Michael "Mike" Giannulis Of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition | Weight Loss Health & Fitness Tips

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Happy Independence Day! It’s 2013!!

July 4th, 2013 by Mike

It’s amazing to me how fast a year can go when you take a moment to look back at it. Exactly 1 year and two days ago, my episode of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition aired on ABC. My Facebook was slammed with friend requests, messages, comments, and a whole lot of excitement.

I poured my heart out on this blog, sharing my struggles, my demons, my issues… all the things that really were eating away at me from the inside. I got to be interviewed on the radio in my local market and just experience a lot of really cool stuff that most people don’t get to.

And I have to say, it was all amazing. I did things I never thought I could do, both on the show and after.

It was exactly a year ago today I took the most beautiful girl in the world on a date with me to see a fireworks show. That night, we held hands and watched an amazing fireworks display in Clearwater, Florida while an orchestra played amazing music. It’s one of my favorite memories. A week after that, Rebecca and I became a couple, officially. So, next week we’ll be celebrating our 1 year anniversary.

I started a new internet business that has taken off and done quite well. It’s had lots of ups and downs, but we are making great progress and this should be our best year yet.

But, with the good comes the bad. And this is the hardest part for me to write. I’ve again succumbed to my food addiction. I guess they call it a relapse. I was doing so good, but I believe I let myself think I was the one responsible for my success. I slowly began to rely on my own strength. The weight has crept back up and I am NOT happy about it, of course.

I’ve got a journey ahead of me still, and nothing pains me more than realizing that I have to climb my way back out of a hole. But, if anyone can do it, it’s me. I’ve continued to struggle with this issue for so long now, there are times where it gets really hard. Really discouraging. I know the problem though, and it’s that I turned towards myself instead of continuing on the path I was on.

As I read over my posts from last year, I see it so clear. I can’t believe I let myself return to some of my old habits.

There is good news though! I am not close to my old high weight… and I do a much better job of at least controlling myself sometimes. But, it’s not where I want to be and it definitely doesn’t make me feel good. I think in the past I was always so focused on wanting to help others, inspire others, be there for others… that I ended up not really focusing on me.

My whole year on the show, I felt like I was doing it because I thought it would be good for other people to see it. The only time I really felt like I was my true self was last year when I was 100% food sober. And that’s what I need to get back to. I am coming out clean with all this because I would love your support and your help as I get back on track.

I love this day so much because it’s all about independence. It’s all about being free. And this year, again, I want to stake my claim of independence. I want to push myself back to where I know I can be. And I would invite you to join me.

I’m not naive enough to believe I’m the only one struggling with weight and food. I share my ups and downs because I want to be more honest about the journey. It’s easy to jump up and shout the victories. What’s difficult is asking for help and support when you need it most.

So, if you’re reading this, please feel free to let me know where you’re at right now on your journey. This is a judgement free zone, there are no stones here.

I am encouraged by the fact that I did inspire so many people with my show. I know it’s weird because I’m not at that same weight. But it does feel good to get the messages and the comments from people who saw what I was able to accomplish.

I know there are people who took what I did and used it as inspiration to accomplish their own goals. And for that, I am forever grateful I was able to be a part of that. My journey continues. I’m starting counseling to really dig deep and focus on my issues and addiction to food.

Nobody said it was going to be easy. But, I must continue pressing on and hopefully along the way I’ll find some information to share with you.

Thank you for reading this post and Happy Independence Day. Let’s remember that today is about freedom. Freedom to do what we want and freedom from the things that hold us back.

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Helping Ricky

August 26th, 2012 by Mike

As some of you may know, I will begin working very soon with an awesome guy named Ricky who is committing to lose a lot of weight. While with me, Ricky has vowed to lose 120 pounds in the next 90 days.

He is giving up everything for 3 months to totally focus on getting healthier. He weighs over 500 pounds and is such a fighter. I am honored to get the chance to work with him.

Being that he is leaving his job for 3 months (as well as his wife and rest of his family) he is in need of any support he can get. If you want to give anything at all, please send a donation by going here:

http://OnlyOneMike.com/donate

Ricky is really a great guy and deserves a chance at a regular life. Together, we can help him save his life and accomplish his dreams.

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July 4, 2012 – Happy Independence Day

July 4th, 2012 by Mike

I launched this blog on July 4th, 2006… exactly 6 years ago to the day. Unfortunately, I am still migrating my data over so all my old posts aren’t here just yet. Give me another day or two and they’ll be here.

I’m writing this post today because I want to share with you why the 4th of July means so much to me… why it’s my favorite holiday of them all. For me, it all comes down to 1 word…

FREEDOM

And if you really think about it, that’s what we all want. We want to be free to live life how we want. We want to be free from our struggles with weight, from jobs we don’t like, from relationships that aren’t healthy…

And yet for many of us, we never seem to be able to achieve our goals and our dreams. For me, my big struggle has been my weight. My highest weight ever was 540 pounds, and that was only a few years ago. My best weight ever was 238 pounds, and that was just a few months ago! Well, I guess my best weight ever was 8 pounds 2 ounces… and that was 30 years ago, lol.

Anyway, point is I felt trapped. I felt like a prisoner in my own body. I constantly declined social invitations and shrugged off the idea that any girl could like me. I was living the complete opposite of freedom.

I think that’s why Independence Day always spoke to me so much. It was what I was yearning for deep inside. I’ve received so many messages from so many great people from all over the world since my episode of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition aired. And I have read every single one of them. I want to reply to them all and I will do my best to make that happen over the next week.

Meanwhile, I want to offer all of you a gift.

Many people are asking for tips or advice on how to lose weight or get healthier. Yes, on the show I lost 255 pounds. No, I’ve not done the best job keeping all the weight off… though I am more than 200 pounds down from my top weight which I am proud of. So, I do know a lot about weight loss thanks to all I learned from CHLI and Chris and other nutritionists I have worked with.

So, I would LOVE it if you would do the honor of asking your questions here on the blog… If you’re not comfortable doing that you can also use the Contact page to email me privately.

On Friday I will gather up all the questions and answer them in a document that I’ll email to everyone on my newsletter list. So, if you didn’t sign up for that yet use the form at the top of the page.

If you have friends or family who want to ask questions you can send them here as well. I will do my best to make a great document that really provides some meaty content and hopefully will get you going on the right track.

See, I firmly believe that today, July 4, 2012 can be your Independence day as well. Today can be the day you take control of your own destiny and begin working on your weight (like I continue to do everyday).

Just remember, I (and all the greatest minds in the world) can teach you all that science has uncovered but it won’t matter until you gain a spiritual (faith) understanding of your current situation. At least, that’s what I believe. I’ll talk about that in the document I’m putting together.

I’d like to thank you for reading this and for standing with me as I face up to my food addiction. I can’t tell you how awesome it feels knowing that people out there understand what I’m going through and are so supportive. I love you guys!

I know what it’s like to struggle with weight and have other people judge you and think you’re lazy or just don’t care about yourself. I have been there! I promise you I will never judge you, because I am you!

Please, ask me some questions so I can share what I’ve learned so far on my amazing (never-ending) journey.

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