Introducing a new advice blog that I'm excited about being a part of. After being on the MTV show Catfish, I constantly receive e-mails via social media concerning a wide variety of questions pertaining to every day problems from people all across the world. I try my best to e-mail back people when I can but now I would like to create this advice column in order to answer questions that I'm sure plenty of others have in common. This first post will specifically be in theme with the show that I was featured on:
"IS ONLINE DATING SOMETHING THAT I SHOULD GET INTO?"
The simple answer is YES. Before I get into the more complicated version of my answer I would like to explain what online dating is. Although we live in a world overrun by technology and I feel as if everyone alive should know what online dating is... I'll explain anyway. There thousands of ways to meet people online and these include social media (Facebook or Twitter), dating sites (Plenty of Fish or Ok Cupid) or pretty much any website inside of the internet universe considering most webpages contain a comment thread where any users can post and connect with others while sharing their opinions. Online dating is when a person uses the internet to meet a significant other and both decide to be in a relationship together.
So do I believe that people should get into online relationships? Considering I was featured on a television show that spotlighted my own relationship leads me to agree with people wanting to ask my advice on it and to those wanting to date online as well. Although I condone online relationships I also advise people to do so in caution. There are a lot of Catfish out there and it's because the internet universe allows anyone to be who they want to be. There are some who decide to show their true selves but others are tempted to make a whole new identity which lures naive people towards much unwanted drama and heartbreak.
The internet is so damn amazing for various reasons but my favorite of all is the ability to have instantaneous connections to other living and breathing beings all over the globe. I have never been one to think that your true love lives across the street from you. There is no way that every single person in the world is lucky enough to find their soulmate that easily. Love is something that you go through battles for and learn hard lessons over. The internet is a modern day tool to help you through this journey of love and it's a very beautiful thing. But like I said, this tool can be used for greatness or for evil. Use caution but don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Take chances and don't be afraid to show the world who you are. Love is something everyone deserves. I'm currently dating a very beautiful woman that I had met via the internet and I am so grateful for this every single day. You don't need to be online to find your true love but it doesn't hurt to try it out.
Have any burning questions in life that you would like to hear Matt's advice on? Feel free to contact him via social media or e-mail at MattLoweCatfish@Gmail.com
Even as a child I found a way to cope with rough life situations. I made myself feel better through the power of making others feel better. I soon realized that my main goal in life was to become famous and find a way to entertain people in order to help them cope with life as well.
As you can see from the trailer for my weight loss documentary... I lost myself. I fell deep into depression and let myself recede into the shadows to be unseen for years. I felt as if I was the town monster and every time I went out in public I had to hurry and get back into my room... my dungeon of pain and sorrow. My self torturing cage where I would listen to music and daydream of a day that I would change my life.
That day finally came when I realized that I deserved to live. But after a couple close calls with suicide I decided I had only two inevitable options. Option 1 was to just lay down and end it all. Option 2 was to take the small steps towards climbing out of the deep hole I had fallen into. When it came down to it... I didn't want to give up. I didn't want to die.
I started changing my life one day at time... slowly scratching and climbing out of that hole and as I climbed higher I realized I could start seeing the light ahead and it motivated me to keep going further and further. I found encouragement from loved ones, new friends and new connections all over the world. I started having a better outlook... a more positive attitude and it felt like everyday was getting easier and easier.
The moment I decided to be on MTV's Catfish is when I emerged from the darkest shadows and revealed the world a man who is no longer broken... a man who no longer hides himself and casts a light all across the world. I give myself to the people because I am the people. There is nobody in the world who is immune to life struggles.
I am not even close to finish with my weight loss journey or my mental work but even on the way to my goals I make time to try and support as many people as I can that are going thru the same or similar struggles. I let the world see my pain and suffering in the past... I let the world see my new outlook and life change today in the present... and I'm excited to continue motivating and changing lives (including mine) in the future.
Don't ever hide who you are. Gay, overweight, drug problems, addictions... any kind of problem or lifestyle... please be who you are and let the world figure out if they accept you but it doesn't matter because you decide how happy you want to be. Once you make yourself happy... only then will you truly possess the ability to make others in your life happy.
Let me reveal to you a video containing evidence of my starting point in weight loss and how far I've come. Let it be known that no matter your issue... you can overcome it as well and like I said.. don't ever hide who you were, who you are and who you're going to be. Grab my hand and let's stay out of the shadows together. Much love.
The purpose of this post isn't to boast so much about myself as it is to clear up yet again another confusion amongst the masses. I constantly am asked how I could have lost 200 pounds since my episode and the simple answer to that is that I didn't.
Oh snap! Before you freak out what I mean to say is that it's a common misconception that I lost over 270 pounds since April 2012. Wheewww.. Now I did lose over 270 pounds but it's been in the works for over 3 years. Even before my episode I had started my weight loss journey from 619 pounds and was steadily changing my life style each and every day.
Before I began working out physically I talked with a health coach and began the mental preparation that I believe is necessary to changing your life style and eating habits for the better.
After months of deep emotional thought and getting much needed support from loved ones and family, I slowly started taking even more steps to changing my life.
1st Step: VITAMINS!!! I am a big fan of taking vitamins. Don't just stop at the
one a day pills that are sold at stores.. there are lots of vitamins that are very
significant to the human body. One of the vitamins that I had a huge
deficiency in was Vitamin D. Lacking this can cause you to become
depressed and on top of the fast food, obesity, living in Washington State where the sun never shines, life in general and now a
vitamin deficiency I can see why my head was unclear and full of
suicidal thoughts. I started taking vitamins and noticed a change in my
mood right away! Definitely highly recommended!
2nd Step: I cut out fast food from my diet. I didn't limit myself on what or how much I ate at home but I made sure to not eat fast food anymore. I didn't expect to see drastic results from this crazy tactic but it helped me get out of the habit of depending on fast food restaurants to cook my every meal.
3rd Step: I cut out soda from my diet. Now to others who don't like soda or drink very little... you won't understand but for anyone who was like me... My name is Matt Lowe and I'm a recovering Sodaholic. I drank way too much of it and couldn't ever moderate it. The sugar intake alone should have gave me a diabetic overdose but once I cut soda out I actually started seeing a significant change in my life.
4th Step: I started walking. Keep in mind that I weighed over 600 pounds so as you can see from my episode, even just walking down the stairs was a bit troublesome for me. I started each day with a goal of going just a little further than the last. My first day I walked my dog to go poop right at the bottom of the stairs. I was sweating and exhausted but I went back up the stairs with the goal of going a little further the next day. I continued doing this until I was in mid summer walking over 2 miles a day.
5th Step: Once I felt I was in shape enough, I started doing toning exercises with small weights. Making sure not to push myself too much I did small amounts and worked up to higher weights along the way.
6th Step: With all the other steps in place I finally started counting calories. This is one of the toughest things I've ever done in my life considering I've never really committed to it before. I split my meals up into 6 meals a day but made sure to keep a smaller calorie intake. Obviously I broke myself into the habit by keeping a realistic calorie count for a man of my size but slowly started bringing the daily total of calories down every week.
Things to Remember:
I don't believe there really is a big secret pill or solution to weight loss besides this simple fact: If you burn more calories than you're taking in it only makes sense that you're going to lose weight. It's a lot harder to accomplish that than it sounds but that's the simple fact. Everyone's bodies are different. Some have problems that cause them to gain weight like having a slow metabolism. Certain things must be checked out by a doctor.
Once you go to the doctor and find out that you don't have anything holding you back then it all just depends on your support system and your motivation to change your life. Because ultimately you are the only one who can finally say to yourself, "you know what? I'm tired of living this life, I don't want to die this way and I want to be happier!". So what are you waiting for? Go change yourself for the better right now whether it's weight you're struggling with or anything else... the choice is yours!
Another thing I'd like people to keep in mind is that I was 619 pounds. What it takes to be over 600 pounds is simple... no physical activity, plenty of Xbox hours, lots of unneeded fast food and no will or motivation to live.
Now take a guy like myself who lived that pattern for over his entire life basically and you get a 600 pound man. Now imagine that person is taking steps to change his life and starts working out. You'll see some significant results pretty quickly. There are people who only have around 20 to 50 pounds to lose and want to know an easy way to do it. At that point I would say to stay motivated and continue with those steps. Because I'm just now getting to the point where it's going to be harder to lose weight and it's going to be more about getting into even better shape. Although I lost 270 pounds I was 619 so even after those 270 pounds I'm still considered obese.
Lastly, I think the definite number #1 thing to keep in mind is that I feel is right up there with staying motivated.... please, please, please start thinking more POSITIVELY and less NEGATIVELY! I know how hard it is to not be negative believe me! I was so negative for most of my life which brought me to my predicament. But when I started my weight loss journey I was tired of being depressed, I was tired of being suicidal and I was tired of swimming in thoughts that were so unhealthy, so negatively pointless.
Once you start working on being more positive and trying to look at the brighter side of things... you'll notice that things you want to happen start falling into place. Working on your weight loss and staying positive come hand in hand. You start thinking more positively and continuing to work out you'll see results that keep you positive as well.
We're always going to have major issues and road blocks but that's what other human beings are for. Your friends, family and even someone like me online can support you and lend an ear to your problems. Getting your problems off your chest and assessing your situation so you can positively change it... that's the way to go my friend!
I started a support page on Facebook that I'm trying to get off the ground. I'm only one person and I try my best to support as much people personally as I can but I literally get thousands of messages from across the globe. I wanted to make a support page that would connect others going through any kind of problems. If you'd like to like the support page please do. You can even post on it and introduce yourself or just talk to anyone else about what you have going on!
SUPPORT PAGE: www.facebook.com/FattUnit
So with that, I hope that someone read this entire post and got something out of it! I will leave you with something to brighten up anyone's day!
Since my episode of Catfish aired on MTV the most common subject (besides weight loss) within e-mails or comments is geared towards the host Nev. This doesn't bother me but the misunderstandings of a lot of people is what I'd like to clear up.
Time for some more real... No, I won't give you Nev's phone number. Nope, can't help you get on Catfish. Sorry, I cannot introduce you to Nev. I will definitely not be helping you collect a piece of Nev's magical chest hair. I need it for my secret collection.
I'm willing to go thru these people asking about Nev all the time because the journey was worth it. I'm not complaining about it I'm just hoping this blog might clear some things up.
I can tell you that Nev is a good guy and I'm glad to call him a friend. And yes it is awesome to be in presence and I don't take it for granted.
I think it would be funny if I got a huge group of people to keep e-mailing Nev and asking him about me and trying to get my number and trying to hang out with me. Sounds like a side project to work on :)
Congrats... you are now reading the first entry to The Lowe Show. Eventually I hope to have a late night show that differs from other late shows for the simple fact that I would interview unknown, everyday normal but interesting people. I enjoy the entertainment business and the people within it but I think we need to connect with others in the world who aren't famous and/or rich. It's time to put some REAL in the entertainment industry.
So now that you know what inspired the name of this blog let me give you an update on my life at this moment and time. If you keep up with my social media you'll know that I recently moved to the L.A. area within California state.
One thing people have a misunderstanding of is my current fame/money status. They think because I was on TV for a minute that I'm totally famous and rich. Real answer to that question is that it's more than likely that I have less money than anyone who's reading this. I moved to L.A. with a rigged, falling apart car with empty pockets. I'm currently living in a living room with a blow up mattress that runs out of air in the middle of the night.
What I do have is motivation like no other to continue changing my life for the better and losing weight each day. I have a motivation to change my life for the better financially as well. I'm an open person and not afraid to describe the actual life I'm living. I guess you can call me the first real reality star. I tell it how it is. I can tell you that not everything is as it appears. A lot of people will think I'm living a sweet life of unlimited cash, women and fame but I thought I'd clear it up and label it correctly.
But I will give you this guaranty... the very moment that I reach real fame, fortunes and glory is the moment that I will definitely let everyone know right away!!!
I will leave you with this. I do have a lot of awesome things going on in my life as well. I do feel blessed with getting on Catfish and getting a chance to meet Kim, Nev, Max and the rest of the crew behind the show. I feel blessed to be able to go to awesome movie premieres and to finally put project ideas into motion. As much as I'm going thru emotional doo doo over missing my loved ones from other states... I'm very excited for these opportunities that will come up and with my dedication, motivation and awesomeness how could I NOT make it big? I thank you for starting this journey with me and I'll do my best to keep everyone updated!
