Meet One of SparkPeople's Best Problem-Solvers!

By , Interview with SparkPeople's Jeff Rezer (MRRERE)
Editor's Note: By popular demand, our Behind the Scenes at SparkPeople feature has returned.

Name: Jeff Rezer (MRRERE)

Position at SparkPeople: Ad Operations

Age: 42

Family: Wife Sarah, son Ethan (6), two adopted ex-racer greyhounds
 
How long have you worked for SparkPeople? 1 year

Tell us your proudest accomplishment at SparkPeople or a fun fact about your job: As part of the Ad Operations team, I often get a chance to interact directly with SparkPeople members who might be experiencing problems with the website. When I’m able to help them solve their particular issue, whatever it might be, it really makes my day!

How do you stay in shape? Lots of treadmill – and I like to get out and take walks with my son when I can. When the weather’s nasty, I use my Wii Fit Plus in our basement…

What's your favorite food? There are so many things I like, so this is a hard one… but I guess it’s probably fresh seafood since I don’t get a chance to have it all that often now that I’m not living on the East Coast.

What's your favorite indulgence? Honestly, I’d have to say it’s craft beer. But everything in moderation!

How do you feel when you exercise? Exercising is really hard for me to work into my daily routine, but I ALWAYS feel better once I do. It’s great knowing that there are so many of us on a similar journey, and often times that helps give me the motivation to keep going.

What do you do to de-stress? I love music, so when I’ve having a particularly stressful day, I’ll often pop on a pair of headphones and start up either Spotify or iTunes and look for something to rock out to.

What is your passion in life? I guess I would say that above all else I enjoy serving others. I love helping people – whether it’s a simple task at work, doing something to lighten someone else’s load, or helping someone in need.

How has working at SparkPeople affected your life? I really believe that SparkPeople helped to re-ground me and motivate me to make a lifestyle change. I’ve almost completely eliminated drinking soda and late night snacking, I’m working out regularly, and overall I just have more energy to devote the things that really matter, mainly my family.

Have you gained or lost weight since starting here? Lost – about 15 pounds! A lot more to go, but I know I’ll get there!

Have you started any new habits? I started working out regularly, and I now am taking weekly walks with the family. I never used to eat a regular breakfast either, but now that’s something I do every single day.

What's your favorite breakfast cereal? Just one? I love any kind of granola-ish cereal. And Raisin Bran. And Golden Grahams… and…

What did you eat for dinner last night? Apple/Chipotle marinated chicken breast, roasted acorn squash and peas! Delish!

Do you have any hidden talents? I play piano and sing. And I can say the alphabet backwards REALLY fast. True story.

What are some of your goals? Healthwise, I’d love to get back to my college weight within the next year or so. I’d really like to start songwriting again (it’s been about 10 years), and I also want to travel and take my wife to Europe.

What's your favorite SparkPeople feature?
I really think there’s a ton of great stuff on the site, but I particularly like the ''eat smarter'' kinds of features, like the Dining Out Guide that helps you make smarter choices when eating away from home, and the tips/tricks articles for things like reducing sugar intake and getting more fruits and veggies into your diet.

What do you like best about working at SparkPeople? I love the company’s mission, and the fact that everyone here really does ''walk the walk.'' Everybody’s super nice and I was welcomed into the SparkPeople family with open arms.

Is there anything else readers should know about you? I’ve lost A LOT of weight twice (70-90 pounds each time), but wasn’t able to keep it off because I went about it the wrong way with fad diets and little to no exercise. I really feel confident that I can do it for the LAST time this time because I’m learning new habits and am going about doing it the right way.

Would you like to see more "behind the scenes at SparkPeople" interviews? What questions do you have for Jeff?