“I Got My Life Back.”

Article posted in: Success Stories - Men
choosing a healthy lifestyle

The Gift of Change

“It was Christmas of 2017 and unbeknownst to me, my life was about to change.”

MIke EWhen someone doesn’t see you very often, they notice changes you might have missed seeing yourself in the mirror each day. This statement held true for Mike Enger’s son who had only seen his father three times in two years while working as a humanitarian service worker overseas. When Mike’s son saw him via Skype for the first time in months, the change he saw in Mike wasn’t great: He said Dad had gotten “fluffy.”

The word stung Mike. He knew he’d gained weight over the previous decade, but he hadn’t realized how much his appearance changed. The Utah dad was disappointed, and his wife could see it written all over his face. So, she got him a late Christmas present: a Nutrisystem meal plan.

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When she said he’d be getting a surprise, he was excited: “Was it tickets to a Utah Jazz game, or a Donovan Mitchell jersey?” he wondered. But what he found instead were Nutrisystem breakfasts, lunches, dinner and snacks. After initially feeling disappointed, Mike got determined: He wanted to show his wife that he could follow the plan, his family that he could “finish hard things,” and show everyone, including his song, he wouldn’t stay “fluffy.”

Choosing a Healthy Lifestyle

“The weight just started to come off.”

Mike took the steps to choosing a a healthy lifestyle with the help of Nutrisystem. “I followed the plan exactly as it was suggested and didn’t waiver,” he says. “Not only did the weight come off, but the confidence in who I was and what I was becoming changed also.”

That confidence helped Mike enjoy events without making them all about food. At a conference soon after opening his first Nutrisystem shipment, his sales team enjoyed weeks of “really good food” while he stuck to his plan. And when his daughter had a birthday party at an all-you-can-eat restaurant, Mike didn’t go overboard: He made the celebration about his daughter and spending time with family instead of just focusing on the food.

“I even found that I like healthy foods that I didn’t like before.”

“Before the program I would never eat veggies—never,” he says. But while adding in vegetables via the Nutrisystem guidelines, he found he actually craved those healthy greens. “When I ate it, I felt so good. Healthy foods gave me energy, and I couldn’t stand to look at junk food anymore.”

choosing a healthy lifestyleThat energy helped Mike change not just his weight, but his health and his outlook on life. He ran a half-marathon and is training to do more. And choosing a healthy lifestyle has helped in every aspect of daily living:

“I’m a better husband, a better father, a better worker. I’m engaged with my family and with others.”

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But losing the weight feels pretty good, too. After dropping 55 pounds in seven months and choosing a healthy lifestyle, Mike saw the same sales team he’d seen at the conference right after starting Nutrisystem. But they didn’t recognize Mike—with his svelte frame and new wardrobe, they walked right by!

And one more person was surprised by his new look: Mike’s son, back from working overseas. “Fluffy” no more, Enger’s son gave him a big hug and whispered a new description in his ear:

“He said, ‘you are so thin. You look great, Dad.’”

*$10,000 Contest Winner. Weight lost on prior program.Expect to lose an avg. 1-2 lbs per week.

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