The interview pants

dmg051202

Amazing & inspiring! Keep it up!

North44

You don't sound like you have the personality of dry wall. You sound like a really fun and interesting person. Congratulations on your amazing accomplishments and best wishes for continued success!

randi5000

You and your puppy are a bunch of cuties!! Great work!!

angelaanhela

Great job! Really an inspiration!

Gerald_King

Great loss well done

deb3129

You look great, congrats on the big loss!! I love your dog too! I have a Dane, and I love the giant breeds!!

Lmans77

Well done!!! Great story and great dog!

Barbell_Jules

Great work sir! Keep it going. :drinker:

Anthonydaman

Right on buddy, keep up the good work

AlongCame_Molly

THIS. IS. AWESOME! Great post. You are an amazing person, keep up the great work!

Nikky43

How exciting and WONDERFUL!!! Congratulations and beautiful dog!!!

joslynlpribble

Congrats on your success! I am so inspired by people like you who just decide to take charge of your health and well being. I am impressed by your honesty and candor. You obviously have much more personality than you give yourself credit for! Keep up the hard work. I'll be pulling for you!

originalkazila

Such a great story. You're doing so well!

lenniebus

Absolutely rockin' the interview pants man!! Well done!!!

p.s. not at all seeing the personality of drywall from your post--very well done!!

bombedpop

Great Job!

desiv2

Awesome and inspirational , you look great! You're post made me smile, thank you!

BobbieLee1959

Hope you feel as amazing as you look!! Great job, Matt!! Those little changes add up to a big change for you! Nice work!:happy:

leea022002

Matt, you are doing a wonderful job, you got this!!!! Keep up the good work :-)

Sparlingo

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! Good work, and you look great!!

LiveTheLifeYouWillLove

Congrats on your new life and body! Keep up the good work! And thanks for the inspiration!

pretty4Jesus

YAY!!!!!! That's awesome! Good job! Thank you for that encouragement, my friend!! Hehe... my friend loves elevator pics too!!

Cdaleerdman

Congratulations! I'm so happy for you. Your remark about suicide by cheeseburger cracked me up. I have always felt that way. I joined several weeks ago and hope I can someday say I have logged in everyday like you.

hunterman95

Congrats man! Truely insipirational! You got this!

supahstar71

I'm so very happy for you!!! :drinker: :flowerforyou:

charlotte3176

Congrats!! You should be proud of yourself!!

wldrose75

I'm loving those interview pants, but I'm loving that you enjoy life again sooo much more. Congrats, Matt! Keep it up. You are amazing. Wanna be my hero? :happy:

fishermanmatt

Thanks everyone for the compliments and well wishes. When I began my journey I would stop by the success stories section and read all the good things that were happening for other people and how they were accomplishing their goals. These posts kept me motivated during those first couple weeks before I had my own successes. It's been easy sticking to the plan now that I am seeing and feeling the results but I never would have stuck with it without all the other success stories. I'm eternally grateful for that and hope someone else will read this post and push ahead another day until they find their own grove.

So many great things are happening for me now, I feel I could post up a new victory every day. Good things are happening so frequently that I almost feel bad not noticing them as they happen.

- My belly used to rub the steering wheel when I drove. The other day I noticed myself driving with my arms resting by my side holding the wheel with my thumbs at 5 and 7 o'clock. Not only does the belly no longer rub but there's a good 4-6" of clear space there.

- I used to dread stairs and have to catch my breath and slow my heart after every flight. Just last weekend I took pause in a conversation realizing that I had just walked up a flight of steps while talking with a friend.

- I used to avoid restaurants. Even going out with friends I felt like everyone was watching every bite I took and every move I made. Going out now has just become a fun time out with friends without the other crap in the back of my mind.

- Where I used to sit at home hiding, I now look for reasons to go out. In the past year I've started going to comedy shows and concerts every chance I get. I've actually been to four concerts in the last two weeks with a few more on the horizon. (For further proof that things are going great check out my new drinking buddy in my profile pic. That's Nathan Maxwell of my favorite band, Flogging Molly, and I back in their dressing room before the show enjoying a shot.)

I've found so much motivation here. I have an amazing group of pals that just get it done. Some are like clockwork, always consistent and getting it done. Others battle extremely busy lives but refuse to take the easy way out and always look to improve themselves. Some fight off a sweet tooth or eating disorders and are working hard to reach their goals. Another was out of shape and transformed into an absolute beast at the gym who's working toward becoming an instructor to help other with their own battles. Each in their own way has helped me find the great place I'm in now. I really hope they all know how much I appreciate their help.

BTW: My pups name is Gertrude. She's a four year old American Mastiff and although I could be accused of being biased, quite possibly the best dog ever.

Here's her little spot on the web:
http://www.flyingwfarms.com/amastiff/D Gertrude USE.htm