Spotlight: Mike D.

My name is Mike Dimovski and I am from Kalamazoo, MI. I am 33 years old with a wife and three kids and my weight loss mission started during winter of 2021. My dad had undergone an intense cancer treatment and was in the ICU, not doing well. That whole experience made me want to get healthy for him, because he had always given me shit about my weight but I always brushed it off, but deep down knew he was right. I wanted him to see me at a healthy weight during his lifetime.

My highest weight was 380 pounds. I started to spend a lot of time doing research on diet and weight loss, and following a few YouTubers that I found helpful and entertaining. I also joined a Facebook group to help surround myself with other people with the same goals. I shared my goals with a few close friends and made them aware of it, because I knew that if I told people what I was doing, I would be disappointed if I didn’t meet my own goals.

I started exercising daily, mostly consisting of walking a minimum of 30 minutes per day, 7 days a week. Tracking all calories with an app, and I also started intermittent fasting and intentionally eating more protein. Replacing a lot of foods that I enjoyed with healthier alternatives that never had me missing the “real thing” because I liked what I was eating and was feeling satiated from it. My daily calorie goal was about 2000 calories per day and I tried not to exceed 200g of carbs.

It took me 1 year of being fully committed with very few cheat days to get down to 185 pounds. I am currently 193 today because my exercise routine got away from me, but I have been consistent with my diet and am walking daily again. My next goal is to start building muscle by doing more weight training at the local gym.

In the beginning my mission started off as a goal to accomplish for my dad, but not long after seeing progress it became a goal for myself because life was becoming much better and more enjoyable. My Dad pulled through and is doing well and I know he is proud of my accomplishments. My kids are seeing the hard work I’ve put in and I feel like it has been a good influence for them.

Thanks for reading my story!

Mike D