In less than a year, our client Matt lost 31.5 pounds and shrunk his waist by over 20 cm (nearly 8 inches).
But it wasn’t magic.
Sometimes it takes seeing yourself through a different lens to spark real change.
For Matt, that moment came during a Bali vacation in May. Looking at his photos, he knew something had to shift. With his 40th birthday on the horizon, he set an ambitious goal: to get into the best shape of his life.
“I’ve always been the guy who was in the gym,” Matt reflects. “Lifting with no real purpose and doing cardio—I called that a day.” But those vacation photos revealed a truth he couldn’t ignore. Despite his consistent gym presence, the results weren’t matching his efforts.
What Sparked Matt’s Sustainable Fat Loss Journey
Matt’s fitness journey began long before his Bali revelation.
At his heaviest in high school, he weighed nearly 300 pounds. By age 25, he’d lost 110 pounds and maintained a weight between 180-190 pounds. He even reached 168 pounds at one point, but as he describes it, he was “skinny fat”—the scale showed progress, but the mirror told a different story.
And despite his regular gym attendance, Matt’s workouts lacked structure. “I was your typical gym bro. Do Bis, Chest and Traps, and you’re good was my mindset.”
The frustration with plateaued progress set the stage for a change in approach—one that would finally align his efforts with his goals.
After interviewing several coaches, he found Born Fitness offered something different—a genuine investment in his success rather than treating him as just another client.
“I essentially did a Carrie Underwood and said, ‘Take the wheel!’” Matt recalls.
How Coaching Helped Matt Break Through His Fat Loss Plateau
One of the first things Matt committed to was tracking his food intake using MyFitnessPal.
We didn’t take a restrictive approach or eliminate entire food groups. Instead, the focus was on consistently hitting calorie and protein targets each day. That’s it. While you’ll likely need to adjust your calorie goals throughout the fat loss process, this simple approach helps you avoid overwhelm.
And rather than aiming for perfection, we emphasized awareness. For Matt, that meant getting a better sense of portion sizes and being more intentional with meals.
What about his workouts?
Matt came in with a classic “gym bro” approach—chest day, arm day, repeat. What he didn’t have was a structured, progressive plan.
We changed that.
Each 4-6 weeks, Matt followed a fresh training phase. Every plan was customized, but the consistent themes were:
- Full-body or upper lower split sessions 3–4x per week to train more muscle more often
- Progressive overload (increase weight, reps, or control over time)
- Conditioning finishers (sleds, circuits, intervals) to boost calorie burn without adding hours of cardio
This combination gave Matt the right amount of challenge without overtraining. He wasn’t left guessing what to do—and that structure freed him to focus on execution.
The result: For the first time, nutrition and training worked together, instead of against him. And that alignment unlocked progress he hadn’t seen in years.
As of June 2025, Matt’s results speak for themselves.
His weight dropped from 192.1 pounds to 160.6 pounds. His waist measurement decreased from 100.3 cm to 79.4 cm. That’s more than 30 pounds of fat loss and a full wardrobe transformation.
His strength skyrocketed—going from zero to three unassisted pull-ups and increasing his incline bench weights by over 60%.
But the numbers only tell part of Matt’s story.
For the first time, he’s shopping in the small size section—a milestone he never imagined possible. “I don’t say small in a way that means that I lost muscle. My strength has never been higher, but now clothes are fitting in ways that I never dreamed of.”
From Quick Fixes to Lasting Results
His relationship with food transformed too.
Instead of restrictive dieting, he learned to make smarter choices while still enjoying his favorites. “She doesn’t tell me to stop having Taco Bell,” Matt says about Coach Natalie, “but she would tell me ‘How can I make this healthier but still enjoy this?’”
This balanced approach has made his new lifestyle sustainable and enjoyable rather than feeling like a temporary fix.
On his 40th birthday, Matt sent this message:
Matt’s transformation didn’t happen overnight—but it happened because he stopped winging it and found a plan that worked for him.
If you’re stuck trying to do this on your own and want the kind of structure and support Matt found, our coaching might be a fit for you.
B.J. holds a B.S. in Health and Human Performance and multiple certifications, including Precision Nutrition Level 1 and BioForce Certified Conditioning Coach. Over his 14-year coaching career, he’s been fortunate enough to coach a wide range of clients. From online clients looking to get in great shape to CEO Nate Checketts (Rhone) and CEO Marcelo Claure (Softbank), and professional skateboarder Sean Malto. Before beginning his training career, he was a sports science lab research assistant.
