Jay J.
Laguna Niguel, CA
On February 9, 2019, I wasn’t where I needed to be, either physically or mentally, and I knew it.
I had let myself go in recent years and while I had tried to commit to losing weight, getting fit, and living a healthy life, I had failed repeatedly to lose the 50 (!!!) extra pounds I was lugging around and get in shape.
My Life Time trainer, Melissa Griffin, who like me was definitely frustrated with my lack of weight loss progress in the year I had been training with her, suggested in January that I join the upcoming 60-Day Challenge at Life Time. I knew I needed to do SOMETHING – for myself, my wife, and my kids, as I was slowly fiddling away my health and my life – and maybe, just maybe I thought, the 60-Day Challenge would be the catalyst for the change that I needed.
Armed with a mantra that I picked up from a story I had read of an Atlanta police officer who had lost 100 pounds and successfully kept it off to lead a new, healthier life – “Find your why, stick to it, and grind it out!” – and an admittedly aggressive goal of losing 25 pounds over the 60 days, I signed up for the Challenge.
Supported by my family (they could hardly stand to see me fail again!), I created a comprehensive plan of attack covering nutrition, exercise, and sleep. I first committed to an intermittent-fasting keto diet, with the aid of Bulletproof Coffee in the morning, while importantly cutting out all alcohol, sweets, and artificial sweeteners. It took just a matter of days – no exaggeration – for me to begin to feel the results and boy, they felt great. Simultaneously, I hit the gym at Life Time.
I did strength training twice a week with Melissa as my personal trainer, plus banged out four other strength training sessions on my own each week. I mixed in cardio sessions four days per week (per my metabolic training assessment I received at Life Time), plus made sure to walk 1-2 miles every single day. Somewhat surprisingly to me, walking has been key in my program, not just for my body but also my mind – don’t underestimate it!
With my nutrition and exercise plans hitting on all cylinders, better sleep was a natural result and it certainly delivered for me. I cannot remember when I have felt this good physically, plus the mental benefits have been immeasurable.
There was only one problem in the plan – as the weeks passed and the end of the Challenge came nearer, I looked at the calendar and realized we were leaving on a family vacation to Central America for the entire week prior to the final 60-Day Challenge weigh-in. I was going to miss the ‘after’ weigh-in! Or put another way, I was going to have to post my final results ONE WEEK EARLY. Oops! I didn’t panic though and I didn’t do anything crazy to mess with my new routine. I simply stuck to it, more determined than ever to grind it out to DOWN 25.
I did my final weigh-in on Saturday, March 30th. Sure enough, DOWN 25.7 POUNDS! And 25.0 of the 25.7 pounds of weight loss were fat! 60-Day Challenge goal achieved!
I continued with my plan while on vacation (down 2.5 more pounds this past week, but not counted in the official Challenge numbers) and my program has delivered such great results, both physically and mentally, that I have no doubt I will be able to stay on a healthy course. I still have lots of work to do, since as of today I still have 22 pounds to lose to achieve my target weight.
I am 100% committed though to continuing my training at Life Time and at home, eating a healthy diet, sleeping well, and maintaining balance in my life.
I cannot thank my wife and kids, my trainer, and Life Time enough for supporting me during the 60-Day Challenge and helping me get results and chart a healthy new course for the rest of my life!