I lost 47 pounds in 6 months from eating my own dog food (and some salad)
Hi, I’m Derek, co-founder of Vima Fitness. I’ve been making fitness software for last 6 years or so, and Vima for the last 18 months or so. Unfortunately, over the last few years I spent a lot more time sitting at my desk making the software than finding the time to actually use it. I suspect lots of entrepreneurs can sympathize.
At the beginning of this year my asthma started acting up again. I’ve had it since I was a kid, but it had mostly been under control for the last several years. I didn’t necessarily know if losing weight would help, but I figured it couldn’t hurt. My wife and I were also getting ready to have our first child, so it gave me yet another reason to want to be healthier.
I started using MyFitnessPal to track my calories, and I started biking with our biking app. By April I had lost 10–12 pounds. Not bad, but not too crazy. Around that time, I hit my 4 year anniversary of going out on my own. We decided to change our strategy a bit, and put 100% of our focus behind Vima.
I started by reaching out to as many runners as I could. The running version of our app is the most popular, so I thought I’d start there. We were looking for feedback as to which features are the most popular for runners. Tell me what is your favorite feature of your current running app?
We got a lot of great feedback, but some of the best feedback I got was this: Start running, use your app, and you’ll see what’s missing and what features you’d like to use yourself. (Don’t get me wrong, I know that you can’t JUST make software for yourself, but it also does make sense to use what you make).
So I started running. Did I mention I have asthma? I hated running. The first time I went out, my lungs were absolutely burning after less than a quarter mile. I kept at it though. I started to realize that I didn’t have to just run 100% of the time, certainly not since I hadn’t really run since playing sports in college. A little warm up helps a lot, and it’s ok to walk some to catch my breath.
Since then, I’ve been running 3–5 times a week. I ran 5 miles last week for the first time, and I also broke 30 minutes for 5k for the first time. I look better, I feel better, and, shockingly, I actually sort of enjoy running now. It makes me feel good, and I’m in the best shape I’ve been in since college.
As a side bonus, it has also made our apps better. I’ve found some small things that annoyed me, and it’s helped guide me on a few new features I want for myself. Now instead of just being a biker (how I got started making fitness apps in the first place) I also run. I think next summer I’m going to attempt a sprint triathlon, something I can’t believe I’m saying myself.
I know, it’s pretty shocking. Eating better and running all the time helps you lose weight. Who knew? Really though, I can’t believe the improvements I’ve made in such a short amount of time. My original goal when I started was getting to 180 lbs, and I wasn’t sure it was going to be possible. Running has helped me blow well past that, and now I have a new goal. Being able to see my abs. Currently I have about 2 of a 6 pack :-)
This summer has been a great learning experience for me both personally and professionally. I’ve improved my overall health and fitness levels tremendously, though I still have a ways to go. We’ve also improved our apps quite a bit. They also still have a ways to go until we reach our goals, but they are getting great reviews and growing steadily. We recently hit half a million workouts tracked with that number growing each day.
Derek Clark is a founder of Vima Fitness. You can check out Vima Run, Vima Bike, and Vima Walk on the App Store.
