Portage High School head girls basketball coach and physical education teacher Chris Seibert has made a big decision that has nothing to do with his starting lineup, his defensive schemes or what plays he wants to run on offense. Seibert made a conscious decision to change his eating habits and overall health. Since Aug.12, Seibert has lost 107 pounds.
Last May Seibert ruptured his Achilles tendon playing basketball, which motivated him to change his health, eating habits and weight.
“That was the final straw for me, when I could no longer do one of the things that I really enjoy which was playing basketball,” he said. “It shouldn’t have taken that, but that was kind of the motivating factor that got me to this point.”
Seibert had surgery to repair his Achilles tendon and spent most of the summer in the gym in a cast that was up to his knee. After recovering from the injury, Seibert wasted no time in tracking down a nutritionist.
Each week, he travels to the Mayo Clinic in Plymouth, Ind. to see Lisa Mae-Colvin. She gives Seibert a different diet each week that specifically lays out the time he needs to eat and the exact ingredients that go into the food.
“It’s been very successful, and I also feel that it’s been a lifestyle change,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot about nutrition and about dieting.”
When asked for his advice to others that may be considering a diet, Seibert said that is doesn’t have to be a wholesale change.
“There are little things that you can do as far as the times you eat, simple choices where you can still enjoy food and you can still enjoy your life,” he said.
In addition to having more energy and feeling better, Seibert said that he has been able to become a role model for his daughter and his team.
“It just shows them that if you put your mind to something and you focus on something, then it can be accomplished,” he said. “It’s been a positive thing in all aspects.”
Seibert’s competitive nature motivates him to meet his goal each week.
“I go in every week and I weigh in and each week I have a goal that I try to get,” he said. “If you challenge yourself, I think that’s a major step in the process.”
Seibert said he still has “a little ways to go,” but his main focus is on keeping the 107 pounds off.
“With diets, it’s easy to take the weight off and put it back on,” he said. “I feel that it’s more of a lifestyle change. I feel that I have a better path and a better plan of how to attack and how to balance it out once I do stop going to her.”