I really felt for Mike, especially at the beginning of this episode. Poor guy was 28 and had never had a girlfriend, or even a date. On top of that, his living environment certainly wasn't the best. He lived on a street with pretty much his whole Greek family...reminding me of a certain favorite movie starring Nia Vardalos as Toula.
Now, it's not necessarily a bad thing to live by your family, but for Mike it was dangerous. You see, he'd eat lunch at his house, then go to his mom's and eat another meal, to his aunt's for another meal, and...well, you get the idea. He was eating so many meals throughout the day, it's no wonder he wound up at 493 pounds.
That's where Chris came in. Not only did he get Mike to believe in himself, but he also got his family to promise to help...as well as pledge to lose weight themselves in solidarity with Mike. It definitely wasn't easy for Mike to learn to give it his all, but he did get there. I'm sure it helped when Chris enlisted the help of some wrestling divas to motivate him in a variety of ways. And the dating coach/matchmaker Chris found to help Mike out really helped him gain confidence.
Mike started dating, and even though his girlfriend was quite overweight herself she was very supportive and proud of him. (Quite the opposite of Tony's fiancee from a couple of weeks ago!) He competed in and finished a triathlon and worked out with his family. The real Mike came forward with each mile completed and pound lost.
By the end of the year's journey, Mike lost 255 pounds and weighed 238. He and his girlfriend broke up but are still friends supporting each other. Mike is speaking at corporate events and motivating other people to live their best lives. He is also much more confident talking to women now - so watch out world!
And Mike's family? They lost over 400 pounds as a group during his year of transformation. Sounds like the whole family is much healthier and even closer than before. Their journeys are only beginning. Opa!!!
