Hormone Weight Loss Therapy Worked for 27 Year Old Matt Herman
Matt Herman came to VIVA Wellness looking for help losing weight. After struggling to lose weight for much of his life, he knew that he needed a little help and a head start to get on the right path. Hormone weight loss protocol helped him achieve his goal in just 12 weeks.
“I was always a little overweight, but in the past few years I think my weight gain was excessive,” says Matt. “At 27 years old my weight was causing me to slow down my activities, my breathing was labored, I wasn’t sleeping well. I hit a point where enough was enough. I didn’t like the way I felt and I was looking for a lifestyle change.”
Matt scheduled a consultation with Jennifer Hruz, nurse practitioner with VIVA Wellness, and learned that a customized plan could help him achieve his goal of becoming healthier.
Matt knew that some of his food choices weren’t helping him lose weight, but he didn’t know exactly what to change. Through VIVA Wellness, he learned how to be more conscious about what he was eating. He learned how to look at food packaging to determine nutritional value and even foods that appeared to be healthy didn’t always give him the vitamins and nutrition his body needed.
A “stress eater” with a little anxiety, Matt turned to food to cope with stressful things in life. Working with Jennifer, Matt was able to begin changing his eating patterns. Instead of a coping mechanism, Matt now looks at food as fuel for his body.
Change is never easy, but with the support and encouragement he gets from VIVA Wellness, Matt is accomplishing his goal. Matt works as a job coach, helping adults with special needs become more independent. Much of his day is spent traveling around to different job locations and supporting his clients in their work. With a constantly changing schedule, it’s difficult to maintain a ‘normal’ routine. In the past Matt would often stop at fast food restaurants for lunch or a snack. When he packed his lunch, it consisted of sandwiches, chips, cookies, etc.
Matt’s Custom Weight Loss Plan
Matt came to VIVA Wellness in April of 2020 in hopes of losing 20 pounds. He weighed nearly 280lbs, which on his 5’7” frame indicated he was in Obesity Class 3 or morbid obesity. This means, that his likelihood of developing chronic health problems in the future related to obesity, such as hypertension, diabetes type II, fatty liver, and other cardiovascular risk factors, was high.
VIVA Wellness Nurse Practitioner, Jennifer Hruz, started Matt on a hormone weight loss program in April. As part of his custom plan, he met with Jennifer weekly for dose adjustments of hormone, progress tracking, and weight checks. He also gave himself B12/Lipo/B complex shots each week to help with his energy levels.
He was nervous to implement the lifestyle changes at first, but he trusted Jennifer and followed her guidance. He was soon motivated to begin meal prepping, and cooking new healthy foods. Initially, the plan called for a 600 calorie per day diet. This meant that Matt would learn how to manage his portions and stick to lean meats, certain vegetables and fruit. After 40 days he would increase his daily calories to 1200-1500, begin to introduce some carbohydrates and get some additional protein through foods like yogurt, avocado and cottage cheese.
For Matt, starting his weight loss plan at the height of the COVID-19 epidemic quarantine was a blessing in disguise. Not only did he empty the unhealthy foods from his pantry, but restaurants were closed so even if he wanted to cheat, it would have been nearly impossible.
Back on the road helping his clients today, instead of stopping for fast food lunch, Matt prepares his lunch in advance and brings it along with him. It wasn’t easy from the start, but he was quick to adapt. He remembers during the first two weeks of his new meal planning that all of the meals he cooked were very bland. He found himself cooking the same things day after day. “I didn’t know what to cook. But then I got more comfortable with both the cooking and calories and I was able to get a little more creative. I learned to really cook!” he noted. Now Matt likes to cook things like stir fry, lettuce wraps, and experiments with lots of different cuts of meat, spices and seasoning. He will add flavor with lemon or bone broth and he substitutes lettuce leaf for taco shells to enjoy a healthier version of the things he always loved to eat.
Matt’s Weight Loss Success
“I didn’t think losing 20 pounds was possible for me. But once the pounds started coming off it motivated me even more and I knew I could do it. I’ve actually lost 30 pounds and I’m in maintenance mode now.” said Matt. He admits he had cravings the first two weeks, but after that they went away. His body was changing the way it uses fat, he was resetting his metabolic rate.
One of the first things Matt noticed was an increase in energy. He says before he often went biking and skateboarding with his friends, but more recently he wasn’t doing that much because it made him so tired. Now that he lost weight he is back to enjoying the things he loved to do. He also found it much easier to breathe and started getting better sleep. “I was never diagnosed, but I am certain that I had sleep apnea. Since the weight loss I no longer have trouble sleeping.”
Why VIVA Wellness Weight Loss Worked for Matt
The VIVA Wellness approach to weight loss is completely customized to every single person we help. There is no magic weight loss pill that works for everyone. We make sure that the plan we design will work for the individual. We give our clients the tools they need to lose weight and keep it off. For Matt we took a medical weight loss approach, which included hormone weight loss protocol, vitamins and meal planning. Weekly coaching from Jennifer Hruz, our nurse practitioner, also helped keep Matt on track and able to make adjustments as necessary to achieve his goals. (Some medical weight loss clinics discontinue weekly coaching after the initial 6 weeks. VIVA Wellness will continue to meet with you for the full 12 week program to help you ensure your success.)
Happy with His Weight Loss Results
Matt has lost over 30lbs on the injection phase of hormone weight loss therapy and is continuing to keep it off. He has stabilized during the maintenance phase of his program. Maintenance protocol in an hormone weight loss program is necessary because this is where your metabolism is reset via the hypothalamus—the part of the brain that controls multiple hormone functioning and metabolism.
Matt has developed a newfound love, appreciation and passion for his healthy lifestyle. He tracks all his food through a free app that Jennifer suggested called CARB MANAGER. It takes a lot of the guessing out of meal preparation. It helps you track calories and other macronutrients (carbs, proteins, fats).
Matt is happy to share his experience here on the VIVA Wellness website so it can help others like him. “I know there are people like me who are struggling with their weight and don’t know how to begin losing it. I couldn’t do it by myself. Jennifer helped me set realistic and achievable goals. She helped me figure out what was working and what wasn’t, and she always takes the time to encourage me toward my success.”
Matt’s journey is not over yet. He has plans to continue his weight loss through healthy, whole food meal plans, and a low carb lifestyle.
Matt is an inspiration of what is possible when someone commits to treating themselves better. We are honored to have been a part of his journey, and know he will be successful in all that he chooses to accomplish.
Has his story inspired you? Schedule your very own consultation today.