Every January, People magazine publishes a special edition that features extreme weight loss stories.  These seemingly ordinary people take no short cuts, no fad diets or surgery, and are not digitally altered for the cover.  While very inspirational, sometimes even their stories seem unattainable and too “Hollywood.”  The transformation of Bridgeport High School alumnus Matt Britcher, however, serves as a catalyst for making changes in 2015.

 

“I was always the‘fat kid’ growing up,” said Britcher.  “I got picked on a lot and, as it does for so many overweight kids, it caused a lot of self image issues.” 

 

Despite playing football and lifting weights in high school, Britcher graduated in 2008 weighing 285.  By 2011, he had fallen in with the wrong crowd, been put on academic probation in college, lost his scholarship and weighted 310 pounds. 

 

“I hit rock bottom,” said Britcher.  “I was in a dead-end job, partying too much and at a very low point in my life.”

 

As is often the case with low points, a moment of clarity was just around the corner. 

 

“I knew I was better than the life I was leading,” he said.  

 

At that point, Britcher made the pivotal decision to start taking care of himself, stop partying and start looking for a better job.  At Thrasher Engineering, he found a job in which he excelled, and a life-changing opportunity that would present itself several months later:  The Biggest Loser Contest.

 

“Although things were going well, I was still not happy. I still didn’t like the guy in the mirror. I was telling my friend, Josh Weaver, about what I was going through, expecting a little sympathy. What I got was motivation,” said Britcher.  

 

Weaver, who is a body builder and a role model for Britcher had some simple advice. “He said, ‘If you are tired of how you look and tired of how you feel, do something about it. Complaining isn’t going to change anything.’"  With those words, the transformation began.

 

The day after speaking with Weaver, Britcher got a gym membership and started a healthy eating plan. Like the success stories featured in People magazine, Britcher took no short cuts. After entering Thrasher Engineering’s Biggest Loser Contest, Britcher lost a total of 80 pounds in just a few months. 

 

“Losing that weight had a profound impact on my life. Today I am finally happy with the guy I see in the mirror,” Britcher said.

 

Quick to credit his friends and family, Britcher points out how important a support group is when undergoing such a dramatic change.  The change wasn’t just physical either, as he grew spiritually and mentally as well. 

 

“I’ve learned that happiness can’t come from other people or money or any other external source. It has to come from within. Having healthy goals and helping others has brought me the happiness I sought for so long,” said Britcher.

 

Going through this journey has also changed Britcher’s career path. Currently working to become a nurse anesthetist,  he has found that he is so passionate about a healthy lifestyle that he wanted to motivate others in the process.  Britcher is a personal trainer at WV 24 in Bridgeport. 

 

“I could relate to the struggles people were going through and I love the opportunity to help them,” he said.