Mike D.'s Story

Blog buddy Mike D., a personal trainer, has a unique insight into the universal struggle with staying healthy and fit.

Once overweight himself, he is now a personal trainer (click HERE for his website)! He emailed weightisenough@helloross.com to share his story with all of YOU!

"My Story:

The reason I got into personal training is because I’ve struggled with weight for a good portion of my life. As a kid, I played ice hockey and stayed active but was still overweight. It wasn’t until my freshman year in high school that I truly got fit and lost the weight. The reason: I had to. In order to make the hockey team that year, my coach sat me down and told me that my weight was hindering my ability to play to my full potential. He told me that I had to lose 20lbs over the summer – before the season started – in order to make the team and play the upcoming season. Long story short, I lost the weight and kept it off…until I “retired” from playing hockey at the end of my junior year in high school. I stopped playing ice hockey, I stopped working out, I stopped eating right and within a few months I put back on 40lbs.

It was my senior year in high school, the year that’s supposed to be the most memorable, and I was the heaviest I had ever been. It was disheartening and I wasn’t happy with what I saw in the mirror. I saw and felt what it was like to be fit, and within a few months I had let it all go. So in December of my senior year in high school I made it my goal to lose the 40lbs by graduation. Through diet and exercise, by prom and graduation, I met my goal and dropped all the weight I had put back on. Since high school I’ve managed to keep the weight off.

So that’s how I got into personal training. I naturally gravitated towards it. I always knew I wanted to do something in the health field because I had always been active and really saw – and more importantly, felt – the benefits it had on the body and mind. So, when I entered college I declared Kinesiology (the study and art of human movement) as my major because I really wanted to be educated and understand how the body works and the science behind it. Then during college I got my personal training certification and have used my education to really hone my practice as a personal trainer.

Observations

There are three main observations I’ve made about people’s weight loss struggles:

• Expecting too much: when people set off on a new fitness routine they tend to expect too much and are disappointed if their progress doesn’t reflect their expectations. People should embrace their progress no matter how small or big. Whether you lose 1-lb a week or 10-lbs a month, embrace that change and be conscious of your progress.
• Over working your body: people tend to do way too much when they first set out to lose weight or start a fitness program. They severely restrict their calories and start going to the gym everyday and work themselves too hard. This will lead to burn out. The goal is sustainable weight loss, not rapid weight loss. People who set out to lose a lot of weight at once are more likely to gain it back than those who do it gradually over time. Start by setting short-term and long-term goals and make smaller changes to your diet and exercise program, gradually progressing to bigger changes and more challenging workout routines.
• Diet: people do not realize the importance of diet. Nothing can correct a poor diet, no matter how much exercise you do. Start by keeping a diet log and write down everything you eat and drink – include calories when possible. This will make you more aware of what you are actually putting into your body. From there you will be able to see what you can change, take out and/or add in to make your diet more well rounded and suited for your weight loss goals. Remember, what you eat in private shows in public."

Everyone say, "Thanks, Mike D.!" and click HERE for his website!

Also share YOUR thoughts on what he shared in our COMMENT SECTION and share YOUR thoughts by emailing weightisenough@helloross.com!

:)

Ross