interview
Big Daddy Weave: Lose 90 in '09
By Jewel Graham
The 700 Club
Mike Weaver directs thousands of people in worship all across the country as lead singer for Big Daddy Weave. But backstage, Mike wrestles with obesity.
“You know, being a fat guy in front of people is the last place you ever want to be,” Mike said. “For my entire life I’ve struggled with being overweight. I’ve tried almost every diet you can think of. It always ends up with me going back to my same old ways; maybe putting on more weight than I lost in the first place.”
“But on the inside, even longer than it’s been a physical problem, I think it’s been a spiritual problem, not feeling like I was enough and feeling like I would never be enough,” he said. “I would make fun of myself before somebody else had the chance to say something, or me even believe that they were thinking something about me. It became this shield from the outside; also was a cage and it’s kept me locked in years and years of my life.”
With the recent birth of his second son, Mike had a reality check.
“The conviction of God on my heart to be a better steward of this temple that He’s given me,” Mike said made him want to change. “But also, I want to be around to see my little boys grow up. I want to be around to see what retirement looks like with my wife.”
Mike decided he had to lose weight: 90 pounds in 2009, to be exact; and he’s even invited you to join him on the journey.
“Instead of coming out at the end of all this and talk about what God has done,” Mike said. “What if we just followed the entire journey and show people it’s not just about the end result, but God is so interested in the entire process. He’s not just interested in what you look like in the end. He’s interested in taking you there himself. So that’s what 90 in 09 was birthed out of, and that’s what this is all about - is the journey there on the inside, maybe even more importantly than the outside.”
Mike’s strategy is three-fold: first, the diet.
“Chemically, he started the anti-inflammatory diet,” Dr. Asa said. “He started taking nutritional supplements; it’s a good whole food multivitamin, digestive enzymes which help break down the food that we eat every single day. The cod liver oil is the third thing, and then probiotics. I’m a huge fan of the probiotics because of the good bacteria - putting that back in your digestive tract.”
Dr. Asa encourages everyone to drink half their weight in ounces of water daily. That water also pays off in the weight room, which is the second part of Mike’s training.
“Man! In the gym, the first time I worked out with Scottie Reall; I said to him and my wife and to anybody who would listen, ‘look, if what he just did to me is working out, I have never worked out a day in my life,’” Mike said. “I was so terrified to get in the gym. When I walked in there, there are all these people who are so fit - they are like the picture of health. And here I come and he gives me the bar and I’m like, ‘I don’t think I can do it.’ And he gives me a smaller bar. I was just so embarrassed. But, because he was there with me, when I was getting tired, he spots me to just get you through those routines.”
Mike’s in the gym with his trainer, Scottie, three to five times a week for cardiovascular and strength training exercises. Scottie’s dad, Scott, is in charge of the final, and most important part of Mike’s plan - the spiritual aspect.
“He is doing fantastic because he’s really addressing where that stuff is being triggered from and where it’s coming from; and he’s starting to see healing,” Scott said. “My favorite part of Journey to Freedom is they’re going to write a very descriptive vision statement of what they will be like when God brings about this transformation and change. We wanted Mike to have this change sustained 10 years from now. He still wants to be living that out.”
One month into his program, Mike has already lost 30 pounds! Take the challenge along with Mike. Mike blogs about his journey, the good and the bad, daily at 90in09.com.
“I see him being an encouragement to other people because we all look at the outside and it’s so much about what happened on the inside with Mike,” Dr. Asa said. “We’re all going to be able to see that; but Mike is going to be living in the divine health that God intended him to have.”
So where is Mike Weaver now? Check out our June update.
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