Food
is Fuel
A Journey
Through Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Diabetes and Lifestyle Change
How do I
describe the changes that training with Debbie Portell has brought to my
life?
Before I
began training with Debbie, I was absolutely confident that my progress with
weight training and weight loss would not be a problem. But Debbie brought up a new word in my life:
nutrition.
We wanted to get rid of the
headaches and get my diabetes under control.
I will go into great detail on how we took my A1C count from 11.2 to
5.2, and how I went from 275lbs. to my current weight of 185-190lbs. I have the type of personality that if I’m
interested in something and motivated by it, I will give it my all. I was eager and determined to get myself in
the best shape of my life. I had ideas
about certain parts of my diet, but I needed guidance in getting the exact
results that I wanted.
My first
meeting with Debbie was in March of 2012.
Debbie’s approach was enlightening because I was going to be looking at
my overall health picture – not just building muscle and working out. She explained that the hard work we’d be
putting in on weights and cardio would be matched with the same intensity
towards my diet. We had meetings
strictly about nutrition and how my food would affect my overall gains in every
other aspect. Debbie had me determine my
goals. She has never lost sight of these.
One of the many amazing things about
Debbie is her attention to detail during my workouts; this is something I could
not do on my own. She pays close
attention to my form to avoid injury and the exercises are very hard and specific
in helping me achieve my goals. Believe
it or not, everything about my workout is fun, and I love it (except for leg
day).
With
Debbie’s help, these blogs will become more technical concerning what I eat and
how I exercise. Right now I’m trying to
explain where I was, where I’m at, and where I’m going. Eliminate the word diet from your vocabulary. You’re not going on a diet. You’re going to change your lifestyle. You’ve got to get a handle on why you eat the
poor foods that you do. You have to
admit to yourself that you need help…like I did. I did this so that I wouldn’t fall back into my
old patterns. I did this because I was
trying to save my life.
Are you
ready for change? Here are some things
to think about:
- There is no need to set
yourself up for failure by going around and telling everyone “I’m on a
diet.”
- Tell yourself that you are
going to make these changes. It’s
about you. It’s ok to take the time
to invest in yourself, and to start feeling better.
- Stay humble. You could be around people who are
struggling with the same issues as you and they will try to bring you back
down into a place you are exiting.
Some people don’t want to see you succeed, they will tell you “oh
just have that donut…it’s not going to hurt you…” don’t let them drag you
back down into their way of thinking and into your old patterns. Your new way of thinking needs to be “I
would rather go sling a f#@king kettle bell or battle ropes than put
unhealthy food in my body again.”
- Every week, try to eliminate a
bad habit out of your life. The
world is full of a lot of temptations; gas stations being one…we all have
to go there. Think about what they
sell besides gas…cigarettes, alcohol, candy, soda, horrible food under
lamps. From now on, only go there
for gas – eliminate everything else they sell that is bad for you. Watch how your will power and your
health will start to improve.
Food for
thought: Your biggest opponent is the
one in the mirror.
Rich Wood
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