Weight Watchers app, Orangetheory aid LIer’s weight loss

HIS STORY

Michael Maloney, 47, of Garden City, says it was a request from his 9-year-old daughter that triggered him to lose 70 pounds. Though thin as a child, Maloney says he saw his weight rise steadily through college. By age 30, he was 50 pounds overweight. He would go on to shed pounds through Weight Watchers but eventually gained it back.

After attending a surf birthday party in the summer of 2015, Maloney’s daughter Kathryn was eager to sign up for surf camp the following summer — but only if her dad would, too. “I thought it was a cool thing to do, but I wasn’t in shape for it. I knew I had to get in shape if I was going to survive a surf camp,” said Maloney.

He bought a Fitbit and upped his walking. Next he downloaded the Weight Watchers app to track his eating. In two months, he was down 25 pounds, plateauing at 235 pounds. The Maloney discovered Orangetheory Fitness. “I decided to try it and ended up loving it,” said Maloney. In a group with others, he does a 60-minute high-intensity full-body circuit workout wearing a heart rate monitor. He rotates between a treadmill, rowing machine and free weights, with his goal to get his heartrate to an optimal level to stimulate his metabolism. Maloney says he burns 750 to 950 calories each session.

Some 70 pounds lighter, he finds his back and knees no longer ache, his sleep apnea has gone away and his blood pressure is normal. “I had a great time at the surf camp and did fairly well, but it was very physically demanding. There’s no way I could have done it without losing the weight.”

HIS DIET

On non-workout days, Maloney has Cheerios with milk and then fruit. On workout days he has belVita biscuits and a protein shake. Lunch can be a chicken Caesar salad or a chicken sandwich from Cosi. Neither he nor his wife cook, so they frequently eat out or order takeout and carefully watch portion size. He has a small portion of ice cream for dessert and snacks on Snyder’s gluten–free pretzel sticks.

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HIS EXERCISE

Maloney gets in five Orangetheory Fitness high-intensity workouts weekly. He regularly parks far away in parking lots and takes stairs, not an elevator.

HIS ADVICE

“Create short-term goals. Find an exercise that works for you and combine it with a proper diet. And be consistent.”