Stu Feiner Lit A Fire in Me To Get Healthy

I have said it before and I will say it again, I am lucky to have Stu Feiner in my life. Stu has taken a special interest in me the last two years since I have moved to the Northeast where I have no family.

One month ago to the day, I was at the end of my huge Summer of Mintzy music run at a Phish show at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland on a Sunday night. I get a text from Stu absolutely lighting me up. "Why the hell are you killing yourself eating? What is wrong with you? Are you not happy?"

While this does seem harsh, it was necessary and I needed to hear it. Stu's brutal truth was referring to the fact I definitely had gained some weight traveling over the summer to Omaha, Las Vegas and hitting shows. He saw some of my Instagram food posts and had some thoughts. He also has been crushing the healthy lifestyle lately and losing weight.

This text exchange put me in a weird head space for a few minutes. But I realized he was 100% right and had my best interests at heart. I was giving myself the standard "I need to get my crap together" mental speech when Phish played the song Joy.

One of the main things I love about live music is how much it inspires me. The lyrics "We Want You to Be Happy…..Don't Live Inside The Gloom" hit me that night in the best possible way. And I made the commitment right then that if I want to be truly happy I have to live a healthier lifestyle.

I already exercise a good bit but the old saying is true "You can't outrun a bad diet" (especially at 39) and I had been lying to myself by running 3 miles a few days a week that everything was okay as I ate like crap.

The next morning I started to watch my sugar intake really close. I cut out bread, ice cream and anything high sugar, other than some fruit. I felt better after the 1st week. At the end of two weeks, I was feeling some changes and more energy.

Fast forward to last Sunday when Stu invited me out to his house to go swimming and see a comedy show. I decided to jump on his scale to check my weight. I expected to see some positive results but had no idea how much progress I had already made! I was down a whopping 20 pounds in 4 weeks which is pretty damn nuts! This was literally the first time in my life I have ever weighed myself and been 10 pounds lighter than I expected. 

It is not very difficult to see how much I am beaming in this video! And to get to share this moment with Stu who inspired me felt full circle and meant the world. 

I finally have gotten it through my thick skull that the health balance is 80-85% diet and 15-20% exercise. It is all about what I put in my body. PERIOD. 

My chin and stomach are both looking a lot better already as we enter month 2. And my clothes are starting to feel loose again. 

Now I am getting mentally prepared to stay on the straight and narrow during football season which historically has been a real problem for me. One day at a time but hot damn I feel good……

GET YOUR MIND RIGHT MINTZY!

Buy MILF shirts here to celebrate fall.

I realize this blog is personal but we all are fighting day to day battles. If this can help others who are struggling, then I am happy to share. 

Time to go jog a 5k….