Weight Loss Blogger Interview – Matt Keeling

Do you get motivated reading about the success of others? I know I do, which is why I’ll be interviewing some great weight loss successes and sharing their stories here.

Today’s interview is with Matt Keeling who blogs at Confessions of a Guy at Weight Watchers:

Weight Loss Questions

Matt, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am a 34 year IT Professional. Pretty normal really, I love sports, play some golf, drink some beer, enjoy cooking and try to be a good father to my son.

According to the sidebar of your blog you have lost 105 lbs since January. That’s truly amazing! What was the impetus to get started on your weight loss journey?

I had the proverbial slap in the face when I stepped on the scale at the Doctor on Jan 17th 2008. The scale read 400 lbs and it was all over. I was ashamed and embarrassed and scared all at the same time. I actually reread my first post from time to time to remind me why I got started.

Looking at a chart of your weight loss I see a remarkably downward sloped line with little bumps in the road. Has it felt that way though, or have you felt like you have had some major downturns that you have struggled with?

I have struggled recently but I am pretty certain I know what has happened. If you look at the chart on my blog you will notice things really slowed down at the beginning of football season. Well having season tickets to Missouri Football and making every weekend a tailgating event does not promote weight loss. The other thing is that as you lose weight your bodies requires less energy to run. I am a big fan of the basal metabolic rate and I calculate that it takes 600 less calories a day to run my body now. I need to make those adjustments in my diet to continue to loose.

To what do you credit most in your weight loss? Changing eating habits? Exercise? Change in thinking? Something else?

All of the above. I started Weight Watchers on the 30th of January 2008 and they taught me so much about eating right. That said I am not sure Weight Watchers is right for everyone. I am not sure it is right for me anymore. On the exercise front I joined a gym in the spring of 08 and by October I ran my first 5k and am going to try to get one more in before the end of the year.

What tips would you offer someone trying to lose a significant amount of weight like you have lost?

Write what you eat down. It is hard to do. I am not great at it all the time, but the weeks with the best losses are always weeks where I write it down. A couple more, Get your butt moving. You have to get in some cardio. Weights are great and all, but think of it this way. Cardio burns calories now. Muscle burns calories later. Become a fish. Water is your best friend in weight loss. I promise. I drink on average 150 ounces of water a day. As far as what to eat I will sing a bit of the Weight Watchers praises because it helped me, but honestly it is as simple as calories in and calories burned. Check out what your basal metabolic rate is and subtract 500 calories. That sets you up for a 1 pound loss per week, beyond that you got to burn more through exercise.

What are some of your fitness goals for the future?

You tossing up a softball for me aren’t you. Well in April I will be doing my first Duathlon in Columbia MO. I am looking at the 5 mile run and 15 mile bike version of the event. I will run a 5k prior to that event and after will get ready for a 10k which should be within my grasp by then. And then I will be looking towards the Kansas City Half Marathon in October. And beyond that. I plan on running the 2010 Kansas City Marathon. I will become part of the 1% of the population who is crazy enough to do run a marathon. How ironic would it be to go from a guy who was at the top 1% of body weight in the US to a guy who was in the 1% of the population to run a marathon. Kinda cool huh.

Blogging Questions

Has your weight loss blog helped you with losing weight?

Absolutely. I stay honest with the readers. I have gotten to know a few “virtually”. It is all about accountability, helping others and getting the support of others.

Concerning making money on your blog – where do you fit on this scale:

1. I don’t make any money
2. I make enough monthly to pay my blogging expenses
3. I make a little extra fun money after expenses
4. I can’t quit my day job yet but I bet I can in a year or two
5. I’m living the dot com lifestyle, baby!

Number 1, but if you have recommendations let me know.

How do you handle comments on your blog? Do you respond back in email? On your blog?

You know, this is an area where I need to improve. I don’t respond to comments all that well. Maybe I would get more if I said something huh.