Rich Wood 6

Food is Fuel

A Journey Through Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Diabetes and Lifestyle Change

Fitness, Power, Money and Fear

Is there something that you fear that is keeping you from taking the first steps toward getting healthy?  Are you afraid that you’re not going to be able to do the workouts?  Are you embarrassed that people might stare at you in the gym?  Are you worried that you’re too out of shape and hiding from the fact that you really are?  To solve these problems, go to a gym and speak to a personal trainer.  Do not be afraid.  It took me a little while to get the courage to do this.  I had all of these same fears.  I overcame these fears by knowing that my health needed to become a priority in my life and speaking to a professional would help me.  Once you are involved and starting your workouts, I promise you – you will not even notice anyone else in the gym.  

If you are afraid to go into the gym by yourself because you don’t know how to work the machines or don’t know where to start with your workouts – schedule a session with a trainer and all of that stress will be alleviated.  They’re going to do the thinking for you – you have to do the work.  The power of the human mind is amazing.  Once you overcome the initial fear of just getting up and deciding to get started, you can turn yourself into an unstoppable machine.  Just think, if you have a lot of stress in your life, what better way to relieve it then to be able to go to the gym and hit a tire with a sledgehammer?   You have the power inside of you to make the changes that you want and need to make.  

 Think of all the things that you have no problem spending money on.  Are any of those things health related?  I spend a lot of money on personal training.  Can you think of a better way to spend your money than on your own health?  How much do you currently spend destroying your health?  If this is one of the hurdles that is keeping you from beginning, start taking a hard look at how and what you are wasting money on.  Training has many options on how to pay for it, and I promise you – you can find a way to make this happen.  Please think about what will motivate you to start making healthy choices and make this happen.  It can be as simple as “I would love to have a new wardrobe.”  There was a time that if I saw a shirt that I liked, and it wasn’t a 3XL, I couldn’t get it.  Now I’m able to purchase any clothes that I want.  Stop spending money on the things that are making you unhappy with your current body; be it bad food, or clothes that hide the body that you’re in.  Use this money for your first personal training session. 

Money will not be the determining factor for my success.

Please don’t think that any of this is going to be easy…but it’s worth it.  The time, money and effort that I put in to my training are not just me throwing weights around the gym.  I’m paying for the knowledge of my trainers to help me get the results I want.  I’m lucky to be surrounded by people that care, and if they didn’t I would find and pay people that did.  I’m not just talking about the physical results.  This has changed the person that I am.  It has made me happier, and my life better for me and my family. 

There is no reason as you get older to stop challenging yourself.  Defy your age.  Be focused, be humble, be strong.  During this process you may have setbacks.  That is why you need a support system around you to help you through those times.  You are paying for a service.  Know that there are people that want to help you succeed and reach your goals.  Debbie Portell is always there for me when I feel like I’m losing my way.  She lets me know that my goals and health are a priority to her.  This extends far beyond the hour that we are together in the gym. She is a text away when I am struggling.  I don’t know if all trainers are like her, but I feel very lucky to have the support system that I do.

I would like to thank all the people that have reached out to me because of this blog.  Your kind words and thoughts are extremely humbling.  For those who have asked for my help in starting to achieve their own goals – thank you so much.  Just by asking questions you are heading in the right direction.  Stay with me on this journey, I will eventually get into what my actual diet is, what my workouts consist of, and how I come up with new ways to constantly challenge myself – like starting jiu jitsu at the age of 46. 

Food for Thought:  “Always do what you are afraid to do.”

-Rich Wood

Rich Wood 5

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. 

I feel very lucky.  My trainers and coaches have a plan for me, and I am motivated to stick to it.  You need help, and you need a support system.  I have surrounded myself with people who are experts in their fields, and who want me to reach my goals.  I have surrounded myself with positive people.  Thank you Debbie Portell, Sid Gee, Wes Richards, Kyle Watson, Patrick Benson, Monte Gravis, and my family and friends.  If you’re getting anything out of reading this, it’s time for you to start making your plan and not be afraid to ask for help.  Sit down and think, and write down what you really want to accomplish. 

Food for thought:  Your biggest opponent is the one in the mirror. 

Rich Wood

Rich Wood 4

Food is Fuel

A Journey Through Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Diabetes and Lifestyle Change

At this point, I am 45 years old, 275lbs., and I’m walking into my doctor’s office with numbness in my left hand and my vision is terrible.  He asks me what’s going on.  I describe my symptoms and he asks me if I’m trying to kill myself – I know that sounds dramatic, but that is what he asked.  Through how I was eating and living, I must have looked terrible to him.  I said “no, I’m not trying to kill myself, but I know my health is not good.”  Then he says, “I’m going to tell you what you have, before I even test you.  You have diabetes.”  I didn't get scared – my reaction was that this was the wakeup call that I needed.  On June 29, 2011, my A1C was 11.2; a healthy normal range is 6.0.  11.2 is really, really bad.  The next morning I decided to make a complete change in my life.  Because of my past history with my karate instructor and friend Sid Gee, and his academy being located inside Powerhouse Gym that is where I joined.  I started walking on the treadmill, riding the stationary bike, and going back to karate.  This was all preparing my body for what I knew I was going to accomplish this time.  I started my same diet again of nothing white.  No milk, no rice, no bread, potatoes, pasta, etc.  Nothing fried, and no more sugar.  Within a few months time I started losing weight at a really good pace.  I was put on a medicine called Prednisone but I told myself that I was not going to be on it for long.  I didn’t like the way it made me feel.  While working out at Powerhouse I would watch a personal trainer named Sarah Stinson work out with clients.  I approached her and said I would like to do MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) style workouts, could she help me.  I explained that I was concerned about hitting a wall with my workouts – I did not want to become bored with just lifting weights, I wanted to make sure I was challenged and that the workouts would always be changing.  I was not in great shape at this time, but I was losing weight.  She slowly helped me get my body accustomed to harder and strenuous activity.  I was very lucky because she came through with everything I had asked of her.

I still had zero knowledge of nutrition.  Sometimes during my workouts, due to me not eating properly, I would get extremely nauseous and dizzy.  I would sometimes come home from the gym and have terrible headaches.  I was having headache regularly. I would have to lie in bed because the pain was so bad.  Little did I know that this had to do with the food I was eating pre and post workout.  

One day after having a banana for breakfast and going straight into a workout with Sarah, I got really sick and had to stop.  While I was explaining to Sarah what I had for breakfast, a small, blond, force – that was all business, walked by us and said “the banana was your problem.”  That was my introduction to Debbie Portell.  I didn’t know it at the time, but Sarah would leave town in the next month, and that General Portell would be my new trainer/nutritionist. 

Next week: What Debbie Portell taught me about nutrition, and having a commitment to excellence, and how we would push diabetes out of my life.

Food for thought: Sweat is what happens when your fat is crying.
-Rich Wood

Rich Wood 3

Food is Fuel

A Journey Through Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Diabetes and Lifestyle Change

Through the way I was eating and living my life, I got up to 265lbs. One day I was at work and I was bending down to snap on a video screen and I was so out of breath and my belly was so in the way that I told myself “that’s it, I've got to change.” The next day I woke knowing I was going to try to lose weight but not sure how I was going to do it. 

It was a hot summer day and I was driving with the windows down. I drove past a popular ice cream/burger franchise. The smell of the hamburgers being cooked was in the air and for the first time I thought to myself “I don’t want to eat anything that smells like that ever again.” I came up with a diet on my own that consisted of eating  nothing white – no white bread, no dairy, no rice, etc. Later on a found out this was a well known diet, I didn't know it at the time. I kept fried chicken strips in my diet – tell me I wasn't setting myself up for failure. I joined a gym, I started lifting weights, I skipped a lot of meals, overate things that I thought were healthy, and I lost 65lbs. 

I also started training Chinese Kenpo Karate with 8th degree black belt Sid Gee. This had a great and positive effect on my life and my health. Sid has an important role throughout my story. We met when I was 200lbs, and his words of encouragement stuck in my head when I got to my heaviest at 275lbs. He simply said “don’t worry, you’ll get it back.” Even though everyone would say I was doing great, and looked great – I knew there was a chink in my armor. I began to think that if I worked out hard enough I could burn off the bad food I would allow myself to cheat with. I’m at 200lbs. at this point in my life - not doing the best workouts and not eating properly.  (http://www.sidgeekarate.com/)

On Christmas of 2008, I went to a party and ate whatever I wanted. This included lots of candy, which I had completely excluded from my diet. This began a slow descent back into my old ways. My workouts  started falling off, and I would allow myself bad food more and more often. This would continue at a slow pace until the following year. I went on a trip to Memphis in December of 2009. This was the tipping point where I no longer cared about working out, and what I ate. 

At night I was taking two complete meals back to my hotel room – a hamburger with fries, and chicken strips (there they are again…) with fries –then I’d have desert. I was setting a new pace now. I was burying my old heavy self with a new version that cared even less. Now the real problems began. It started with not being able to sleep well. I had health problems that I was not telling anyone about. I made a doctors appointment in March of 2011 because the fingers on my left hand were going numb and because my vision had become so poor – I had to find out what was going on. Little did I know, my whole life was about to change…

Next week: Diabetes, Debbie Portell, and the Powerhouse staff

Rich Wood

Rich Wood 2

Food is Fuel

A Journey Through Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Diabetes and Lifestyle Change

I was not an overweight kid. I played sports, rode my bike…all the normal things that a teenager does. I trace my weight gain and my battle with food back to February of 1990. I was a passenger in a serious car accident. The result of this left me with extreme soreness all over my body. I stayed home in bed for weeks. This was the catapult for me no longer caring about what I ate, when I ate, or how much I ate. I would eat whole bags of chips while I was waiting for a pizza to be delivered. After I ate the pizza, it was time for dessert. I say all this to be as honest as I can because you may see yourself in these traits. I would eat fast food all the time. I would eat fried food all the time. Vegetables and salads were not a part of my life at all. I didn’t exercise, and I carried around a tremendous amount of stress (more on that later). 

All these things led up to feeling terrible, not sleeping well, and not being happy. I was 24 years old and I was going down a dangerous path with my health, and I didn’t care. Food meant so much to me, and it was so visual for me, that if I saw someone eating something, it would set off a craving in me. It didn’t matter if I had just eaten and wasn’t hungry, I wouldn’t be satisfied until I got the food I wanted. It took me years to find out that this is an addiction just like any drug or alcohol – it’s filling up a need for something you’re missing in your life. I want to paint this dark picture for you because I can’t stress enough how bad I felt and looked. I would stop at fast food restaurants and eat in the car on my way home to have dinner. I would pretend like I hadn’t eaten yet. This pattern would continue for many years at an alarming rate.

I’m giving you a glimpse into what I was going through in case you can relate to it, to help you to start making the changes in your life that you need to make. Back then, I wouldn’t have admitted to how I was conducting my life. Through hard work and surrounding myself with knowledgeable, positive people I can look back at those days and share these memories because I’ve found a way to never return to that lifestyle again.

Next week: My first uninformed try at fitness and nutrition – and why it didn’t last.

-Rich Wood

Rich Wood

Food is Fuel                                                                         

A Journey Through Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Diabetes and Lifestyle Change

Think about how your relationship with food started.  Did it start off healthy, or unhealthy from the very beginning?  I was raised by a single mom, aunts and grandparents who ate very unhealthy.  Even as a child, everyday I was asked what I had a “taste” for.  I didn’t come home to a prepared meal, they prepared what I asked for – which was never anything healthy.  When my mother picked me up after work, due to time constraints, the obvious choice for dinner would be fast food.  All my meals were then followed by dessert.  This started a cycle of unhealthy choices at an early age.  I was not an over weight kid, but this love affair with bad food would come back to haunt me later in life. 

My goal in writing this is to prompt you to begin to look at why you’re making unhealthy lifestyle choices.  I want to share with you how I made a permanent change by not being afraid to take that first step…into a gym, and into a meeting with a personal  trainer/nutritionist.  What is keeping you from making a healthy lifestyle change?  Are you afraid that you’re going to be judged by all these incredibly “in shape” people?  Are you concerned about the cost?  Are you worried that you physically won’t be able to do the workouts?  Please stay with me through this blog, and I will explain each week how I got over different hurdles, reached new goals, how my goals have changed and how my trainer/nutritionist Debbie Portell and the Powerhouse Gym staff helped me along the way. 

Next week: How the weight gain began…

-Rich Wood