Hey everybody. It is Matt Cavallo checking in with you at the end of week four of my weight loss journey. Just to recap, in week one, I started at 243 pounds by BMI and body fat percentage standards. I was obese. I had a problem area, which was belly fat. Belly fat’s a dangerous fat because it can cause all kinds of serious health problems like heart disease. Week two, I started to show some progress. Week three I reached a major milestone. I even shared the Skilly, or skinny Philly, a diet dish my wife and I created. You can see these videos and more on our YouTube channel.
I was really concerned because I carry all my weight in my belly. Belly fat is a dangerous fat. It can lead to all kinds of health problems, like heart disease. For me, it caused acid reflux. Now the acid reflux wreaked havoc on my life. It was causing chest pains. It was causing laryngitis. And I also went through periods of hiccuping, as a matter of fact, this time last year I hiccuped for two weeks straight, they call it intractable hiccups and there was nothing we could do about it.
So that’s when I started to get serious about looking at weight loss options because the truth is when I looked in the mirror, I didn’t feel like I was that heavy. You know, I had gradually. Bought bigger size clothes and the clothes fit me okay. You know, I work from home. So I was being comfortable.
I didn’t realize the slow increase of weight that I was having from staying at home every day from not going out and exercising from working way too close to the kitchen and the pantry. But as the acid reflux started to wreak havoc on my life, I knew I had to take action, and any change you make in your life, you have to be willing to take that action to take that first step.
And the first step is the hardest before I started this medical weight loss program, actually the night before. I went out and I got a large pizza and I ate it because I was so afraid I was gonna miss pizza. Right. And four weeks into this journey, I got to smell pizza once at Costco and it was nostalgic, but I don’t miss the way that pizza made me feel.
I might miss the taste, but all of those foods that I love after I eat them, I didn’t feel great. You know, I just want to go lay down and I’m really, I couldn’t participate in any activity after I ate for a while. I need that to change. I need my acid reflux to clear up. I don’t want to be at risk for heart disease.
I have multiple sclerosis and I have weakness on my right side. I have a little bit of a pronounced limp. I also have hip bursitis. So when I sleep on my right side, it hurts. So I’m constantly waking up in the middle of the night because I hurt my hip. So these are the reasons that I decided to take action.
So we started at two forty-three, two hundred and forty-three pounds a month ago. Let’s see where we’re at right now.
215.6 lbs.
Wow! I am down. I can’t do math really well, but 243 down to 215 is, is probably about 28 pounds in four weeks. So that means I’m averaging seven pounds of weight loss a week. That is fantastic. If you told me when I started this journey that I could achieve that I wouldn’t have believed it. I wouldn’t have believed that I could, could have put the food down because.
I, I’m not a guy with tremendous willpower, you know, I’m I have never done anything like this in my life. And, you know, I had to get my mindset right. And I did it in the name of health. I did it because I don’t want to wake up every morning, tired with aches and pains, and go through some of the health problems I’ve experienced since I’ve put on all of this weight.
It’s paying off too, because I can see it in the mirror. I’ve been wearing this shirt for each weigh-in, and I noticed that you know, my belly is definitely not as pronounced. I still have it though. I mean, I’m still about, I want to get down to 195, so I’m about 20 pounds away. But this shirt feels much better.
You know, I, I also noticed that my face I’m starting to look younger, you know, I’m starting to look the way that I remembered the way how I looked in the pictures, right. Like I would see pictures of me from 10 years ago. And then I would look at myself in the mirror and he wasn’t the same guy, but now I’m starting to recognize him again.
I’m also noticing that I have less hip pain and that my limp is not as pronounced. It’s still there. And that’s why I want to talk to you about it now. So. The journey doesn’t stop here at week four, I might be done with the fat-burning part of the process, and I got close to 30 pounds. That is amazing.
And I want to keep going. I still have 20 pounds to go. And then I have a lifetime of habits to break and change. So I’m going to stay in this positive mindset. So I was eating 800 calories a day of approved foods for the first four weeks. I can now introduce healthy fat healthy fats, and I can up my calorie intake a bit.
Okay. So I could introduce foods like avocados and nuts and some of the healthy fats that I wasn’t able to have during the fat-burning part of this journey. But with increased calories comes the need for exercise. Because I have these deficits because I have a chronic illness. I have multiple sclerosis.
I’m not just going back to the gym. I’m going to be meeting with a physical therapist and we are going to come up with a fitness routine that I can do, and that is going to be safe. And then as I go through the next maintenance period, I may experience, you know, a little bit of weight loss, but it’s not going to be as dramatic.
The next part is going to be about new healthy habits and increased physical activity. My goal is to eventually put more calories out in terms of exercise and fitness than I take in during the day. So that’s going to be the next phase of the journey. So I’m going to keep checking in. I just really appreciate all of you in this Situation Positive community.
I cannot tell you how heartwarming the comments have been. You know, the direct messages people are reaching out to me from all over in there telling me that I can do it. Without you guys. I don’t know that we’ve been able to. Thank you so much for your support. And also, you know I’ve mentioned it before, but my wife one of my keys to success here has been doing it
with my wife having a partner in this not only can you keep each other accountable, but as you go through the peaks and valleys of, of starting something new, making a major life change it was so important to have her to lean on and, and just be strong for each other. Because we have, we have two teenage boys and they like to eat the things that teenage boys like to eat.
They did not want to be on our weight loss program. But it takes a community. All right. And having the support of you guys and my wife and my family and all my friends. I am just so appreciative to have you all in my life and I look for it to sharing the next phase of the journey with you.
My name’s Matt Cavallo. This is Situation Positive, please like, and share our content. It’s how our community grows. We are a nonprofit community that helps people who live with chronic illness. So if you or someone, you know, is affected by chronic illness, please check us out at situationpositive.org. And once again, thank you all for your support.
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