From Kyle in Canada

I just received this email from Kyle in Cananda. I thought you guys might enjoy it. It's a great story.

hey joe!

So everyone has a story, heres mine.

I live WAY far north. In a town called yellowknife, nwt, canada. Here we have winter for 8 or more months of the year. I always made excuses for myself, not working out in the winter and saying ill wait for the summer....but guess what? I never did.

I grew up as the BIG Boy in school, teased from time to time, but i used my size to kinda intimidate them. I did alot of out doors stuff like camping, fishing, hunting, and all that. And i got plenty of excersize from it. I also played alot of sports, soccer, basketball, hockey, paintball and many more. But what i ate and drank (alcohol) and how much of it was killing me from the inside out. You know the meals im talking about, the momma's home cooked meals. The ones with more meat and white breads and pastas, and sugars. Id sit down and CLEAR 3 PLATES!!

So on new years day (2007) i stepped on a scale and weiged myself....I was shocked. I was a 19 year old guy out of high school, that weighed in at a whopping 307lbs!

This shocked me, i was depressed for a few days, not sure what to do or where to start, it just seemed like an obstacle that i couldnt conquer.

Then i decided to do something about it. I got a gym membership. I was workingout everyday, drinking lots of water, but i was skipping almost all my meals accept dinner. Where i would fill up on more than i would before!

So then i found your book at walmart (where i work by the way). And i flew threw it in just 2 evenings. Your story reminder me of me alot. So then i decided it was time to change. I started the power of eating program. Whole grains, no bad fats, no more red meat, cut the sugars, everything i should be doing i did. Im eating vegies like brocoli, carots, and snap peas (which i love now). I have been substituting mustard for mayo. And i have started the "shock your body" program too. What a difference!

So here it is. I started the program on january 9th 2007. I weighed in at 307 lbs. Now its march 17, 2007. And in just about 10 weeks. IVE LOST 87 LBS! Thats right, im down to 220! My muscles are toner, arms, legs, I even have pecs haha! And the compliment are great!

So heres my question.. I still have my problem area to take care of. My stomache. Its still really big. I was wondering if i were to work the muscles more in that area, ie abs, lats etc. Will this speed up the weight lossn this area?

any way i really hope youve read this and reply, thanks for everything! And im sure uve heard this before, but your a life saver! thanks again,

Kyle

What does Fitness mean to me?

What is Fitness? I have asked many people this same question over the years. Many have said, "It's looking like a super-model or having muscles like a bodybuilder." I personally couldn't disagree with them more. Fitness, to me, is a way of life, a state of mind, a philosophy. Fitness is getting up in the morning and being happy, truly happy with that person looking back in the mirror. Being able to actually say that I love this person. How do we get to this point? I'm sure it's a very different path for each and everyone of us. When I was down and out in New Orleans and contemplating taking my own life, fitness was my savior. It gave me hope. It enabled me to escape from my self-imposed prison. It allowed me to discover the true power of the human body and spirit, to find the fire that dwells inside of us all. The power to believe that anything was truly possible if I only believed in myself. It then allowed me to travel to exotic places around the world to compete in what was once only unthinkable endurance and strength events, inevitably taking this human body as near to death as possible only to come back stronger and more self-confident than ever before. It's a best friend that's always there. It is to be enjoyed and cherished, not loathed and abandoned. It's the ability as I grow older to never stop playing like a child. Most importantly, fitness is my golden path to aging with grace, moving proudly through life and when the time comes to leave this world with dignity. That's what fitness is to me.

It's Not Your Fault

We've all heard the TV commercial for a popular diet pill that states, "If your fat, it's not your fault." It's about time. That's what I always said when I was 80lbs overweight. No one would believe. It wasn't my fault. It was Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Hostess. Not mine. Isn't it such a relief to finally find this out?

Are you kidding? "It's not your fault." Why do we humans have such a difficult time with accountability? Many times we like to play the blame game and point fingers. I've been there and lived that lie. I'm here to tell ya. If you DO NOT hold yourself accountable for your actions, i.e overeating or not exercising, you will continue down the devastating path you're probably currently on.

I know. I sit alone late one night in a dirty New Orleans apartment, contemplating taking my own life. Why? Because I couldn't figure out how I had come to this state in my life. I was overweight, out-of-shape and abusing drugs and alcohol. But it wasn't my fault. Right?

Luckily for me I was able to get it together. I looked in the mirror for hours. I hated the person staring back. But I realized eventually that that person could be weak and pathetic. He was human. He needed to hold himself accountable and not blame the food, alcohol and drugs. He had to accept responsibility for his actions and current condition.

When I was able to do this, it was like a tremendous weight was lifted. Wow. To think, that I could be weak and pathetic. But now I had control. I made the decisions. I stopped blaming everyone and everything. When I was able to do this, it set me free. I was no longer bound. Through my weakness I found strength.

I truly believe that this can be applied to many of us out there. Listen guys, many times in life "it is our fault!" There's nothing wrong with that. Don't give someone or something else that ability to have control over you. Set yourself free! Break those chains. Repeat after me, "It is my fault and I control it!"

Have a great weekend!

Joe