Meet the 500lbs CEO Who IS CRUSHING His Weight Loss Goals

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Disclaimer:
Access to the Information and materials contained in this podcast is at your own risk. The information contained is presented for the purpose of educating the consumer on a variety of wellness and health care topics (the “Information”). Nothing contained is intended to be instructional for medical diagnosis or treatment. The Information contained is compiled from a variety of sources. The Information should not be considered complete and not exhaustive and should not be in place of a visit or consultation with your own primary care doctor.

Transcript

Extreme Obesity and Comeback Journey

Dr Jason Littleton 0:00

Hey friends , welcome to the Concierge Doc Podcast . I'm your host , dr Jason Littleton , ceo and founder of Littleton Concierge Medicine . Welcome to the podcast . Today we've got a great show , really an introduction to 2025 . This is my first interview having a guest on . We're going to start rolling it out and having more guests , more expert guests that I want to introduce to you guys , and I want to start out with my first guest , joe Matterin . He is a client and patient of mine and I think he has a very interesting story of extreme obesity and his comeback tour when it comes to this , and I want to share this with you and I know he's excited to share this with you . So let's get started , let's jump into this , let's go , let's go Now .

Dr Jason Littleton 1:00

As you guys always know , before I start any podcast , I always read this disclaimer so I can stay friends with my compliance team . Access to the information and materials contained in this podcast is at your own risk . The information contained is presented for the purpose of educating the consumer on a variety of wellness and healthcare topics . The information nothing contained is intended to be instructional for medical diagnosis or treatment . The information contained is compiled from a variety of sources . The information should not be considered complete and exhaustive and should not be in place of a visit or consultation with your own primary care doctor . Like I always say , that's intuitive , that's instinctive , but it goes to be said .

Dr Jason Littleton 1:42

And look , I would love for you to come and see me personally . Come make an appointment with me at Littleton Concierge Medicine . You can just go to my website , jasonmdcom . But it's important so that you guys have accurate assessment , diagnosis and treatment . All right , so as we get going , I want to introduce my guest client and patient and friend and brother in Christ , Joe Matterin . And welcome to the podcast , joe . Thank you for coming on today .

Joe Mattern 2:11

Dr Jason Littleton , it is an honor and a pleasure to be here and to be your first guest brother . I am psyched we're going to have a great podcast today .

Dr Jason Littleton 2:20

Yeah , you know you have an interesting story , I mean , of extreme obesity and there's so much that goes into that .

Dr Jason Littleton 2:27

A lot of people , I think around the world , struggle with extreme obesity where they can't get out of their home they don't have anyone to take care of them , and they may not even have the ability to afford even a concert doctor or the medical care that you know you have access to . But a lot of people struggle to this and I think a lot of people who have you know , who are overweight , are way more than they want and maybe they don't have extreme obesity they struggle with just self-esteem , self-confidence , and they deal with anxiety and depression . You know all sorts of things self-esteem , self-confidence , and they deal with anxiety and depression . You know all sorts of things , and so I want to talk with you about that . See , you know how you can speak to that , but first I want to start out with at your heaviest , how much were you ?

Joe Mattern 3:18

600 pounds 600 pounds .

Dr Jason Littleton 3:20

And when , when , when was that ?

Joe Mattern 3:22

It was six months ago .

Dr Jason Littleton 3:24

Six months ago , and how much do ?

Joe Mattern 3:26

you weigh now 550 pounds . I've gotten 50 pounds off in the last six months thanks to your help and a great medication that you helped me get .

Dr Jason Littleton 3:35

I mean that's a huge deal .

Joe Mattern 3:37

It is .

Dr Jason Littleton 3:37

That's a huge deal 50 pound weight loss .

Joe Mattern 3:39

It is .

Dr Jason Littleton 3:40

Now let me ask you this At 600 pounds , when's the last time , even now , when's the last time you were outside of your house ?

Joe Mattern 3:50

Other than outside in my hot tub , in my backyard , four years Four years .

Dr Jason Littleton 3:55

Four years , that's got to be difficult , it is . And with that being said , I mean what were some of the reasons why you could not get outside of the house ?

Joe Mattern 4:08

One , to drive I couldn't fit behind the steering wheel . My escalate , my stomach was too big , the wheel was just locked down . Two , not having clothes to fit me , you got to be clothed to go outside . And three , just an inability to walk more than 20 feet at a time . And when I go out , I have to be out safely . I have the world's most amazing hot tub designed to hold eight people , 88 jets , 500 gallons that's how I get out , but that's on my back porch and I have a fenced-in property . Aside from that , it's been social media TikTok , instagram visits from you , the finest doctor on the planet . I'm very lucky to be your brother , your friend . I'm going to tell everyone you are the finest doctor on the planet . I know that to be true and I'm so honored to have you as my physician .

Joe Mattern 4:59

I'm the healthiest 550 pound man on the planet , thanks to you , and very soon it'll be 500 . Then I'm back out , resuming my swimming journey .

Dr Jason Littleton 5:08

My gosh . Yeah , and you're a swimmer . That's one of the things that you have used in the past to stay fit and healthy and to reduce weight , but you haven't been able to do that .

Joe Mattern 5:19

So let's talk about that for a moment . So behind Universal Studios , in a lake called Lake Cain , with a group of triathletes , is an amazing man . You've met him because you were there with me at the lake swim for my 100th kilometer swim Dr John Lucky Meisenheimer , who has truly touched my life . Okay , I swam in three years , 221 kilometers when we lay that out , dr Jason . Years , 221 kilometers when we lay that out , dr Jason . That's driving distance from Tampa , florida to Daytona 137 miles .

Dr Jason Littleton 5:56

And I'm going to continue that journey from 222 to 500 in April and I'm all set to go . That's phenomenal , it's incredible . I think one of the biggest questions that are on my mind that I want my listeners to know about is can you talk to us about at your darkest time ? What was that ? I mean , how much did you weigh , what was that ? What did you feel ? And then bring us out of it . How did you get out of that ?

Joe Mattern 6:20

Sure , 600 pounds in bed under the covers . The most I could walk was to the bathroom and back . I had my iPhone , I had social media . How I got out in the world was through tech talk seeing the world , connecting with friends , talking to you , getting in the word , staying mentally strong . Failure is never an option , not ever and slowly getting back . It's like how I did my leg swims . One day I went to the leg swim and I did my first swim . It was a bucket list item . One becomes two , two becomes 100 . You're there for my 100th kilometer anniversary and we are where we are today Small , tiny changes Watching your podcast , staying positive . You being tiny changes , watching your podcast , staying positive . You being my doctor , taking your advice and guidance . But slow , steady , positive steps . That's how you work your way out .

Dr Jason Littleton 7:14

Yeah , you know I , I always say little changes make a ton of difference . And you know , uh , I , did you ever struggle with um suicidal ideation and ideation and things like that ? Did you ever struggle ? Was it ever that dark ?

Joe Mattern 7:31

Never . Suicide is never an option . I never would allow it to be in my life . I'm mentally strong , I'm spiritually strong and plus , in my career . Right early in my career I worked as a paramedic . I was a mental health guardian advocate . I know how to handle people that have mental health . I would never , ever allow it . You just simply cannot allow it in your mind . It should never be an option , ever .

Dr Jason Littleton 7:56

And that's , you know , that's incredible , that's an amazing challenge . I mean , I think that . I mean , I think that you know there are people out there that don't weigh 600 pounds . They might weigh 20 , 30 , 50 pounds overweight , right , right . But sometimes people can just be in a very , very dark place and here , you know , you're at the extreme side , where you went from 600 , now you're around 550 , what would you say to those people who may not be in your situation but are just feeling down and out and need that encouragement ? Because I think people need to hear from you in that .

Joe Mattern 8:34

I think the answer is , dr G , is to have a good support system . Not only do I have the finest doctor in the world , I have the best friends in the world . I have a core group of friends that love me , care about me , come visit me , believe in me . They're my cheerleaders . They can look at my hashtag 500 pound CEO hashtag swim , joe , swim and just watch , and they know I'm confidently going to get back to my journey and get back in that mode . The answer is a good support system . I can't do it alone . You're a part of a team , dr Jason . While you're my physician , I have someone who comes in as a part-time caregiver and , quite excitingly , in the last week it's now my fifth day living alone . I have now a caretaker that comes in part-time . I can now take care of myself again . I can bathe myself , I can shave myself , I can make meals . I couldn't do that a year ago and that alone is a victory that I'm very proud of . Small , steady , positive steps .

Dr Jason Littleton 9:32

Yeah , that's amazing . I think one of the things that and I'm still going down the same vein you know , when someone's overweight , there are people who can have poor self-esteem right . You're someone who has a strong personality . You seem to have amazing self-esteem , but what about that person who doesn't ? How ? How do they um ? How do they deal with being overweight and being in public ? And what could you say to that person ?

Joe Mattern 10:07

Bring in a counselor , either secular , christian , whatever you're comfortable with . Do it by FaceTime , do it by Zoom . Work with a counselor , even if you have to do it in your home by video , but have a professional there to help you , which is what I had many years ago when I rebuilt my self-esteem . I spent 10 years in a Christian counselor's office working through issues and I suffered a lot of abuse in my life from a young age . Christian counseling made me the man I am today . Okay , learning to forgive , learning to properly process anger , you know , learning to get in the word and be strong in my faith all these things . But talking right , psychotherapy , getting it out . The best advice I can give is professional counseling .

Dr Jason Littleton 10:51

It will change your life , yeah that's amazing , that needed to be said , and I think that people who are struggling with their self-esteem being out in public or just struggling with the whole thought process that they just don't know if they can possibly lose the weight and I think that's a huge subset of people where they are overweight and they have given up on thinking that they could actually lose weight . You know , I love what you said . I love what you said Awesome . Christian counseling can make a huge difference . Um , what do you say to people who , um , feel like they're never going to lose the weight ? They feel like it's impossible . They feel like they've tried and tried and tried and they're not losing weight . They're gaining weight or they're just , they just plateaued , they just , you know , they're not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel .

Joe Mattern 11:51

I think the answer is they're going to lose it when they're ready . It has to be in their own time , and if they don't want to see a counselor or have any friends , they'll know when they've suffered enough physically , emotionally . So you know what ? No more . I'm not going to let food control me . Now let's look at me .

Joe Mattern 12:07

My first year of obesity was when I was nine years old . Wow , okay , and I'm 59 years today . So this is my 50th year with obesity . I'm six foot tall , I'm 550 pounds that's as of today and I spent a majority of my life at about 420 pounds for about 15 years . But my first year obesity was nine . I broke 200 pounds when I was nine years old and , as a result , I'd be happy to be back at 420 . I mean 420 pounds at six foot tall . I can put on my shoes , I could put on a suit , I could fly on an airplane . Yeah , I need two seats . I mean , you know , 737 has the tiny seats , but then I can get out and see the world . I was traveling , I was going out to California , I was driving , you know , through LA and you know , seeing friends and traveling on business and , yeah , I would be happy to be down to the 420 .

Joe Mattern 12:59

But my goals involve when I'm out of the home , getting back into the pool . Advent Health Celebration they're in Celebration of Florida . That's my pool , that's where I'll swim , getting back in the lake . The lake is a safe place for me , dr Jason . Triathletes are some of the greatest people in the world and while it's public , it's private in the fact that I have everyone there as my friend and I'm very , very safe . People say Joe , are you not seriously ? You're not afraid of alligators ? And you know what I say . I say listen , I'm bigger than any alligator that could be in that lake . They should be afraid of me .

Dr Jason Littleton 13:31

Yeah , there you go , there you go , there you go . That's a whole nother . It's a whole nother .

Joe Mattern 13:35

Change of perspective yes , it is you came down the lake and you were there for my hundredth kilometer with Lucky yeah , but I didn't get in . No , you didn't you didn't , but you were there and you came down in celebration . You remember , you gave Dr Lucky Meisenheimer your book and he gave you his book . It was a very amazing day you shared together .

Dr Jason Littleton 13:54

It was Next time I'll have to get in .

Joe Mattern 13:56

Absolutely .

Dr Jason Littleton 13:59

Wow , you said a lot . I think it's really gonna make a difference and help people um . Now I want to talk about you know um , when we talk about um , what you've experienced so far in your weight loss , um , you recently lost 50 pounds , um , which is I just think it's a huge deal , a huge deal , and you were here at my home and we celebrated that together on the scale .

Joe Mattern 14:27

Yeah , I mean , that was a victory . It really was . Right in my living room I'm on the scale and we calculated the numbers and boom it was . It was a lot to be proud of . There's a lot more , but that's the first of many positive steps .

Dr Jason Littleton 14:40

Yeah , yeah .

Personal Journey to Health and Happiness

Dr Jason Littleton 14:41

What is your ? What is your ultimate goal ?

Joe Mattern 14:46

steps yeah .

Dr Jason Littleton 14:46

Yeah , what is your ? What is your ultimate goal ? To live a long happy , healthy life .

Joe Mattern 14:50

And what is your ultimate weight goal ? 300 pounds , okay , okay , I could . I could conquer the world at 300 pounds . Piece of cake , wow , wow , absolutely . Then I'm going to Dubai in an Airbus A380 and I'm going up on top of the Burj Khalifa , because that's the big goal , my God , absolutely .

Dr Jason Littleton 15:05

You're going to have to write a book about this , because it's such . I mean , I've seen you for years and it's such an inspirational journey , so I have a little surprise for you .

Joe Mattern 15:18

Go ahead .

Dr Jason Littleton 15:19

I started the book yesterday and the book is going to be called .

Joe Mattern 15:22

The book is going to be called Loved Beyond is going to be called loved beyond measure , and I want to show you something . I have a little surprise . You ready ? All right , all right , take a look at this . This is earned . This is not given . You see this ? Yeah , this indicates that I have swam 200 kilometers and Lucky's Lake . This is the hardest thing I've ever had to earn in my life and I'm very , very proud of it .

Joe Mattern 15:45

And this , by the way , it's a 5X shirt and Lucky goes to me . He goes , joe , he goes . I must really love you . It took me six months to find this shirt . It's really hard to find one of this size , but , joe , we're really proud of you .

Joe Mattern 15:57

And that last making it to 200 kilometers . I had a week to do it . Lucky's like wait , joe , stop , I'm going to Las Vegas tomorrow on a dermatologist conference . Can you get it done today ? And I'm like , excuse me , I'm like five kilometers in one day , lucky , I've never done more than two . He goes , I'll make you a deal , I'll let you here with your friend Danielle . You've got the whole day in the lake . Get it done . And Danielle and I spent from 6 30 in the morning till three o'clock in the lake . I get my fifth kilometer in . We're ringing the bell , we're celebrating Hardest thing I ever do in my life . I worked my butt off for that shirt and I'm very proud of it and I want the world to see it . And the next shirt's gonna say 500K and I'll have that done in the next two years .

Dr Jason Littleton 16:37

Man , that's amazing . That's incredible Absolutely . I mean , that's such a motivator . I think it goes to be said you have one of the things you know as a doctor that I see is that you always have things out in front of you to keep you motivated . And one of the things that you said that I thought was really important is that when I asked you what your goal was , instead of you just saying , well , you want to be 250 pounds or 200 pounds or some numerical goal , you said to live a long , healthy life . Yeah , and I think , as a doctor , you said it . That's the key . It is .

Joe Mattern 17:11

So , much .

Dr Jason Littleton 17:12

I want people to focus on quality of life and being motivated and being healthy , as opposed to being focused on a metric . Not that we're not focused on metrics , but you should ultimately be focused on being healthy , being well , accomplishing goals , and I think when you're accomplishing goals , those goals will pull you it should motivate you , so to speak , to reaching certain metrics as far as things that matter as far as like weight or cholesterol .

Joe Mattern 17:48

And as my doctor , you know me well . Right , we've seen , you've done exams , we've seen my bloods . But between you and I we know other than my type two diabetes , which could be reversed , and I'm on melanger right now . My vitals are great , I'm healthy . I mean I've got a great shot . I reverse type two . Then we get the weight down . I mean my joints are great , my heart's great , my brain's great , I'll be good . But the point is we're going to reverse that type two very , very soon and the Mount Jaro has done a great job . And , dr Jason , you could probably quickly talk about the fact we fought with that right for a year . We fought the insurance company to get me that medicine . That's the fifth one we tried and we never , ever quit but we found one that worked and it's doing a great job . We'll kick it up to the next level in January . More weight will come off , but it's been such a lifesaver it really has been , and I'm really honored to not only have your care but to finally have a medicine that works .

Dr Jason Littleton 18:42

I mean , I'm just amazed by your journey .

Joe Mattern 18:48

Thank you .

Dr Jason Littleton 18:49

I think , most importantly , most important , I'm amazed by how , how motivated you are , your attitude , your self-esteem . You never let 600 pounds or not being out of your house for four years , get to you and get you down I think most people . I mean it's a testament to how tough you are . I think most people could not have handled that . Most people could not have handled that .

Joe Mattern 19:15

Sure , but I agree . But I've also had you there on the phone , top lift me as well If I've had a day where I've been a little off . I've said , hey , dr Jason , let's pray , or can you stop over ? And you have stopped over just to pray with me and give me a little visitation and things like that , right . But then the other great things were shared , right when you went and got in a Cirrus aircraft and flew and worked on your flight training and got out in the world because you know , I'm the CEO of an aerospace company , that's what I do and our passion's aviation . And seeing you fly with friends of mine and get up over central Florida in a Cirrus SR22 , and having you send me a picture and say , hey , joe , look , I'm flying . I'm like Dr Jason , I'm not going to be far behind you . I learned to fly an airplane when I was 12 years old . I'll be getting back to that one day soon . I can't wait . You know how much I love to fly , dr Jason .

Dr Jason Littleton 20:07

Oh yeah , I do , I do , I do , I do . First of all , that was such an amazing gift that , uh , you know you blessed , just like you . And you know and I talk about that in my book you know the Energize . Again , what I like about what you just said and what I talked about in my book is about how the things that motivate us help us to make change . And you know , like , whether it's flying or swimming for me , skiing you can use that to make change . And you know , like , whether it's flying or swimming for me , skiing you can use that to make change . And I think you used your motivation , not only in aviation but swimming , to make change and along with your faith in Jesus , Christ our Lord and Savior .

Dr Jason Littleton 20:54

You were able to endure tough times and times where you didn't see weight coming off , and now weight is coming off Right . And now you're on the fast track . That's right , and soon you'll be out of your house .

Joe Mattern 21:10

Yeah , that's right .

Dr Jason Littleton 21:11

You'll be back in the pool , back at the lake , back doing things that you haven't done in years ? Yeah , haven't done in years . I want people to hear your testimony and to get over things that has been , you know , stuffing them up , keeping them at bay , keeping them at home , even though they can actually get out of the house on their own and do things . There are some people who are in prison in their house because of things that have nothing to do with weight .

Joe Mattern 21:43

That's right .

Dr Jason Littleton 21:44

And hearing your testimony can help them to unlock the prison door , so to speak .

Joe Mattern 21:49

I remember you were the first one that I ever told I was going to write my first book and that was last December . And , if you recall , because I've done professional voiceover , I'm more comfortable on the mic than I am writing and I actually , in my hot tub voiceovered with the trickling waterfall in the background . The entire 18 chapters of my first book called and it's basically about . It's a story about surviving abuse and being loved . It's called I Am Loved and then I expanded on that by starting back yesterday . So basically the first book covered from the day I was born until present day and this is going to be the start , with the getting out and starting my journey . And I love to write , I love to voiceover , but I love to inspire . I want to leave behind a legacy and I think a book and or an audio book is a great way to do that .

Joe Mattern 22:40

Yeah , I would agree , I would agree , I would agree Now , and you know I have a copy of your book that you've signed for me and I read regularly because we talk about meds , right , m-e-d-s , and , believe me , you taught me and I know it works . And same thing Last week's podcast . You're talking about self-care . I implemented those things in my life this last week . It's like my fifth day being totally alone , on my own , without care . I'm doing great .

Joe Mattern 23:07

I have someone that comes in part-time , but I'm running my business as a CEO right from this office . I mean you know you're in your home , it's quiet . You know you can feel the Lord with you . I mean I'm singing praise and worship music . I mean I have a tree , I have presents , I'm talking to my friends all around the world . You know video chat has been very , very powerful and all those people are there and supportive and it's just a matter of you reaching out . You want to have friends in person . You want to have friends in person . You want to have video chat , just being social . We're social creatures . We really are .

Dr Jason Littleton 23:44

Yeah , yeah .

Dr Jason Littleton 23:44

Yeah exactly , Um , man , I , it's just , it's just awesome hearing this . I mean , I'm , I've , I've wanted people to hear your testimony for a long time . We've talked about this and to be able to drop this off at the beginning of the year , I think , when everyone's thinking about fitness and weight loss and thinking about you , know , being a new you , um , this is um , a powerful , powerful , awesome testimony , and I want to ask you what do you want um people to know as they go into into 2025 as far as health and their outlook , and that they should have ? What would you say to them ?

Joe Mattern 24:27

It's a new beginning . Don't worry too much about the future . Enjoy the moment , enjoy the day , stay strong . Just live every day to the fullest . Lucky Meisenheimer taught me that right , as not only my dermatologist but the person who runs the lake swim . Lucky just has this happy-go-lucky attitude . You know Dr Chase and he has , on a given day , like 200 people on his property at the lake . He loves being around people , letting people be people , but he just takes life , he grabs it and lives life to the fullest . And as a mentor of mine , that's what I've learned Enjoy the moment . Don't concentrate too much on the past , but also don't concentrate too much on the future . Enjoy the moment . Have daily goals , weekly goals , monthly goals , but just enjoy the moment , because life is beautiful . It truly is .

Dr Jason Littleton 25:17

Yeah , I love it . I love it . I mean , that's a great , that's a great . Um , that's , that's , that's a great thing to say . I love that . You said that I got to have you back on the show .

Joe Mattern 25:26

I'd be honored . I'm having a ball . This is just great . You and I planned this for a very , very long time and I can't wait to the day where I'm out and driving and I'm coming over to your studio and we'll be side by side . We'll be doing this together . I look forward to that day very soon .

Dr Jason Littleton 25:40

Yeah , yeah , that's what . Yeah , yeah , yeah , we're going to . We're going to definitely do this again . I um , you know , listen , guys . You know Joe's testimony is powerful and I think you have to take what he said and use him as an example , wherever you're at , whether you're dealing with weight loss or you're dealing with depression or anxiety .

Dr Jason Littleton 25:58

Or you're dealing with weight loss or you're dealing with depression or anxiety or you're dealing with something else that's in your way . Having a support system , christian counseling , being able to have access to a concierge doctor like myself that's important . That's important . I understand having access to a concierge doctor . Maybe everyone might not have that access , but your own primary care doctor or health provider can make a huge difference in your life as well . Of course , I would love to see you at Littles and Concierge Medicine too . That's something that I would love to do Now .

Dr Jason Littleton 26:28

I think that this should motivate you as you go into 2025 . It should motivate you . It should cause you to be like , no matter what the issue is , you know , I can have a positive attitude . I can have goals that motivate me to go forward . I can make little changes that make a ton of difference . I can do these things that can carry me through , to live healthy and be well , and I will get to my goal , no matter how dark things seem . No matter how dark things seem , and I think these are the takeaways that you should have from this testimony . As I always say , please follow my podcast , know my handles . You know Facebook , instagram , linkedin , you know Amazon Audible . Look at all these handles , take a listen to the weekly podcast and continue to follow me Each week as we bring more content with you , and this year we're bringing just expert guests , just like we started off today , to you . I can't wait to see you next time . Talk to you guys later . Thank you , bye .