Cruising down the bustling Croatan Highway that stretches along the Outer Banks, you are guaranteed to see an assortment of displays that catch your eye. From storefronts, to milepost markers, and advertisem*nts in between, there is no lack of visual stimulation.
One sight you might have witnessed recently is a collection of characters that make up the sentence, “MATT POZ LOST 100LBS HERE!” underneath the marquee of the Outer Banks Sports Club, a local gymnasium praised for its surmountable success stories.
Local man Matthew Poznanski can attest, as he is one of them.
Born in Texas and relocating with his family to the Outer Banks when he was a child, 28-year-old Matthew Poznanski, who also goes by “Matt,” opened up to OBX Today about his flourishing weight-loss journey and the storyline for success that unfolded once he was introduced to a close-knit community that spans the barrier islands.
Matthew says his journey began as a child in which he described himself as a “bigger kid.”
“Growing up, I was picked on pretty hard. I kind of turned to food as a comfort and over time it developed into something I lost control over,” he explained. As his age progressed, so did the desire to make a physical and mental change. Starting to frequent the gym, he continually sought to shed the pounds for a number of years, but would fall out of the rhythm shortly after he began.
It wasn’t until Matthew experienced a domino effect of major milestones in his late-twenties that he began to take on a new perspective towards life.
“My brother recently had a baby and my sister just got married, so I started thinking aboutall these things that are going on in my life. I’m like, ‘I really should do something about it because if I don’t, I won’t be around for my nephew and family.'”
There are times in one’s life when an unsuspecting soul enters at a point when they are needed the most. A miracle in corporeal form. That soul came in the form of Outer Banks Sports Club owner and operator Manny Golasa, who approached Poznanski during a visit to the barbershop not shortly after the epiphany.
“I was waiting to get my hair cut and he came up to me and introduced himself. He goes, “You remind me of a friend of mine.” The two quickly struck up a rapport. “He’s from New York, all my family’s from New York. You know, we just clicked.” Proceeding to inform Matthew that he was the owner of the Outer Banks Sports Club, Manny went on to offer the young man a membership which he obligingly accepted. Pushing hard for a solid two-months, Matthew began to see results, but with an aforementioned tendency to lose the motivation, he would put his goal on hiatus until September 2023.
Insistent that he still needed to make a full transformation, Matthew returned to the gym briefly for a couple of months, but would subsequently enter a weight-loss facility when he became concerned about his contrasting diet.
“While I was there, I learned a lot of stuff about nutrition and exercising. Things I had not known before. I was also able to dive deep into the mental side of it and really attack the things I thought I had already taken care of. And it turns out I didn’t.”
Returning home in March 2024 with a newfound fuel added to the fire, his transformation really began to take hold as he continued his progress at the Outer Banks Sports Club. When asked why he prefers the local spot as opposed to more mainstream franchises, Matthew did not hesitate to explain his preference.
“It is pretty intimidating at first, but the more I went, the more I realized how close of a community it is in there. Everybody in the Sports Club is super encouraging, everyone always has advice to offer, and I’ve made some good friends. You go there and it’s like a home.”
As Matthew continues to push the threshold each and every day, he tells OBX Today that he is indebted to his stellar support system consisting of a variety of individuals inside and outside of the gym.
“I have encouragement from pretty much everyone that’s closest to me; my mom, dad, siblings, friends of mine…” One particular supporter mentioned by name was Cason,the young and impressionable son of a friend. “They all motivate me to be better for them because I don’t want to leave them too early.”
As of August 2024, Matthew Poznanski has lost over 125 pounds and he is still going. His biggest takeaways from his journey so far? Don’tbeat yourself up over mistakes.
“I’m not perfect, and nobody’s perfect. I eat a cheeseburger every once in a while, and the biggest thing for me is not beating myself up. I just tell myself to make the next decision right. I think more than anything this has helped me.”
In addition, Matthew celebrates each and every success and non-scale victory along the way, no matter how big or small. “When I was 628 pounds, I couldn’t put on socks. It was those little things you don’t think about doing in day-to-day life that you take for granted,” he tells readers. “Things like walking up the stairs without taking a breath, or being able to jog a mile. Those are starting to slowly come back, and they’re huge.”
Continuing to lose the amount of weight that he is, Poznanski’s attention has been brought to the idea of procedures such as skin-removal surgeries, but is hesitant and wants to continue down a natural path — “Diet, exercise, and a strong mind.”
For those just starting off in their fitness journey, Matthew obligingly offers the following pointers: Surround yourself with individuals that will hold you accountable; not those that will make you fail, have people that will push you when you don’t want to go to the gym; no matter how difficult it may be to hear, prepare to make sacrifices for things that aren’t beneficial, and overall, be kind to yourself. Love yourself.
Thus far, Poznanski reflects on the duration of his journey proudly and is eager to tackle a new list of achievements and goals. “Short-term, I’d like to get under five-hundred pounds. I’m only three away, so I’m pretty close. Long-term, if you’ve driven past the Sports Club, you’ll see the sign that says “MATT POZ LOST 100LBS HERE!” I want to see a ‘2’ on that sign next.”
To stay up-to-date on Matthew’s journey, follow his motivational platform via Instagram at @visiondrivenfitness.
