Meet Anthony
I know what it feels like to start over.
If you've ever told yourself, "I'll start Monday," you're not alone. I've said those words more times than I can count.

The Story
Growing up, I was always the "big kid."
Then I started playing sports, and suddenly everyone wanted me to get even bigger. Coaches, teammates, and college scouts all said the same thing: if I wanted to play at the next level, I needed to add size. The problem was, I had no idea what that actually meant — so I did what most teenagers would do. I just ate. A lot.
I grew up when nearly every commercial on television was advertising highly processed, high-sugar foods designed to keep us coming back for more. I didn't understand nutrition. I didn't understand calories. I certainly didn't understand how habits were formed. I just knew I wanted to become a better athlete.
When my dreams of playing at the next level ended, my training stopped — but my eating didn't. In one year I went from around 211 pounds to nearly 285.
The habits I built chasing that dream stayed with me long after sports were over.
For the next fifteen years I lived on a loop: find motivation, join a gym, lose some weight, get pulled under by real life, quit, and gain it all back. I still carried muscle from my younger years, but the fat never left for good.
Eventually I stopped looking for another diet and started looking for answers. I became obsessed with understanding how weight loss actually worked.

Before & after — with my daughter.
A New Priority
Life has a way of changing your priorities.
I married my high school sweetheart, and together we started our family. Then everything changed. Our youngest son needed emergency heart surgery when he was only a few weeks old. A few years later, our daughter would need heart surgery too.
Nothing puts life into perspective like watching your children go through something you wish you could take away from them. During those years, my own health took a back seat and the weight came back.
I couldn't ask my children to build healthy habits if I wasn't willing to live them myself.
The Turning Point
No more waiting for Monday.
I stopped chasing motivation.
I stopped believing that one bad meal meant I had failed.
Instead, I made one promise to myself —
Just Get Up & Start.
My Journey
The journey wasn't easy.
People sometimes assume I lost over 100 pounds because I found some secret. I didn't. I hit a four-month plateau where nothing seemed to work. Eventually I learned I have Hashimoto's disease, an autoimmune condition that made losing weight harder than I ever expected. But instead of quitting, I kept learning. I adapted. I stayed consistent — and the plateau broke.
- 318 lbs
- Four-month plateau
- Diagnosed with Hashimoto's
- Kept learning
- 204 lbs
- 100+ lbs Lost Naturally
I Tried Everything
If it promised a shortcut, I probably tried it.
Eventually I realized something incredibly simple.
Weight loss doesn't have to be miserable.
The Philosophy
Four things I teach every client.
Calories
Understand how your body actually burns energy.
Nutrition
Build sustainable eating habits instead of following restrictive meal plans.
Movement
Walking is the foundation. Strength training builds your future.
Accountability
Consistency beats motivation.
Why Get Up & Start Exists
You don't need another miracle.
Every day someone is trying to sell you another supplement, another "secret," another 30-day fix. You don't need any of it. What you need is harder to package and harder to sell — but it's what actually works.
You need education. You need accountability. And you need someone in your corner who has genuinely lived through the same struggles you're facing right now.
That's why I built Get Up & Start. Not to sell you a shortcut, but to teach you enough that one day you won't need me anymore.
My Promise
What you can expect from me.
- I'll always tell you the truth — even when it isn't trendy.
- I'll teach you why something works instead of simply telling you what to do.
- I'll never ask you to give up the foods you love forever.
- My goal is to help you become independent — not dependent on me.
Your first step
Ready to stop starting over?
Book a free 30-minute consultation. No pressure, no pitch — just a real conversation about what's been getting in your way and whether we're the right fit.
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