CHAPTER ONE

My Story: Facing Reality

“Most people condemn themselves to prison all their lives, despite the fact that they carry the keys to their prison without knowing they possess them. The prison consists in the self-imposed limitations they set up in their own minds, or permit others to set for them.”

– Napoleon Hill, You Can Work Your Own Miracles

If you were to look at a photo of my extended family, you would probably guess that I’d end up fat – and you’d be right. Practically everyone in my family was fat, and I fit right in.

I started life as a large baby, and, as time passed, I only got larger, and larger, and larger still. I was a 200-pound fourth grader, if you can imagine that. By the time I was 17, my weight had ballooned to 360 pounds. Simple activities like tying my shoes felt like exercise to me. I had a hard time getting up the flight of only four stairs at my high school. I would break out in a cold sweat, just sitting at my desk in air-conditioned classes. I felt self-conscious everywhere I went, thinking all eyes were on me, and for all the wrong reasons.

The truth is, my life was miserable and even embarrassing. I had no self-esteem. I began to feel that life wasn’t worth living. I saw my future in my relatives who suffered from obesity-related illnesses such as diabetes. One time, I saw the “future me” at a restaurant. This solitary, middle-aged man looked like he weighed around 400 pounds. I imagined his only friend was the big bowl of pasta in front of him, and that he would probably be going home to an empty house, feeling that nothing he did made a difference.

I was crossing to the dark side with all the negatives I was focused on. I had no friends – I had isolated myself from everyone because I feared their criticism. I was in such a negative place in my life. If I had kept on at the rate I was going, you wouldn’t be reading this right now. Though many people had tried to tell me I was headed for an early grave, it didn’t really sink in until one day when I was 17. On that frightening day, which I’ll describe later in this chapter, I came to the grim realization that if I didn’t make a change that very instant, I would not be alive to graduate from high school the next year. I would never have any true friends. I would never experience the love of a girl. I would never have my own family, nor would I ever be able to make a difference in anyone’s life. I would have wasted the one chance I had to make a difference to others because of what my bad habits had done to my health.

MUSIC HELPED ME ESCAPE THE LONELINESS AND BULLYING DURING GRADE SCHOOL.

This realization made me finally change my ways forever. My life immediately began to transform that day, going from one of misery, loneliness, depression, ridicule and poor health to one of energy, excellent health, power, success and excitement. I went from weighing a sloppy, out-of-shape 360 pounds to building myself a chiseled, fit, muscular, jacked body. I went from being a kid who could only dream of one day having a date to being chosen as one of Cosmo’s “Shirtless Sweethearts.”

I KNOW YOU CAN SUCCEED!

When I first made the decision to get healthy, I figured a gym was the place to start. I got a minimum wage job at my high school and saved money until I had enough to join a gym. I was terrified of walking through the doors. After all, wasn’t the gym a place where all the attractive, popular, strong and assertive people hung out? I wasn’t any of those things and I feared what lay ahead. Still, I knew I must do something, so I made my way in and talked to a salesperson. He looked young enough to be one of my classmates and didn’t seem very emotionally invested in me, but I was desperate. I mustered up my courage and said, “Sign me up.”

He took me to the front desk and started my paperwork. Standing there filling out the form, I thought of how great it would be to finally have the body I wanted and the confidence I yearned for. A manager had come over to talk to the salesperson, and it struck me something was wrong. I was right. Unfortunately, a credit card was needed to sign up, and I only had cash. I was turned away.

I left the gym more discouraged than ever. After psyching myself up for so long to have the courage to go in, I was rejected. It felt so familiar, like all those times I felt that magical butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling for a girl, but was turned down and not even given a chance because I was fat. When I got home, I went up to my bedroom. I was lying on my back in bed and tears began to well up in my eyes. This is hopeless, I thought. I’m destined to be fat, miserable and alone.

THIS IS ME DURING THE SUMMER OF MY SOPHOMORE YEAR.

Although my parents’ house was air-conditioned and it had been an hour since I had been outside, I was still sweating profusely. I lay there and thought about the more than 150 pounds of pure fat I was carrying with me every day. I started to feel totally overwhelmed and depressed. I remember watching my gut rise up so high that it blocked my view of the TV. I looked up to the ceiling, and just started talking with God. I begged for His help, and promised that if he would help me to just be “normal” looking, I would do everything in my power to positively contribute to other people’s lives in some way. After that short prayer, I went from hopeless to having a spark of hope.

Did I know then that a decade later I would not only have met all my goals, but also be helping thousands of other people transform their health and achieve the bodies they deserved? No! I would have never imagined such a thing. And yet, over the next two years, I lost more than 150 pounds of pure fat. I have kept my weight off, taken my body to a whole new level through weight training and kept my promise. It just goes to show you that you are part of this plan, too. God, Allah, Moses, Bhagwan, Buddha – whatever name you choose to call your higher power – has put this book into your hands at this moment. You are looking at these pages for a special reason.

It’s my life’s mission to help as many people as I can to break free from the prison they have eaten themselves into. I know how it feels to have people point and laugh at you. I know how it feels to hide in the bathroom until school begins, so you don’t have to face kids in the schoolyard. I know how it feels to have TV and food as your only friends. To envy a couple you see at the mall, holding hands, totally in love, while you know you couldn’t ever gather the courage to even approach a person you like. I’ve been where you are. I know how it feels to be scared to try because you feel like you’ve tried it all before and were shut down. I understand where you’re coming from!

“It’s my life’s mission to help as many people as I can to break free from the prison they have eaten themselves into.”

You don’t have to be as overweight as I was to be a prisoner to overeating. You might be only 20 or 30 pounds overweight, or you might have an extra 50, 100, 200 or more pounds to lose. Whatever the case, you are keeping yourself in that prison because of your mindset and the decisions you are making consistently. Know this: Today can be the day that you break free. I know you can break free, because I did it, and so have the thousands of others I’ve personally coached. You don’t have to allow unhealthy food to use you anymore. After all, that’s what it’s doing. It’s using you, controlling you and keeping you from the life you want and deserve.

So, if you are really willing to give it your all, then I am willing to offer you a plan that can turn your life upside down faster than anything you’ve tried before. Why am I so certain I can help you? I’m certain because everything has a pattern. Weight-loss success has a pattern. I’ve developed a pattern of eating and exercising that can cause your body to crank through fat at lightning-fast speeds while also helping you deal with the psychological and emotional sources that are at the root of your issue. If I can do it, you can do it. You deserve wellness. You deserve health and good looks. Now is the time to give yourself the permission to achieve it.

WHAT’S YOUR EXCUSE?

I’ve worked with people from all walks of life – politicians, CEOs, lawyers, soccer moms and teens – which means I’ve heard practically every reason and rationalization for being overweight, including:

“I was raised in a family that’s overweight.”

“It’s just part of my heritage.”

“I’m too busy to eat properly.”

“Food makes me happy.”

“I had a traumatic childhood.”

Listen, I know you have your reasons for being overweight, just like I once had. The truth is, the only real reason you are overweight is because you have allowed yourself to believe your extra fat is something outside of your control.

I get it. I felt that way at one time, too. But here’s the thing: If you really want to change your life – and I mean change it forever, not just for three months – then you need to start examining your beliefs about yourself. In the book From Poverty to Power, James Allen offers the following advice, “Cease your complaining and fretting; none of these things which you blame are the cause of your [problems]; the cause is within yourself, and where the cause is, there is the remedy.” When being unhealthy becomes part of your identity, things can get dangerous. If you think of yourself as a “fat” person, if you really believe that’s who you are, your behavior is going to reflect that belief. Wow!

Maybe you have never been in shape. Maybe you’re like me and you’ve struggled with your weight as far back as you can remember. Today can be the day when you decide you’re no longer a “fat” person. You can create a mental picture of yourself as a lean, fit, healthy, energetic and vibrant person who wants to be healthy not only for herself or himself, but also for others. Once you start to believe that you are a fit and healthy person who is simply carrying around extra fat, we can work at getting rid of that fat and sculpting the body you desire!

GO BEYOND YOUR LIMITS

Being overweight limits the person you can be, doesn’t it? It certainly limited me. All of my decisions, including where I would go, what I could wear, where I could shop, who I could talk to and where I sat, were affected by my weight. How I lived my life was not the way I would have chosen. I honestly believe that we are all here on this beautiful planet we call Earth to make everyone else’s experience here as positive as possible. Yet I was so unhappy with myself that the last thing I could do was even think about helping others. As James Allen wrote in As A Man Thinketh, “A strong man cannot help a weaker unless that weaker is willing to be helped. And even then the weak man must become strong of himself. He must, by his own efforts, develop the strength which he admires in another. None but himself can alter his condition.”

Now, maybe you are someone who thinks that all of that excess weight isn’t really affecting your life. If so, let me ask you a few questions:

Of course not! You have so much potential, and the first step toward tapping into it is changing the beliefs you have about yourself.

You can be so much more.

“Cease your complaining and fretting; none of these things which you blame are the cause of your [problems]; the cause is within yourself, and where the cause is, there is the remedy.”

– James Allen, From Poverty to Power

“Remember, the brain is here to make you feel good, but some brains aren’t the greatest long-term planners.”

REWIRING YOUR BRAIN

Our brains are unbelievably complex, useful and sometimes mysterious things. Whether you realize it or not, your brain is constantly at work trying to make you feel good. It wants you to be in a constant state of joy, elation and happiness. Somehow, though, you’ve got your wires crossed. My wires were once crossed, too. Your brain has connected a level of pain to exercise and eating healthy foods, and it has connected pleasure to things like junk food and laziness, which are actually (and ironically) keeping you in your state of misery.

Your brain’s wires are crossed because it isn’t looking at the long-term effects of your behavior. Remember, the brain is here to make you feel good, but some brains aren’t the greatest long-term planners. When we start to feel bad, our brain goes to work trying to come up with ways to help us immediately feel better. If we feel sore and tired when trying to exercise, our brain says, “This doesn’t feel good. Go watch some TV instead.” It doesn’t say, “This may be hard right now, but if you keep it up it will get easier and you’ll feel good later.” If you’re used to eating foods filled with fats, sugars and salt, then when you eat healthy food, your brain says, “Where’s that good feeling and taste? Go get a donut instead!” It doesn’t say, “You’ll soon love the taste of this healthy food and despise the taste of that donut,” or “You’re going to feel a lot better after a week without donuts!”

It may seem hard to believe now, but just as you can go from being a serious shopaholic to a super-frugal saver who gets pleasure from watching your savings grow and grow, you can rewire your brain to get pleasure from eating foods that fuel your health and fitness. You can get the same feelings of pleasure from an exercise session as from a piece of chocolate. In fact, you can get more pleasure once you become used to the exercise!

UPGRADE YOUR LIFE

We can always find excuses to avoid doing the things we don’t want to do. Think about it. If you want to find excuses for remaining overweight, isn’t it easy? Just try to remember all the things you’ve told yourself up to this point. There are lots of reasons and rationalizations that can make those extra pounds on your frame seem acceptable, but I think something deep inside of you is whispering (or perhaps SHOUTING) that it’s time to change. This book has been put into your hands at this moment for a very important reason. It’s here with you because you are a person who can change. The circumstances that brought this book to fruition are almost magical. There is a far greater force at work here, and it wants you to benefit from the information contained within these pages.

You can have so much more in your life than you have right now. Imagine having so much energy that you could work out twice a day! Imagine leaving the office looking forward to being home with your family and having the energy to enjoy their company. Imagine feeling with absolute certainty that you are in control of your life and your decisions. Imagine knowing that you – not your friends, family or circumstances – are the one who will determine the quality of your life. Imagine finally having the confidence to reach for the things you once thought impossible – to approach the person you’ve longed to meet or go after that job you know you deserve. All of these things are waiting for you. Wayne Dyer has said, “What you want wants you, and is simply waiting for you to be on the same frequency to find it!” Know that anything you want, you can create, including the body of your dreams, as soon as you decide this is true.

Let’s face it. It’s time to upgrade your life. What you’ve done up to this point hasn’t given you the results you deserve. And even if you’ve had short-term success but then gained all the weight back, you didn’t fail. You simply got a result. The result you got was one that you don’t want to get again. It’s time to try something different, something that has given thousands of people a result so unique and exciting that it is now in this book. You’ve picked up this book because you’re the type of person who wants more out of your life – and you deserve it. So don’t be afraid, I am going to be right there beside you!

I am so excited for you!

READ THIS BEFORE GOING ANY FURTHER!

Here is your opportunity to embark on the most exciting opportunity you’ve ever had the chance to take. An opportunity that, with the proper guidance and correct approach, will transform the way you live in ways you can only dream of right now. All you need to succeed, the exact guide to the body you deserve, is in front of you, contained in these very pages. But, before you decide to read any further, I do have one disclaimer. While I am very serious about helping you, if you’re not ready to let go of the past, stop blaming your current circumstance on others and take back control of your health from your habits, then this book is not for you. Go get a refund and the shopkeeper can put the book back on the shelf for someone who is ready.

Much like when a wizard goes to Ollivanders wand shop in the Harry Potter® series, I believe this book has picked you. It has reached out to you for a reason. But, like the students at Hogwarts, you have to be ready to embark on this journey and to use this book properly.

This program calls for complete honesty. Most importantly, you need to be honest with yourself. In order to change, I too had to realize that it was through my own decisions, not anyone else’s, that I had become morbidly obese. If now is not the time for you to face that reality, then the book will still be in the bookstore waiting for you when you are ready. You are at a crossroads this moment, a moment that can truly alter your destiny and the destiny of all those who come into contact with you. You are about to make a decision that can lead you to a life of ultimate fulfillment or to a life of hopelessness and despair.

Are you ready for this? It’s your decision. If you really desire a new body, a new life and new self-confidence, then keep reading, because if anyone had an excuse to not make the change, it was me!

FAMILY MATTERS

I think I understand people and their reasons for rationalizing their problems so well because I could be the king of excuses if I chose to be. As I said earlier, I grew up in a family filled with overweight people. My grandparents, my father and his brothers were all overweight. Were we genetically predisposed to being fat? Maybe. Were we all brought up with terrible eating and exercise habits? Definitely. And those habits manifested themselves not only in a family of fat people, but a family of fat people filled with every preventable disease you can think of.

My great-grandfather died of a heart attack when my grandfather was only a young man, so my grandfather had to quit school at a young age to go to work in order to help support his family. You could say this was the genesis of my family’s obesity: Since my grandfather had to quit school, he never learned how to read and therefore couldn’t even consider learning about health and nutrition. Also because of his lack of education, he and his family were always poor. And when you’re poor, food becomes a luxury.

“Were we genetically predisposed to being fat? Maybe. Were we all brought up with terrible eating and exercise habits? Definitely.”

MY BROTHER VINCE, SISTER LAUREN AND ME DURING MY FRESHMAN YEAR.

MY DAD'S PARENTS, CHARLIE AND ROSE. THEY BOTH STRUGGLED WITH WEIGHT ISSUES ALL THEIR LIVES.

My grandfather and grandmother had four sons, including my father, and putting enough food on the table was never easy. Four growing boys want to eat – a lot – but feeding them healthy foods on a salary that was barely minimum wage was definitely a challenge. My grandparents, like many people affected by the economy today, filled their boys up the best way they knew how: with cheap, simple starches that tasted good. My dad remembers his daily breakfast consisting of stacks of white toast covered in butter and syrup. Lunch was white bread with jelly and maybe a little peanut butter. Dinner was pasta noodles with olive oil and butter. It’s no surprise this diet resulted in four kids and two parents who were not only obese, but also suffered from heart disease, diabetes and even shortened lives.

And if you’re thinking that these health risks apply only to the obese – they don’t. According to the Centers for Disease Control, even slightly overweight adults (those carrying an extra 10 to 20 pounds) are at increased risk of premature death. They are also increasing their risk of developing a myriad of other serious health issues, including liver and gallbladder disease, certain types of cancer, pregnancy and fertility complications, musculoskeletal issues and emotional, social and psychological problems.

FOOD AS CELEBRATION, PACIFICATION, JUSTIFICATION

Maybe it was because of our Italian heritage or maybe it was because food was scarce, but in my family no cause for celebration went without a sugary, salty mound of greasy food. For us, food was not just a form of sustenance. If any food was on the table, especially fast food or take out, it meant we were doing well. Food itself was an “event.” Playing outside for an hour was rewarded with a night of take-out pizza and movies. So much for activity! Holing myself up on the couch with mountains of junk food was a surefire way to distract myself from the challenges I faced. Food never judged me – it just tasted good and it made me feel better.

One of the most primal needs we humans have is the need to provide food for our families, and in my house the colorful bags of potato chips, candy and chocolate meant that we were fed. By this standard, the fat that puffed out our bodies and muffin-topped over our pants did not mean poor health, it meant we could afford the most effectively marketed yet lowest-quality food. To a kid, that was fantastic. From my father’s family, whether by genes or by environment, I inherited a feeling that I continually had to put more and more unhealthy food in my mouth. It was incessant. I have memories of sitting at my grandparents’ table, eating one cherry pie after another while sipping on coffee with three tablespoons of sugar in cup after cup. I was slowly and steadily committing caloric suicide alongside my most-loved family members.

The flip side of that coin was my mother’s family. Although individually they were not as much of an influence in my life as my dad’s parents, the legacy they left me was. My mother’s entire family was made up of alcoholics. They may not have been overweight, but their idea of dealing with a situation was the same as my dad’s family. They used this other drug, alcohol, to distract themselves and hide from their problems. I have never yet had a sip of alcohol, but I too once was an addict, and my drug of choice was food. I used food as a pacifier when I was upset. I used it to lift me up when I was down. I used it as a distraction when I was worried. It was my state changer. Ironically, I used food, the very thing that was at the source of my problems, to help me get through my days of torment at school.

My day would start off with four or five Pop Tarts and a liter of regular soda. On the way to school, I would stop at 7-Eleven and pick up a bag of Chex Mix, a candy bar and a Big Gulp to “enjoy” in the car as I prepared myself for a miserable day of bullying. As the day wore on, I was far more likely to be stuffing my mouth with butter noodles, candy or nachos than anything that gave me any nutrition. My school had a lunch program in which you paid very little for second servings, and I remember going back for four plates of noodles to eat alongside my pizza, which had small ponds of grease floating on top of each slice. I didn’t have much certainty in my life, but I knew that unhealthy food was the one thing that would make me feel better. Recipe for disaster? You’d better believe it! At the time I didn’t know any better and neither did my family, but now I do. I’ve conquered it, and I can help you conquer it as well.

NEAR THE BEGINNING OF MY JUNIOR YEAR.

BACK TO YOU

Why did I tell you these intimate details of my personal life? I want you to know these things because you need to realize that we’re not that different from each other. I once had a ton in common with you – pardon the pun. I’m sure you have your own “reasons” for being overweight. I did too. That’s why, when I hear people say things like, “My whole family is overweight, therefore I will always be,” I don’t let them get away with it. I call “bull” right there. As you now know, my whole family was overweight. Our lifestyles and habits were a vicious breeding ground for obesity and ultimately life-ending disease.

As we near the end of this chapter, I can almost hear those negative voices in the back of your head (Remember, I’ve been right where you are now.) Right now you are thinking that you can’t change because you’ve always been overweight, or because your family doesn’t encourage you to, or because it’s too hard. Well, have I got exciting news for you! You CAN change. It doesn’t matter what shape you’re in, how much money you make, what job you have, who your parents are or what education you have. None of that is as important as tapping into your desire to change now.

MY MOTIVATION

By now you might be wondering, after 17 years of lonely nights, gym-class humiliations, and constantly being referred to as “the fat kid” – what finally made me change?

Over the years, countless people had told me that I should change my ways for the good of my health. Sometimes, that’s just too ambiguous and doesn’t bring the level of urgency that it takes to move someone to action. Being a smart kid, I knew that what they said was true logically and cognitively, but it didn’t matter because emotionally I just didn’t make the connection. I had strongly conditioned myself to associate positive emotions with bad foods for so long that these feelings outweighed the short-lived negative criticism I often received. After all, I had long given up on dating or even approaching a girl. I was in a terrible mental state in which I really didn’t care. Even though it made me deeply unhappy, I had come to accept myself as obese. Like a smoker or alcoholic being lectured to quit, I just let their words go in one ear and out the other. I would nod gravely as they spoke, but I was really thinking about whether I would have McDonald’s or Burger King that night. I figured I’d get around to changing sooner or later but, as it turned out, sooner came much more quickly than I thought it would. God often has a way of nudging us in the right direction and giving us a chance to see what the future holds if we choose not to do what’s right. Over a couple of days in my junior year of high school, I suddenly understood the reality of what I was doing to my body.

One night, as usual, I was lying on the couch watching TV alone. To fill the void of loneliness, I had consumed a huge box of salty, greasy breadsticks, a large pepperoni and cheese pizza and a two-liter bottle of sugary soda. I fell asleep, likely due to the crash after the sugar high. When I awoke, my eyesight had disappeared. I couldn’t see anything. I panicked, but at the same time I kind of pretended it wasn’t happening. I kept waiting for my vision to come back, but it didn’t. I went back to sleep, hoping that this was just a strange temporary occurrence. Thoughts of my grandma raced into my head. She had type 2 diabetes. I knew that diabetes was caused by a poor diet, and I also knew that it could cause blindness. This was not news to me, but the reality of these facts had never really sunk in. When my eyesight disappeared, the reality struck me in the head like a brick. This was to be my future. When I realized what was in store for me should I continue with my unhealthy habits, I was terrified. Luckily my eyesight returned, and I never found out the reason for its disappearance, but that was one of the first emotional steps toward my transformation.

The next day at school, climbing up four stairs – not four flights of stairs, just four stairs – caused me so much difficulty that my heart was racing when I reached the top. Later on in class, I suddenly felt a sweaty chill. I was cold but sweating. My palms were sopping. I felt horrible. That moment also passed, but it has long remained seared in my mind.

I thought of my graduation the next year, and I just knew that if I kept doing what I had been doing, I would never live to see my graduation day. Although my life had been pretty horrible up until that point (as you will find out later in this book), I really did not want to end it.

That day when I got home, I called a gym. Less than a year later, I had lost 120 pounds, I felt great and I even had a date for the prom. By the winter of that same year, my first year in college, I had lost the last 40 pounds. While at college, I carved out my own niche, became a weight-loss coach and started weight training with intensity. I poured myself into my passion, and within a very short time my story and reputation had attracted a lot of attention. I suddenly had clients flying in to St. Louis from out of state, seeking my advice and coaching. I’ve met and shared my story with two US presidents and countless celebrities. I’ve helped thousands of people from all walks of life reach their own goal weights, and I’ve helped dozens lose more than 100 pounds each. I’ve kept the weight off for nearly a decade, beating all the statistics, and now I’m ready to help you. Are you up for this?

“The next day at school, climbing up four stairs – not four flights of stairs, just four stairs – caused me so much difficulty that my heart was racing when I reached the top.”

Getting what you want out of life may not be easy. You may have failed in the past but you’ve never worked with me. The majority of people give up at the first bump in the road (Remember my first attempt at joining a gym?). Since you’re still reading, I know this isn’t how you are! There may be some short-term pain, but you will change, and the long-term pleasure will make it all worth it. The time to change is now!

AT 19, AFTER MY TRANSFORMATION. THIS PHOTO WAS USED FOR COSMO'S “SHIRTLESS SWEETHEARTS.”

I want you to enlist the help of your higher power (I choose to call mine God). Send off prayers of gratitude, as well as requests for things you need help with, daily – or hourly – if needed. I know God has led you to this book for a miraculous reason. You may feel this is a lot to swallow. You may feel overwhelmed by the task ahead, but know that no matter how far beyond hope you feel, it’s certainly not too late! Now is the time to take MASSIVE action. You are a very special person with an unbelievable destiny waiting for you to discover it. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” Forces you cannot even perceive are working to bring about positive changes in your life – if you choose to jump into the flow.

Sometimes life beats us down. We feel worn out, miserable and out of luck. We feel like we’ve tried it all. It’s time to put that past behind you now. It’s over. You are not the same person you were, and the experiences you’re having now are not the same as before. Stop replaying the negative tapes and recordings. It’s time to make a new recording, an achievement that is not only going to change your life, but also inspire millions of others.

Everything gets better as you change what you’re focused on. Thank God that you have the ability to even understand the words you’re reading, that you can see them or hear them. We take completely for granted that which is familiar. That’s one of the reasons your weight is out of control right now. Perhaps a health issue has scared you into doing this. Think of the years you ate whatever you wanted whenever you wanted to without any perceived consequence. The truth is that everything we do has a consequence. Every food choice counts. Every rep and every minute on the treadmill counts. Make the most of the time you have and stop wasting your life focusing on perceived limitations. I don’t say that judgmentally; I say it with the utmost respect for you. I almost fell victim to the belief that life is miserable. It’s not! Wake up and see what’s possible!

When you’re grateful, you keep your mind in a positive state, focused on the good. You aren’t the only one who will benefit immensely from following the recommendations I put forward in this book. Countless others will come to know your goodness because you will be contributing more to the world. Being overweight, unable to move, unhappy, down on yourself and on life doesn’t allow for much contribution to others. I know. I was once there. Sure, you may smile as people approach but believe me, many can see right through that façade.

The following pages contain a precise plan to take you to the place of your dreams, looking and feeling your best. I am thankful for the chance to be a part of your journey. Although I’m not sitting in the room with you, I hope you can sense how much I care about you and your success. I hope my personal transformation has more of an impact on you than anything else has. I have been blessed with so many opportunities and successes, not only for my own good, but so I could sow the seeds of possibility in your mind and heart.

I want to help you see just how much grace is available when you get yourself on track and start doing the good you’re capable of doing. When you’re living your mission and being your best, then miracles begin to occur in your life. Synchronicity kicks in, putting the right things in the right places at the right times. It is not an accident that you have this book in your hands right now. This is the time for you to take that step and become the person you were meant to be.

“It’s time to make a new recording, an achievement that is not only going to change your life, but also inspire millions of others.”

SUCCESS STORY

“It never occurred to me that I was beginning to look not ‘big,’ but ridiculous.”

NAME: Buzz Brown

AGE: 59

HEIGHT: 6'3"

WEIGHT BEFORE: 442 lbs

WEIGHT AFTER: 204 lbs

WEIGHT LOSS: 238 lbs

EVERY SATURDAY AT GRANDMA’S HOUSE WAS “BUZZIE” DAY. THIS MEANT THAT, AS THE ELDEST GRANDCHILD, BUZZ BROWN WAS ALLOWED TO EAT ANYTHING HE WANTED AND AS MUCH OF IT AS HE COULD HANDLE. In his family, extra fat was considered healthy and, at a young age, Buzz learned that food was equivalent to love. He also learned that it could erase many unpleasant emotions. Eventually food became Buzz’s addiction and main companion in good times and bad.

Sadly, both Buzz’s grandmother and father died of heart complications related to obesity and diabetes. Buzz found himself heading down the same path – he was on medication for a heart condition and wound up in the hospital at least once a year – and felt powerless to do anything about it. His condition was also affecting his relationships, especially his marriage, not only because of the physical implications of having extra weight, but also because of the cost of clothes and food. Buzz’s turning point came when he weighed in at 442 pounds at the doctor’s office. In Buzz’s own words: “I guess it never occurred to me that I was beginning to look not ‘big,’ but ridiculous.”

Although Buzz could list off a litany of weight-loss trials and errors over the years, none of them ever “stuck.” As soon as he reached his goal weight, he would return to his emotional eating, which resulted in him gaining back all the weight and more.

At his lowest moment, Buzz found himself suicidal and eventually wound up in a 12-step program to help him cope with the emotional aspects of his obesity. After years of hard work, he formed a network of support to help him deal with his emotions. The final piece of the puzzle, though, or “the key that opened the lock” as Buzz calls it, was Charles, who helped Buzz lose an incredible 226 pounds within a year!

These days Buzz is constantly surprised at how he can now accomplish and even enjoy seemingly insignificant everyday tasks. He can sit in a normal-sized chair without worrying about breaking it. He can cross his legs comfortably. He can also ride a bike, climb stairs without getting winded and enjoy shopping. Best of all, he is completely off his heart medication and sees his cardiologist only on an as-needed basis.

“He was on medication for a heart condition and wound up in the hospital at least once a year.”

Buzz stays motivated by maintaining contact with his support group, sticking to his 12-step program and following Charles’ plan. According to Buzz, “‘Thank you’ seems so lame for someone who has saved my life.”