SISU Transformation: Matt Sullivan
About Matt
I work in the financial services industry and live in Wayzata with my wife Ashley, our two year old son Sig, and Kane, our English bulldog. We’ve lived in the Minneapolis area for the past 6 years after moving from the East Coast, where we grew up. We love being outdoors… whether that be a walk around the lakes, spending time at the cabin, or firing down a few cocktails on a patio.
Fitness Journey
As a former D1 college football player, fitness has always been a big part of my life. I spent a considerable amount of time in and around the gym throughout my athletic career, feeding off of the energy and camaraderie that came along with that. The loud music, the coaches yelling explicit words of encouragement, teammates dripping sweat on your face as you try to gut out that last rep on the bench press…what’s not to love?
Once that chapter of my life ended, I spent the better part of a decade trying to find the right fill for the void that was left, and when I first stepped into a Crossfit gym back in 2012, I knew I had found my place. While I’ve had a few breaks here and there, I have been consistently attending Crossfit workouts for the past 5 years.
SISU Nutrition
As many people do, I thought I ate fairly healthy, and while that may have been true to a degree, I was not a smart eater. I was not familiar with the macro-based approach until I started working with Christina. This nutritional focus was the piece that had been missing. At first, the idea of weighing and tracking all of the food I put in my mouth felt overwhelming, but Christina offered some helpful guidelines that made the process much easier. I worked with her informally for the better part of a year, until I decided in September of 2018 to dive in and sign up for the nutrition program. The guidance that Christina gave and accountability that came with the program has been a complete game changer for me. Setting a goal, having regular check-ins, and seeing meaningful results has allowed me to fully embrace and take ownership of my progress in a way that I had not previously.
Since doing the SISU Nutrition program, I have lost 64 pounds, improved my strength in the gym and seen remarkable improvements in my aerobic capacity. It has been an incredible transformation not only physically, but in my overall approach to fitness. I now understand that while showing up and putting the work in the gym is an irreplaceable piece, the behind the scenes work on nutrition is where real progress is made.
Going Forward
After having recorded all of my food for over a year now, it feels like a new way of life. Approaching nutrition in this way does not feel overwhelming or restrictive, but rather, like an opportunity to continue to improve as an athlete and push myself to an even higher level. It has been a rewarding journey, and one I look forward to continuing.