Sometimes negativity can leave you paralyzed. After 30 years of paralysis, I can thank Life Time and the 60-Day Challenge for remobilizing me. For 30 years, I was the largest kid in my family and the fattest amongst my friends. Those closest to me, in jest and most likely, with no ill intentions, would tease me about my obesity. As a husband, father, and a cook/server for a popular local restaurant, I was surrounded by bad food and lifestyle choices. My diet every day consisted of heavy carbs and low protein, and I had no energy to work out. My wife Lana constantly asked me when I was going to lose my belly fat and get in shape. As much as I love and trusted Lana, I ignored her comments because I thought, “She’s always around me; she’s the only one who notices.” Until one day, as I was busy cooking in my restaurant, my boss walked past me, and tapped my large belly that was tightly wrapped in my apron. He chuckled as he walked away, and I said to myself, “Okay, I will show you and my wife what I can do.”

A friend of mine gave me a free pass to Life Time, and after one visit, l had to be a member. The atmosphere and the positivity that I was immediately shown by the training staff that I met were so different from the people closest to me. I first met Clay Johnson and I told him that I would win the 60-Day Challenge. And he said, “Yeah you can, and this is how you do it.” He introduced me to the metabolic specialist, Shifaqat Ali, who explained to me the importance of the met-con I would need to win the challenge. I performed my assessment, and after a week of cardio coaching, I lost 5 lbs. Ali also designed a resistance training program to optimize my fat burning with the cardio programming. I then did a resting assessment with Tia Barclay, who detailed the efficacy of my metabolism, and how to make it better. She first recommended the D.TOX to jump start my metabolism. The D.TOX made me realize the importance of whole foods in my diet and how to make better choices. Suddenly, my energy level increased; I could now work out harder and faster. And after taking the Strength Stack supplement, my workouts felt even more effective. I knew that my everyday life was improving: for instance, getting out of the bed was easier in the morning because my back wasn’t aching as much. But also, I couldn’t wait to get Life Time and see all the people rooting for me day by day. Several weeks went by, and I had lost 33 pounds!! I felt great and wanted to keep the momentum going.

My wife Lana, my boss, and the members/staff at Life Time all started to encourage me to keep going and reach my ultimate goals. Frequent customers at my restaurant couldn’t recognize me and started asking me for advice. Somehow my achievement became a light that drowned out all the dark negativity I felt followed me year after year. In just 5 weeks!!

But then, something happened: a plateau in my progress. I immediately went to Ali to find out how to keep my progress going. He had Tia do a metabolic re-assessments on me, and after a week of following my new cardio and nutrition plans, I was back on track. I also added necessary supplements like Carni-Clear and Whey protein to my diet to help refuel me for my workouts and perform consistently.

After 60 days, I have lost 57 pounds and have reached my goals! For the past 30 years, my clothing was getting bigger and bigger to hide my belly and large waistline. Now my coworkers call me MC Hammer for how large my pants fit me, and I have to wrap my apron strings around 3 times to keep it tight. My confidence has skyrocketed, and I have energy to play with my 6 year old son, Max. All I can think about is that if I spent the next 30 years going the way I did, would I even be around for my child? I know with Life Time’s help, I have a positive outlook for where I will be.

If I only knew it would take me 60 days to get where I would like to have been the last 30 years, Life Time would have been my first stop.