Dejan B.
Dublin, OH
I decided to join Life Time’s 60 Day program because I not only wanted to get back into shape but also wanted to redefine my values and follow an ambition to become a better person. As a soon-to-be father, 60 Day was my opportunity to make improvements in my own life so that I can be active and engaged in my child’s.
Growing up I always considered myself to be an athlete. Even into adulthood running and playing soccer provided a stress relief and was a fun social pastime. At 185 pounds I was happy, healthy, and full of life. But in February of 2017, after a knee injury in which I tore my ACL and lateral meniscus, I began to decline. When I realized the injury was more serious, i felt defeated. But despite my injury, I continued to run and workout. I was convinced I would still be able to maintain my physical health and sought to defy any physical limitations I faced because of my knee. I even ran 2 half marathons! But by October, I realized that it was time to address my knee and decided to undergo surgery. I felt like i always had limitations and I realize that I couldn’t continue my life like this.
Although the surgery provided me another opportunity to reestablish my physical health and get back to the athletics that I love, I was still finding it mentally difficult to motivate myself. I had gained 43 pounds and was becoming depressed.
At the beginning of this year I found out that my girlfriend is pregnant and that I will soon become a father. We were both so excited at the news! And as I began to think about our future and the wellbeing of our child I recognized that this was another chance to turn my life around and to be the best role model that I can be. I decided that now was the time to restore the athletic and healthy individual I once was. I needed to bring the energy and joy back into my life so that I could share that with my new family.
I set 2 goals for myself during 60 Day, one of which was realistic and the other of which was dreaming big. Realistically, I wanted to lose 25 pounds. But I recognized that setting your goal to a level that is achievable will keep you more motivated than an unrealistic dream. So, I established a higher reaching goal of losing 30 pounds and getting down to 14% body fat percentage.
I started where all weight loss journeys begin: in the kitchen. I immediately began dieting and scheduled a session with Curt Harper to develop a workout plan that would help me to reach my goals. Within a few days I began to notice how much happier, healthier, and motivated I felt to make these goals a reality. I worked hard, ate healthy, and kept my end goal in sight. I felt a sense of pride as I started shedding pounds and gaining strength.
One thing I struggled with was refraining from eating sweets. But every time I found myself craving something outside of my diet, I looked at myself in the mirror and remembered what all of this was for. I knew that cheating on my diet wouldn’t influence the kind of progress I desired, so I stuck to my plan and maintained determination to continue changing for the better.
I am proud to say that I not only achieved my realistic goal of losing 25 pounds. To know that I was able to find success like this feels like I won the Lottery :) My future child was the motivation I needed to establish a healthy routine and take care of my body so that I can take care of them. 60 Day provided all the tools I needed to achieve that goal. I’m a strong believer that when you live a healthy way of life you will become a better person and create more success and joy in life. That is the kind of person, and the kind of father, I want to be.