35 pounds in 3 months: Martin Combs has lost the weight and kept it off

After returning from a vacation in March 2021, Martin Combs decided it was the perfect time to start losing weight. At the time, the associate superintendent for special services in Gratiot-Isabella RESD weighed 205 pounds.

Although he had been active in his life and continued to exercise by riding his mountain bike, Combs' joints were beginning to ache and climbing stairs was taking more out of him than before.

In about three months, Combs lost 35 pounds, drooping from 205 to 170. More importantly, he has kept the weight off.

Combs researched different approaches to weight loss and settled on Noom, a digital program that takes a psychological approach to behavior modification. He established his goals and never looked back.

Losing 35 pounds in 90 days is not easy to do, particularly when the starting weight is only 205 pounds. Combs consulted with his doctor along the way and she assured him that his health was never in danger from such a rapid change. Once he hit 170 she advised him to stop, calling that an ideal weight for him, he says.

When beginning the program, Combs had to be willing to make the changes the program requires, and learn what kinds of foods are healthy and will keep him feeling full. He also had to be cognizant of consuming fewer calories than he burned.

“They say you can eat what you want as long as you stay in those caloric requirements," he says. "It’s simple math."

In that three-month period, Combs’ waist-size dropped from a 36 to a 32 — what is was when he first married his wife.

Since losing the weight, Combs has switched from Noom to Omada Health, which is a program available through Gratiot-Isabella's health insurance benefits.

“I have to make sure I don’t add the weight back on," Combs says. "I’ve bought a lot of new clothes."

When he signed up for Omada he received a digital scale so he could weigh himself each day. The Bluetooth scale sends a reading each day to Omada, keeping a record of his weight and providing a level of accountability, Combs says.

“That weighing in every day has helped me out,” he says.

For others who may want to look at losing weight as part of their New Year’s resolutions, Combs says it’s important to set a goal for yourself and then see it through. For Combs, there was added incentive of the birth of a granddaughter.

“She was on her way when I started this journey," he says. "Now she’s seven weeks old and I want to be a grandpa that can move and play and have a good time with the kids."