At the beginning of August 2011, my doctor put me on blood pressure medication and suggested that I get gastric bypass. I had a 58" waist, 58" chest and 54" hips. I was dead set against needing to surgically alter my body to lose weight. My best friend had almost died from multiple complications of the surgery so I said no! I had been approached many times to try a weight loss organization called Visalus, but kept refusing until I had no choice but to try it. I lost 56 pounds in my first 90-day challenge and knew I had something to help me get back to being the man and father I had been before I reached 430 pounds.
Each challenge I had tried, I changed my life more and more. Before, I couldn't play with my toddler at my heaviest because doing so got me too winded and tired. Now I run circles around him. The sixth challenge ended May 2013 and was a test of strength for me. This challenge saw me become a Body By Vi Champ.
Today I am 294 pounds with a 51" chest, 40" waist, 43" hips, and a body fat of 15 percent. From the initial weight loss, I continued to build myself until I developed my current physique of being fit and muscular. I have learned the three Cs of life: Choices, Chances, and Changes. You must make a Choice to take a Chance or your life will never Change.
AGE 39 / HEIGHT 6'6" / BODY FAT 45%
AGE 42 / HEIGHT 6'6" / BODY FAT 15%
HOW I ACCOMPLISHED MY GOALS
I set a goal of lifting 1.5 million pounds in 90 Days. Halfway through the challenge, I had crossed the 1 million-pound mark and decided to change the goal to 2 million pounds instead. I also added 400 kilometers of biking for the last 45 days. This whole journey has been about proving to myself that I could reclaim my youth, to be strong like I'd once been in my twenties. I have made many bad decisions in my life that cost me some amazing opportunities, but I was not going to let this happen again.
In my life, I have walked away from a full-ride college football scholarship and blew my knee out in 1996 in the wrestling ring. I have spent years thinking, "What If?" What if I didn't quit? What if I hadn't torn my ACL from the bone on August 16 1996? Where would my athletic ability have taken me? I spent most of my life regretting my decisions and complaining about them.
The decision to try Body By Vi was one of the best I ever made in my life, and I have continued to do so challenge after challenge. This time I was leaving nothing on the table, working like I have never worked before at achieving a goal. Even when I beat the goal of 2 million pounds lifted on day 82, but continued to lift hard until day 90, the real end of The Challenge and the finish line!
COOL FACT
SINCE LOSING WEIGHT AND GETTING BACK IN SHAPE, I WRESTLED PROFESSIONALLY ON OCCASION IN CANADA. I'VE ALSO BEEN IN A BUD LIGHT COMMERCIAL THAT WAS AIRED IN CANADA DURING THE SUPER BOWL.
It's been almost three years since I started this journey, and I have finally accepted that you can't change the past nor can you predict the future. The only thing you can do is set goals, make a plan to achieve them, and live everyday to make the next day a better one for yourself and the people around you.
Do these five things every single day to be successful: Lead yourself every day, add value to the lives of others, study leadership, practice leadership and intentionally grow. I learned this lesson at an event from John C. Maxwell and I will never forget them. I have been applying these five things every day and it shows!
I am currently on my ninth challenge and am cycling 2500 km in 90 Days. I will also be at the gym five days a week, three of which will be with my 15-year-old son to help him bulk up for football season and two with my beautiful girlfriend, who has lost 60 lbs herself!
SUPPLEMENTS THAT HELPED ME THROUGH THE JOURNEY
I used whatever supplements that came through Visalus.
DIET PLAN THAT GUIDED MY TRANSFORMATION
Thank you to Rob Kean of O.G Personal Training in Grand Rapids, Michigan for designing my meal plan. Once every four days, I add 1/2 cup of rice to meals 3, 5, and 6 to bump my carb intake.
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