Tinker man commits to healthy lifestyle change Published March 27, 2015 By Kimberly Woodruff Staff Writer TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Losing weight has been a life long struggle for Matthew Thomas, who is in B-1 Production Management with the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. In 2006, then-Master Sergeant Thomas weighed 330 pounds. He was near the end of his military career, but his size was a concern as the Air Force was about to begin the new mandatory Fit to Fight program. He was also plagued with high blood pressure and back and feet problems. In March of that year, he underwent gastric bypass surgery and began jogging up to 10 miles a day, five days a week. He lost 133 pounds in five months. "Some say I had the gastric bypass as an easy way out, but it wasn't easy," he said. The weight came back. "Anyone who fights their weight knows all too well the curse we live with and the fight we sometimes lose to keep the weight off," Mr. Thomas said. He underwent laparoscopic surgery to repair his right hip and was advised to never run again. "I was told if I did, the hip would eventually need to be replaced," he said. After retiring from the 513th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, he took a desk job and gained back 80 percent of the weight he'd lost. In 2009, he saw firsthand what could be his future when he visited his father, who was recovering from a fall in a convalescent home. Mr. Thomas' father is heavyset, though not overly obese, and was in the home until his ribs healed and he could return to his own house. "What opened my eyes was that dozens of elderly men and women required help from two or more nurses to get out of bed or roll over," said Mr. Thomas. "I didn't want to be that person, unable to get around because of my size. That is something I can prevent." Fast forward to February 2014. On his 53rd birthday, Mr. Thomas weighed 305 pounds and had a 42-inch waistline. He decided to go to his doctor for help. The doctor prescribed an appetite suppressant, Phentermine, to eliminate hunger sensations, but to also increase energy levels. After he got down to 230 pounds, Mr. Thomas was taken off the medication. "Without the medication, it would have taken much longer to get healthy," said Mr. Thomas. Mr. Thomas made some drastic changes to lose the weight this time. He tracked his daily calories on a popular weight loss app and removed all fried, fast and processed food and sodas. His target limit is 750 to 1,500 calories a day, not including fresh fruit and uncooked vegetables. He drinks a lot of water, sugar-free tea and 1 percent milk. "I went against doctor's orders and started to walk 4 miles, and picked it up to jogging 4 to 6 miles a day," he said. "My hip gave me fits, but I was able to get past it." From February to August of last year, Mr. Thomas went from 300 to 219 pounds. He decided to stop pressing his luck jogging and switched to biking. "Now during nice weather, I'll peddle 25 miles on weekdays and 50 miles on weekends," he said. His goal this summer is to bike from Del City to Arcadia around Lake Hefner and back to Del City. When Mr. Thomas is at work, he walks around the entire outside of Bldg. 3001, weather permitting, or twice around the inside. He also joined a gym to keep him going through the winter months, where he does the elliptical, stationary bike and the rowing machine for about an hour each day. "I used to weigh myself each day, but now I try to gauge my weight by my belt holes," he said. "As long as it stays where it is, I'm doing great, but if it gets snug, I know I have to work a little harder to lose it." Mr. Thomas is at about 230 pounds now and said he's going to keep fighting the fight. H e has a good reason, too. He and his wife of 24 years, Leny, who works at the base hospital, are going to spend some time traveling and working on his bucket list to see the sites in their motor home. The children are all grown, so it is time to get out and live life. As of now, Mr. Thomas plans on retiring on his 57th birthday in February 2017. "I'm not on any medication, and except for the hip issues, I'm perfect," he said. "One valuable lesson I learned is that it isn't how much I eat, but what I eat. Fast, fried and processed foods, sodas and sweets are my biggest enemies, so I avoid them as much as I can."