Father-of-two Mike Denman remembers clearly the moment he realized that his weight had gotten out of hand. It wasn’t reaching 329 pounds, nor the day he bought his first pair of 44-inch waist trousers. It wasn’t even when he realized he had developed a habit of popping into McDonald’s for a pre-dinner snack. It was, in fact, an innocent remark from his 2-year-old daughter, who hugged a Buddha statue at a garden center and said, “Daddy.” While his wife and mother-in-law found the comment hilarious, Mike knew something had to change. It was the beginning of a 4-year journey that led him to shed 112 pounds and gain a 6-pack that would make an Olympian jealous. He began cutting down on portion sizes, switched out fat- and sugar-laden snacks for healthy alternatives, and cut out the alcohol. He also began an intense 6-day-a-week fitness routine, which included aiming for 10,000 steps a day. To complete his transformation, he underwent a hair transplant. Now a personal trainer, Mike is coaching other fathers embarking on their own transformations via his Fit Dad Project. Behind it all, he says that his primary motivation was wanting to be around to see his kids grow up.
