When Capital Metro Assistant Director of Business and Community Development Matt Curtis joined One Ton o’ Fun, a fitness program created by RunTex CEO Paul Carozza and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas Executive Director Kenny Taylor, his diet mainly consisted of carbohydrates and he occasionally hit the gym. At that time, Curtis, who is 6 feet 5 inches tall, weighed 437 pounds.
“As a political operative and someone who must spend a lot of time at breakfast, lunch and dinner meetings, I was always on the go and not paying attention to what I ate. I would dabble at the gym and sometimes get serious, but my schedule always allowed me the excuses to get off any program I had begun,” he said.
When he joined the six month long program, Curtis was excited to join others and focus on a healthy lifestyle while raising money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas and the Neighborhood Longhorns Program, which One Ton o’ Fun benefits. As aide to Mayor Will Wynn during his first term, Curtis first began considering moving toward a healthier lifestyle because of the mayor’s focus on fitness.
“Austin is my home. I work every day to make sure this city is the best it can be and that our region is healthy. Now, I am beginning to use those same goals on myself. I want to see Austin stay healthy as long as I can, and to do that I have to be healthy,” he said.
When he joined One Ton o’ Fun, Curtis did not know how intense the program would be or what it would entail, but his goal was to lose 20 pounds. Since then, he has lost 70 pounds.
“It was easy to like the camaraderie and support of a team-oriented program,” he said.
Curtis now exercises twice a day, walking two to three miles in the morning and running stairs. He goes to the gym four to five times a week and walks the 10.15 mile Town Lake Trail loop on weekends. He complements this by using public transportation as much as possible, which gives him an additional opportunity to walk, and he walked the Komen Race for the Cure, a 5K held in Austin last month.
“My biggest challenge was staying on the program and monitoring my diet. However, it was made easy by having to be accountable to a team and the other captains that I was in competition with,” he said.
A second generation Irish-American, Curtis explained that he is also fighting genetics, since he comes from a people who like to eat and drink. He said he wears something Irish for the strength of his family every time he works out, and that he is a “walking billboard” for the dietary changes he has made, severely reducing the amount of carbohydrates he eats.
“I lived a life addicted to breads to the level that if I was offered a delicious steak or a bag of muffins, I would take the bag of muffins,” he said.
Curtis plans to maintain his weight loss and fitness level, since the program wrapped up on Thanksgiving at the 16th Annual ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot, by continuing his morning routine, walking and running stairs, which he said is better than coffee. He will also continue to work on his own in the gym.
“I plan on continuing to walk in as many races as possible with the intention of moving towards a marathon. Once I do a marathon, I would like to consider future marathons. I don't know that I'll ever run. I come from a family of bad knees and backs, but I am happy making good time walking. One day I hope to return to boxing, as I feel I have one more fight left in me,” he said. Curtis, a self-described undefeated boxer, once trained and fought in the ring in a semi-professional bout in Dallas and won.
Curtis explained that he feels much better as a result of his weight loss and adopting a healthier lifestyle. He said he is happier than he was before he began making healthier food choices and exercising, the effects of stress in his life have disappeared, and his work productivity has skyrocketed.
“I have preached the word of this diet and how much better I feel bringing exercise into my life. I hope this vocal advertising and the obvious effects of my new lifestyle has helped someone in my life,” Curtis said.
One Ton o' Fun is sponsored by the RunTex Foundation, KTBC Fox7 Austin, Austin Fit Magazine, FitCity, the Livestrong Challenge, Ironsmith, O2 Austin, New Balance and Tonyia Cone Communications. For more information on the program, which benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas and the Neighborhood Longhorns Program, visit www.1tonofun.com.
