Brendan came to me in December. He described himself as “the fat guy”. He was leading a rather unhealthy lifestyle with unhealthy behaviours. Brendan was spending $12,000 per year eating out at restaurants. As a the owner of Golden Rule Roofing, he spends much of his time sitting in his truck driving to job sites and meeting with clients. Brendan’s nightly routine consisted of driving four blocks to 7-11 for $20-worth of candy, which he would consume while watching TV in one sitting. Brendan is 5’ 10” and weighed 276 lbs in December. He was lethargic and slow with pain in his knee at the ripe old age of 31.
Brendan is an avid kiteboarder and loves to ride his mountain bike. Because of his size, he needed to have his bike custom made to stand his weight. His kiteboarding harness required two grown men to help him buckle in. He says he was the fattest guy on the beach. However, he was highly motivated to lose the weight and willing to do whatever it took to be a great kiteboarder.
After listening to Brendan talk in our initial assessment session, about where he is, where he wants to go and how he wants to get there, I realized that Brendan talked a lot about all the sports he used to play as a kid, including the biking and the kiteboarding he currently loves. He missed who he used to be. Brendan wanted to be an athlete … again. : ) I said it sounds like you see yourself as an athlete. From that moment on, Brendan’s whole attitude, behaviour, and lifestyle shifted.
Brendan made some lifestyle changes and some nasty habits. First, he no longer goes to 7-11 for anything, let alone candy. Second, he has only had restaurant food a few times (to my knowledge!) and they were good choices. He started eating regular, healthy meals, 5 – 6 times/day, increased his hydration, and started moving his body.
After a full set of assessments, Brendan began his training program. He has been training hard in my studio, 3x/week for 1 hour. His program is designed to meet his sport specific goals to lose weight and build strength so he can excel at kite boarding and mt. biking.
Between our training sessions, Brendan spends many hours swimming at the pool with his “boy”, walking and riding his new elliptical machine. He is looking forward to some warmer weather so that he can get back on his custom made bike, riding trails in the valley.
As of February 2014, Brendan was down 36 lbs and 18 3/4 inches! His goal is to get down to 200 lbs by July 1st.
Here’s what Brendan says:
“At just halfway though my goal of 200 lbs by July 1st, I feel amazing. I look forward to my sessions, instead of dreading it. Every day my energy increases. I can run farther, jump higher, move faster and go longer. I see the results of my efforts every day. My knee is almost completely free of pain. I am mountain biking again and can’t wait to see how high I can jump while kiteboarding. I push harder every day, constantly adjusting with Nancy making slight changes and working with my diet. Since December 16, I have been free of fast food, pop and candy. My portions are right on and my water is where is should be. Oh what a difference the water makes. Now the race is on. I want to be back to that athletic person I was at 18 yrs old. I’ll get there sooner than our July 1st target, and every day it gets more exciting to see that scale, more exciting to dance during my work out, to push into the wall and push past it.”
Brendan is well on his way! I am so proud of him and can’t wait to hear how much stronger he feels the next time he goes out kiteboarding!
Go Brendan!