A little more than a year ago, in November, 2012, Jason Mathers realized he needed to take action about his health.
At the time, the manager of Alder Street Auto Body tipped the scales at 375 lbs. and was on medication for diabetes and to control his cholesterol. When his doctor told him he had to take action within a month or he would be put onto insulin, he realized he needed to improve his health.
“I am not healthy and I need to change for my wife and my two little girls,” he said in a message to Brent Hayter of CrossFit South Okanagan.
Over the next year, through a combination of the Paleo diet and an exercise routine, he slimmed down to 225 lbs.
In his first month, he shed 26 lbs. and at one point, he was dropping between 10 and 15 lbs. every two weeks.
The Paleo diet is a nutrition plan which focuses on natural foods rather than refined foods or supplements.
“It’s all about getting rid of the man-made stuff,” Mathers said.
Even diet soft drinks, which are low in calories or calorie free, are not healthy, he said. Neither are foods which have health claims on the packaging.
“If it says it’s good for you, it’s probably not,” he said.
At the fitness centre, Mathers started with private sessions at a cost of around $850.
“I couldn’t even go into a regular class at all.”
As he got into shape and developed confidence, he joined CrossFit classes.
The one-hour sessions include a warm up, mobility training and groups of workouts.
“It’s all about taking what you can do and doing it better,” he said.
The fitness routine quickly brought about some changes.
Within a month, he was no longer using medication for Type 2 Diabetes and within four months, he was taken off the medication entirely.
He credits the program with his success.
“Without that place and my coach and the people around me, I could never have done it,” he said. “Those guys helped save my life.”
Now, a year later and a much lighter individual, he said his fit lifestyle is here to stay.
“I got rid of my old clothes just now,” he said, adding that the decision to do so was significant since he could remember how difficult it was for him to get clothing in his size.
To stay in shape, Mathers now works out three to four times a week and looks forward to his training sessions.
“Once you make the decision, it becomes an addiction that turns into an obsession,” he said.
