Success Stories from The Training Zone
 Eric Laabs' Success
When Bill decided to feature me in this months newsletter, I was kind of embarrassed and did not know what to say. Having been a member of his gym for the past five years, and having only really begun to go the past seven months, I felt that others must have a better story. To really have me write something up about my weight loss seemed weird to me. I mean really all I have done, as Bill likes to put it, is move more and eat less. In fact I have really made that simple phrase my mantra. Let me start by giving you all a little background. I am thirty six years old and have been weight challenged really since I quit playing soccer in high school. I slowly began putting on weight through my early twenties, but nothing that seemed unhealthy. Really this led to me learning how not to eat. Since my body really did not put weight on quickly I never really thought I had a problem. As my late twenties approached I got into a position in my working life that no longer required me to move at all. So now, I was not moving for fun nor work. This plus my ever-increasing food intake led to where I have been for the majority of my thirties. I knew I was not really moving in the right direction early on in my thirties, and joined up with Bill. As I wasn't personally motivated, I'd go to the gym for a week and then take three weeks off. Effectively I only went about five times a year. This is how it was till February. In February I realized I was not on a good path at all. I could barely tie my own shoes, and when I did it took my breath away. The shortest of walks would wear me out, and thinking of mowing the lawn would exhaust me. I then got to the point in which I was having to drink energy drinks just to make it through the day so I would not nap. This was embarrassing for a thirty something man, so I knew it was finally time to do something about it. My wife was ready to get more consistent in taking care of herself too, so at the beginning of February, we signed up for a program with Bill that also included a book. This book stressed the importance of doing something natural and not trying to do a gimmick diet. It also talked about the importance of measuring progress in inches and not worrying about your weight. The program also required that I keep a journal of all the food I eat every day. This alone has to be the single biggest thing that really showed me what I was doing wrong. I knew I ate a lot, but I had no idea what my day to day calorie intake really was. Being somewhat tech-savvy, I decided to look on-line to see if there was anything that could help, and found CalorieKing.com. They have a very complete database of foods to choose from--restaurants, grocery store items, and more, making it easy to locate and journal the foods you eat. I started using CalorieKing.com daily. This was a huge step for me. What I found was that on average I was eating 4,000 to 5,000 calories per day. WOW! That is a lot. You may think it's impossible to eat that much in a day. The average daily allowance is 2,000 calories. How can a person really eat that much more every day? Well, it's easy--just go out for a fast food breakfast every day. Try going out for a dinner at a local Mexican food place. Always choose foods with all the cheese, and twice the meat. Presto--4,000 calories! Seeing what I was eating and putting it into context really opened my eyes and really focused me in on what I needed to do. So, after a week of writing down what I was eating it was time to weigh in and get started on the program. My first weigh-in weight was 289 pounds. "Ughhh," I thought, "I am six feet tall and weigh almost 300 pounds. This is not good!"
Bill got me started on the circuit and oh, the exhaustion. I started out at all the lowest weights and just really focused on making it through without collapsing. All I kept thinking was "I have really let myself go". I really did not have any idea how bad it had gotten. After every session I was a bit sore, and really tired. But this was the easy part--just getting into the habit of going to the gym once a day was really making me feel better. The eating was the hard part. My job takes me out of town quite a bit so I am constantly facing choices. Choices that I used to think were easy became painstakingly hard, like turning down that greasy hamburger in favor of the salad with chicken on it. At first this seemed impossible, but over time it has really become easy. In fact now, when I eat just one piece of pizza I become incredibly full and bloated. So, after seven months I am down to 218 pounds, full of energy. I have gone from a person who could barely walk down the street to a person who just bought a new bicycle to ride around town. It has really changed my life, and really that is what I was going for. Not a gimmick diet plan that would lose some weight short term, but really I had to reeducate myself on how to eat. I had to learn how to move again, and then make sure I continue to do it every day. I had to learn to make time for myself, and to turn off the TV for at least one hour a day. I had to learn that fruits and vegetables do taste good. I had to learn to be selfish about taking care of myself, to really focus on what my body was telling me, and learn to listen and adjust accordingly. To wrap it up, I am still quite embarrassed with my loss. I am happy to share with you what I have gone through, but really all I did was eat better and move more. It sounds so simple that if I was reading this I would be a bit put off by it, but really that is all I did. For anyone who is looking for a program that works, talk to Bill, and team up with someone. My wife is the reason I finally did so well, and I would suggest anyone looking to do this to team up with a spouse or friend and make each other work. Erick
Read Other Stories (click names)
Trent Latshaw (Fitness & Golf):
Trent joined the TZ to lose weight, get in shape, and increase his range of motion and flexibility so he could improve his golf game, which is his favorite hobby! Trent hadn't done any kind of regular exercise program for a long, long, time! He had started a diet program and was starting to see some results, but he knew he needed to add an exercise program to really reach his goals! When he found out he could "shape-up" and improve his golf game through improved strength and flexibility, he was ready to sign up! During the first 30 days, he dropped fat and increased his flexibility over 30%. He really took to the strength training and before long he was hooked! Trent was one of our first clients and has been a regular member since we opened!
Carol Miller (Fitness):
Carol had been exercising at Curves for Women, a circuit gym for "ladies only", for years prior to coming to the Training Zone. She had experienced some positive early results, but her improvement had reached a plateau from doing the same exercises over and over, and she had become bored and unmotivated! Since joining the Training Zone, Carol has found out just how fun and challenging a workout can be! Her strength, cardio, and flexibility have all improved along with her overall body tone and energy! Carol enjoys Golf and has particularly enjoyed the golf specific exercises we have added to her routine, and this summer has played some of the best golf of her life.
Lindsi Miller (Fitness):
Lindsi had been working out at Curves, a lady’s only circuit gym, with her mother-in-law, Carol, whose story you heard previous to this one. Carol told Lindsi about the Training Zone and the success she was having and Lindsi decided to give it a try! Like Carol, Lindsi's results had reached a plateau at Curves from doing the same routine over and over again. She knew she was ready for the next level and more challenge! Since joining the TZ, she has reduced her body fat considerably, developed noticeable tone improvements, and her strength and overall conditioning has greatly improved!
Henri Moreau (Golf):
Henri came to us looking to improve his Golf Game! He was a low handicapper who had been told by a number of Golf Professionals that to take his game to the next level, he needed to get a Golf Fitness Program going with emphasis on Core Strength and improved flexibility! When he saw our Golf Fitness Program he knew this was exactly what he was looking for!
In Henri's own words, he describes his progress this way! "In 30-45 days after starting with Bill, my lower back pain had diminished to nearly nothing, I felt energized and my productivity at work increased, and even my wife was noticing changes in my physique, and I was hitting the golf ball further than I ever had!"
Jeff Abel (Fitness):
Jeff came to the TZ with a very specific goal: he needed to pass his military fitness qualification test in order to keep his job and to be eligible for advancement! He had failed several previous tests and he knew he was going to need help if he hoped to get in good enough shape to pass the next one! He had begun a diet and was losing some weight, but knew he needed a strength and conditioning program to be ready. We had about 6 months to get there, but by the end of 3, he had made significant gains in his strength and conditioning, he had lost a significant percentage of body fat, and we pretty much knew he would be ready! When the test finally rolled around, he tore it up...in fact, he was one of only a few participants to pass .
Jeff has continued his training routine even after passing his test, and plans to make this type of exercise routine a part of his life from now on!
Ginger Ike (Health & Fitness):
When Ginger arrived, she was battling a number of physical challenges including Neuropathy in her legs. She also could hardly walk without her knees knocking due to an old knee surgery that had left her leg collapsing inward. Her hip stability and core strength was very poor and she couldn't balance on one leg at all! She already has seen dramatic improvements in her strength and stability and she is now able to walk a straight line without her knees knocking! Many of her family and friends have already noticed the major changes taking place which has really give Ginger the motivation to keep her exercise routine going! We are expecting even more big changes in the next 30 days! Stay tuned for the update!
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