“With an extremely busy lifestyle, Nutrisystem provided a plan that is easy to follow.”

Ask Tony Martin the significance of the date Sept. 23, 2012, and he will tell you it’s the day he began the process of “age reversal.” Now, 46 pounds lighter*, he says he is in the best physical shape since his 20s. What began as an effort to get back in shape for his young grandson has turned into a lifelong healthy lifestyle change.

Here is Tony’s amazing success story:

By Tony Martin

I competed, amateurishly speaking, in various sports over my first 25-year lifespan—baseball, body building and karate, to name a few. As I transitioned into the responsibilities of providing for a family, I also progressed into less physically demanding sports like softball and an occasional round of golf. Nonetheless, I have always been competitive, as evidenced by the wear and tear on my body, which led to total hip and shoulder replacements within the last five years.

After celebrating the birth of my first grandson in August 2012, I began to reflect on the days when my own two sons were young, anxiously awaiting their physical maturity so that I could play ball with them. Now, it is the anticipation of being active with my beautiful grandson that inspires me.

I realized it had been some time since I participated in anything physical that would be considered “real” exercise. So, I excavated my shorts and tennis shoes from the dark corners of the closet to do a short run, knowing that in a matter of a few weeks, I would be fully capable of running 10K races. Even a marathon or completing a triathlon was surely within my reach in a few months. Not to anyone’s surprise but my own—the legs did not respond. I felt like a toddler trying to take his first steps. The run quickly turned into a slow walk and I wondered how this could be. I then gazed into the mirror and saw every ounce of 225 pounds bulging off my 5’11” frame.

“Unacceptable!” I proclaimed to my wife. “Something has to be done.”

First, as with any good plan, I needed to determine the start date. Knowing that the “big feast” holidays were right around the corner, should I procrastinate until January 1^st and make it a New Year’s resolution? After all, no one wants to diet during the holidays. With the answer to that question quickly resolved, [I decided that] September 23 seemed like the perfect time to start my journey toward a healthy lifestyle. It was my lucky baseball jersey number (before Michael Jordan was famous). Also, it fell on a Sunday. I have an issue starting anything new on a Monday, there are enough inherent challenges pertaining to that day of the week, particularly if it is raining.

Second, I had to determine the diet plan to adhere to. So many choices—low carb, low fat, low cal—and it seemed that each different method has at least five different names tagged to the front end. To complicate my dietary decision, I like to eat when I get hungry. So, in order to fill the gap between my impending hunger and the chef’s schedule, you can imagine the bad food decisions that were made. I cannot boil a good egg and since our schedules are usually conflicting, waiting on my wife to prepare something nutritional was not an everyday option.

Then a fading memory cell fired off. My wife and I recently ran into an old college friend at a football game in Dallas. “You look fantastic, what have you been doing?” we exclaimed. “Nutrisystem,” was the response. “It is so easy and accommodating for people with hectic schedules, you should try it.” She was looking at me with the “you should try it” comment, so confirmation was delivered—indeed, I looked as bad as I felt.

So, Nutrisystem got the nod to help transcend me back to health and vigor. Six months later, thanks to the ease of Nutrisystem and the encouragement to follow a regular exercise routine, I dropped 46 pounds.* I am down from squeezing into size 36 pants, comfortably wearing size 32 and even have one “snug” pair of 31-inch “teen” jeans, just to show off every now and then.

With an extremely busy lifestyle, Nutrisystem provided a plan that is easy to follow, with a wide variety of meals and snacks to choose from, as well as the added flexibility to incorporate my personal selection of “SmartCarbs” and “PowerFuels.”

My real reward for sharing this story is the hope that it may encourage at least one other individual with similar needs to commit to living a healthy lifestyle. I can testify that the changes, both physical and mental, will draw a lot of attention, so practice humility while you lose!

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

Take the leap and make the decision to live a healthy lifestyle. Get started with Nutrisystem today!