This Guy Lost 115 Pounds by Going to the Gym with a Friend
Matthew Riggs remembers himself as always being chubby. As a child, he says, “My nickname was chunk—I was always the fat kid in school.” As he grew up, the 32-year-old IT director from Basildon Essex, United Kingdom, wasn’t really active. “Never had been to a gym in my life,” he says. “Always made excuses.” On top of a largely sedentary job and no real physical activity, he loved alcohol and takeout, indulging in both almost daily. “My diet was shocking!”
By the time he turned 32, he could no longer ignore his physical malaise. He felt sluggish, tired, and run down. He felt self-conscious about his clothing and about being unable to shop at regular stores because of his size. Worst of all, he felt like he couldn’t keep up with his kids, which made him less eager to do things with them. He’d fall asleep on the sofa every night, and had no energy to do anything on the weekends. At that point, his weight topped out at nearly 350 pounds.
The power of a gym partner
Wanting to be his best for his wife and children, he found a good friend who became his gym buddy. “From that day I have never looked back,” he says. “I go to the gym once a day for an hour—I even went on Christmas day!” He starts in the mornings before work, opening with a cardio session; from there he has a routine in which he cycles through muscle groups: chest, back, shoulders, and so on.
He also stripped down his diet. Instead of multiple meals of fast food, he stuck to the likes of hot cereal with bananas for breakfast, followed by chicken breast, brown rice, and carrots for lunch. Dinner might be turkey breast, a sweet potato, and broccoli. He zeroed in on lean proteins and vegetables, supplementing them with high-protein snacks.
Staying motivated
In ten months, he lost more than 110 pounds; since then he’s dropped another five. Being able to see his gains helped keep him motivated. So did thinking about how much more time he’d have with his wife and children if he got healthy. He still goes to the gym every day, looking to bring his weight down to 220 pounds. “I am nowhere near finished,” he says.
“I didn’t realize at the time how depressed I was,” he says. “My mindset has completely changed.” He’s excited about how his transformation has affected his children—they’re now eager to get involved in exercise themselves. He’s shown them you don’t need to eat poorly or drink alcohol to enjoy life. He’s back to enjoying clothes shopping, and even thinking about joining a transformation competition in 2021.
“Life is too short, and you need to look after your body,” he says. For anyone looking to get started, Riggs says you shouldn’t worry about your first visit to the gym—no one is looking at you. “Just focus on yourself and start living a healthier lifestyle,” he says. “It is never too late to start!”
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