We are at WAR with our WAISTLINES. We need to continually win battles with our nutrition, Exercise, and our mind. We fight ourselves and that’s what makes this war so difficult to win! – Richard Straitiff
OVERWEIGHT & SELF-CONSCIENCE
I have been overweight my whole life. As a boy and a teenager, I was always self-conscience about my belly fat or man boobs. I thought girls wouldn’t find me attractive with the extra weight I had.
STRENGTH TRAINING
I began strength training around the age of 14 inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone movies and began modified football. I got strong but still carried extra fat on my belly and chest. It was the food intake that kept the fat on me.
THE GARBAGE DISPOSAL
Somehow I got the reputation of a big eater and enjoyed the attention of people being amazed at the volume of food I could consume. At family dinners or eating out, my family members would have me finish any food on their plates they couldn’t eat. Then I would order dessert.
PROTEIN COMPLEX
Growing muscle requires protein so I got in my head that I could never get enough protein. I did not know how to count grams of protein or how much I needed, more was better for me. I would eat as much chicken, beef, fish, milk, or pork as possible. For, example 2 hamburgers and 2 hotdogs with a glass of milk when everyone else would just have one of each.
SELF AWARENESS
Understanding my own mind and behaviors allows me to set myself up for success in my battles. Knowing I have inner garbage disposal I take preventative measures to ensure I do not let him out very often. One thing I do is prepare food for the week and store meals in 2 cup glassware so I only have 2 cups to eat for that meal. If I eat 2 dishes then I am eating tomorrow’s lunch so I consciously understand that and just eat the one.
LEARNING TO FIGHT
A soldier in the military learns how to use firearms, fight with hand-to-hand combat, and be mentally strong under stress to prepare themselves for battle. I learned about exercise, nutrition, recovery, and the mindset of being a healthy and strong human as my training to fight in my weight management war.
MY CONSTANT WAR OF THE WAISTLINE
As a professional Personal Trainer, I still have to battle my past as my roots are deep. During holidays the garbage disposal makes an appearance and can easily make me gain 10-15 lbs over Thanksgiving and Christmas. Fortunately, I do know how to reduce that weight quickly due to the knowledge and experience I now have to guide and coach my clients.
BATTLES ARE EASY THE WAR IS HARD
I have found it is easy to lose 10 lbs quickly, but keeping that 10 lbs off for 6 months or over a year is really difficult even for me. Every day is a battle, every week is a battle, every year is a battle that all add up to life’s war of the waistline!
WIN THE WEEKEND TO WIN THE WAR
For many people, including myself, the weekdays are easier to eat healthily and to exercise. The weekends provide the opportunity for eating dinner at a restaurant, going to parties, drinking, alcohol, etc… I have seen many clients do great during the week and their weekend activities erase the hard work they did during the week.
THE 70/30 RULE
To win the battle of the week try the 70/30 rule which is simply having 5 good days and 2 bad days. Unless you are really really bad on those 2 days you should be able to lose weight week after week. I have some guides on this.
MY MISSION
This is my mission as a trainer, to coach my clients to continued success in winning weekly battles so they can live healthy lives at a weight they are happy with. I do this through individual virtual coaching, in-person training, or group challenges like the one coming up on January 10th.
I hope you enjoyed my story and feel free to reach out for anything.
