A little over a year ago, my Endocrinologist told me “you’re slowly killing yourself”. Still, I made virtually no improvements in my overall health, diet, and type 1 diabetes management.  High blood pressure, high cholesterol, high A1C levels despite 200+ units of insulin daily were the 25-year norm. Then, in early spring 2017, my youngest daughter was looking for a basketball gym before heading off to college in the fall.  She had really liked Life Time after attending as a guest a few times.  In April, we took the leap and joined the Woodbury, MN club.

I had a chance to schedule an orientation with Jason Gilbert. Fitness center orientations are like the Olympic sports for me… once every four years and then very little interest after that.  I even passed out at one orientation years ago.  That said, Jason gave me a really solid foundation for warm-up, workout, and wind down as a 45-minute plan.  The refresher on techniques and pacing is always helpful.  We were also discussing the heart of the matter – self-motivation – precisely when a fellow “Woodbury Sports dad”, Marc, stopped by to say “hi”.  I hadn’t chatted with Marc for about a year… and now there was about 100 pounds less of him with Life Time at the center of his story.

Timing was right – prior to a July trip to Hawaii – to try the May/June 60day where the nature of competition had an impact on my diet. I worked out at LT, but was too intimidated to try any training classes after weighing in at 302 lbs. After a 10% weight loss, I was ready for more with a second 60day beginning in mid-Aug. This time, I was encouraged by Holly as our 60day leader to try the TEAM Burn class, and my trainer Aaron was instrumental in aligning my cardio, fitness, and nutrition. A 12% weight loss resulted.

I’ve had a few “dieting success stories” over the decades, but they never stuck as I fell back into unhealthy habits. The winter holiday season objective was to maintain good habits…working out, eating healthy, sufficient sleep, time for family. This time, Holly nudged me into TEAM Boot Camp, and I stayed on the wagon heading into the Feb 10 – Apr 7 60day.

In addition to TEAM Boot Camp, I took advantage of all 60day “Try It” sessions on either Tue or Sat, attending Life Time Woodbury on 52 days of the Feb/Mar 60day. I focused on individual and family meal planning and prep on Sundays trying several 60day recipes along the way (Cilantro Lime Chicken as a repeated favorite). A variety of Sunday egg bakes became daily breakfasts. My TEAM Boot Camp trainer Anna recommended a low sodium, water-only regimen for the final week. I had cut out diet soda for the 60day, but now my iced teas and its caffeine were out the door. Losing 45 pounds with over a 20% reduction in body fat % resulted.

I hit had a weight I hadn’t experienced since college over 35 years ago, but thought one more 60day could result in a couple of cool goals… losing over 100 pounds and dipping to a “high school” weight of under 200 lbs. The May/Jun 60day included the added bonus of my youngest daughter, Cecile, joining both TEAM Boot Camp [myself with LeAnn, Cecile with Greg] and the 60day.

The past formula was working slowly, but effectively, and our 60day club leader in Woodbury, LeAnn, spearheaded much participation in the Try It Tuesdays / Saturdays with the introduction of the punch card. However, a family trip to New York City in June was carb loaded [and worth it].  Fortunately, there was plenty of walking and biking to keep the carb damage to a minimum. During the past few months, my new look has drawn reaction from many friends, but a Cedar Point hotel check-in was highlighted by the young guest host looking down at my driver’s license, back up at me, down again at the license, before uttering, “What did you do”?

Both my daughter and I hit the final 10 days of this most recent 60day hard… TEAM Boot Camp, multiple workouts per day, low sodium / high water / some fasting. In the end, I weighed in at 190.4 lbs… 28 pounds lost in this 60day… 112 pounds lost from the start of my first 60day in May/Jun 2017. I am currently off all medication for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. I intend to continue at Life Time and improve my muscle mass / Body Fat % while maintaining a weight around 200 lbs.