do you a lick of good. You don\u2019t need to invest a ton of money or dedicate\u00a0endless amounts of time. You don\u2019t need fancy equipment, shoes, or clothes.\u00a0You don\u2019t even need a gym membership. All you need is the desire to change\u00a0and the will to overcome. Yes, that first step is always the hardest\u2026 but then\u00a0afterward you\u2019ll find it wasn\u2019t all that hard to begin with.<\/p>\n

There are a TON of great resources online. Find them and use them, and make a\u00a0plan that works for you. Others may have advice on what you should be doing,\u00a0but what works for them — or me! — may not be your best approach to fitness.\u00a0Still, no matter what, keep moving. Even a 30-minute walk around your\u00a0neighborhood a few times a week will do wonders.<\/p>\n

Weight loss is 90% diet. Keep that food journal going. Find out what your net\u00a0caloric intake should be and stick to it.<\/p>\n

And finally: have scheduled Off-Days. I don\u2019t call them \u2018Cheat Days\u2019, because\u00a0that implies you\u2019re doing something wrong. Off Days aren\u2019t a cheat, they are both\u00a0a reward for your hard work and a reminder to enjoy the fun things in moderation.\u00a0Every week I had six days of proper diet and exercise, followed by a seventh day\u00a0of normalcy. I didn\u2019t go crazy that day, gobbling down whatever I wanted, but it\u00a0was nice to know I could go out that night for a steak and a beer, or some killer\u00a0Thai food, even some ice cream for dessert — whatever. You\u2019ll discover that you\u00a0can enjoy these things in proper moderation. Knowing that you\u2019re not completely\u00a0giving up the things you love makes it a lot easier to work towards your fitness\u00a0goals.<\/p>\n

\"M5\"<\/p>\n

Your must-have fitness equipment.\u00a0<\/strong>My favorite running shoes (Hoka One-One Stinson Tarmacs), my Garmin 220\u00a0watch, and my tunes. Oh, and awesome running partners are worth their weight\u00a0in recovery chocolate milk!<\/p>\n

Favorite training song:\u00a0<\/strong>Mot\u00f6rhead — \u201cAce of Spades\u201d. There\u2019s simply no better running song. Ever.\u00a0When you need to kick your game into high gear and get that extra boost, put\u00a0this one on. Trust me. Or rather, trust Lemmy.<\/p>\n

Favorite healthy food:\u00a0<\/strong>My go-to meal is chicken, brown rice, black beans, and veggies. But lately I\u2019ve\u00a0become a huge fan of quinoa burgers!<\/p>\n

Favorite not-so-healthy food:\u00a0<\/strong>Chinese food. Loaded with fat and sodium and calories, it can be your worst\u00a0dietary nightmare. On the other hand, it tastes so darn good. Like my\u00a0grandmama used to say, \u201cYou dim sum, you lose some\u2026\u201d *groan*<\/p>\n

Funniest \/weirdest\/most awkward experience during your weight loss\u00a0journey.\u00a0<\/strong>I was so self-conscious about running, it took me almost eight months to get off\u00a0the treadmill and brave running outside. Of course once I did, I never wanted to\u00a0get on the treadmill again\u2026 but that very first time outside, in the middle of a nine\u00a0mile run, I tripped over the sidewalk in front of roughly, oh, let\u2019s say NINE\u00a0ZILLION PEOPLE. Mid tumble, I tucked my head into my arm and turned it into\u00a0this tuck-and-roll thing and sprouted right back up again\u2026 like I meant to do that.\u00a0These two guys (who witnessed the entire debacle) started sarcastically\u00a0applauding from their driveway. I think I turned about 37 shades of chartreuse.<\/p>\n

Future goals:\u00a0<\/strong>I want\u2026 no, I need to run the Boston Marathon. One day\u2026<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, I\u2019m training for my first triathlon in April. It\u2019s only a sprint tri, but I\u2019ve\u00a0started swim training and am loving it! Eventually I\u2019d love to compete in an an\u00a0Iron Man event. I\u2019m also looking forward to running a marathon in Alaska this\u00a0June and eventually I\u2019d like to try an Ultramarathon.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d also like for the Disney race announcers to call out my name when I reach the\u00a0Finish Line. Seriously! Eleven Run Disney races so far, and Zilch! Nada! Bupkis!\u00a0I feel like the Susan Lucci of the running world…<\/p>\n

Check out Matthew’s blog for more info about running and race reviews! \u00a0http:\/\/millheiser.com\/hokeyblog<\/a><\/p>\n

Matthew, Your success has been impressive, hard-earned and logical. Thanks for sharing your fab story in such a fun way with so many big words! We’re huge new fans of THE YOU. Fitz and the entire team at Fitzness.com<\/em><\/p>\n