“I truly believe that this company has helped save my life.”
That is how Kelli Matthes describes her feelings about being a patient at Medical Weight Loss Clinic.
Kelli has Type 1 diabetes, was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in 2000 when she was pregnant, then got a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2005. She spent the summer of 2009 in and out of the hospital and says she almost died. At that point, she was told that her pancreas didn’t work and she needed an insulin pump.
Kelli Matthes joined Medical Weight Loss Clinic after struggling with health concerns for years.
“The pain I suffer with is real,” Kelli says. “It affects me physically, mentally and emotionally. I have spent the last 10 years in and out of the hospital because of high sugars, low sugars, pain issues, etc.”
She couldn’t exercise because of the toll her health problems had taken on her body, continued to gain weight and struggled with daily life. In 2018, she was hospitalized with a critically high blood sugar level of almost 1,200.
“I was the biggest I had been in years and knew I had to do something to take control of my life,” she says. “I was using over 90 units of insulin a day, pain pills, Motrin, sleep aids, blood pressure medicine and more.
“I was losing my will to get out of bed and face it. I was letting my disease win but trying to conceal with and put up a front for my family, friends and all of those around me. I was losing the battle. I knew I couldn’t change my disease, but I had to find a way to fight and survive.”
And fight that’s just what she’s doing.
‘Without change, there is no change’
As a 29-year high school competitive cheer coach, Kelli inspired her team to succeed using the quote, “Without change, there is no change.” But as she began her efforts to get healthy, this saying gave her personal motivation too.
“How could I expect my girls to make changes in their lives and in our season ahead if I did not do the same?” she says. “I could not do my part for them if I did not take care of myself first. So the journey began.”
Kelli Matthes (center) found success and support at Medical Weight Loss Clinic.
In September 2018, Kelli joined MWLC. She says the girls on her team would see her come to the gym each day with grapes or a supplement bar and water rather than pop and something she “shouldn’t be eating.”
“The girls noticed the changes that I was trying to make and could see the results,” she says. “They also became an inspiration to me. The harder they worked in the gym for their goals, the more it pushed me to be an example and go after my personal goals.”
Through the challenges, Kelli stayed focused on her goals, and in the first 32 weeks on the MWLC program, she lost 50 pounds and 28 inches. She dropped from a dress size 20 to 12.
“I am not done with this journey, but the changes have been unbelievable,” she says. “I can look at myself in the mirror again. I am happy to be in pictures and have stopped telling people ‘only from the waist up, please’ when they are taking photos. My daily insulin usage has dropped by almost half!”
Teams of motivation
Kelli credits the team at the Chesterfield clinic as being instrumental in her weight loss journey and helping her gain control of her diabetes.
“The people at the Chesterfield office have truly changed my life. Nancy has been amazing! Many days she has been holding me up when I wanted to give up, assuring me that we would get through this. She has helped me to see and realize that my disease is ultimately in control and I just need to take each day and fight a good fight.”
And through it all, the cheerleaders she coaches became her biggest cheerleaders.
“We were on a journey together,” Kelli says. “I helped them stay focused on their goals and they supported me in going after mine.”
March 2, 2019, was a day when Kelli and her cheerleaders got to celebrate the goals they’d helped each other accomplish. That was when her team first became state champions. It was also the date Kelli had in mind when she walked into MWLC in late September.
“I wanted to be at my best. I wanted to go into that day and feel confident, look good and not be ashamed of what was standing in front of those 30 amazing athletes,” she says.
And as they walked into the arena that day, her team let her know how proud of her they were. They told her she looked amazing and was an inspiration to them.
“I inspired them for that one last push for the championship like they had inspired me to take on this journey,” Kelli says.
She has continued to spread the inspiration, and has been vocal about telling her story. At the end of her first speaking engagement, Kelli says a coach came up to her crying and saying that she had many of the same issues and had recently lost her sister to diabetes.
“She said I inspired her to take the leap and go after making changes in her life,” Kelli says. “She said I made her realize it was possible!”
If you are ready to take control of your weight loss, contact Medical Weight Loss Clinic today. Schedule your free consultation online or call 1-800-GET-SLIM.
