Saved by the Bell? Not!

So now I am 13 and in the 8th grade. The teenage years have arrived and life certainly gets more interesting. I've managed to pull away from permanent babysitting duty, made a few friends, and become somewhat more sociable. Ages 13-14 really are a blur to me. Probably because I was in a hurry to get my childhood over with and become an adult. I truly believed that once I reached adulthood, life would get better by default.

In high school, the social groupings and hierarchies crystallized for me. Overweight students such as myself were targets for a lot of mean-spirited youths. The larger I got the more invisible I tried to become. It didn't work well. Certain guys got to know my routine; where I hung out for lunch and study periods. Being hassled on a daily basis was not my idea of fun, so I wound up being a loner. I made up my mind that I didn't need to belong to any silly cliques. There were some classmates who were cool and I made friends. The focus became get my grades, mind my own business, socialize when and where I could.

As a junior, I even tried out for the football team. Everyone kept at me to try out because no school had a guy my size on their team. It was assumed I'd be some kind of tough lineman to block. Unfortunately, from a bowling injury at age 13 I had a trick knee that could play its trick at the drop of a hat. At spring training tryouts the knee was swollen up like a grapefruit which only added to my lack of mobility from obesity. It didn't take long for the reality of my not being a football hero to manifest itself.

Now these weren't all gloom and doom times. I took Driver's Ed at age 15, got up at dawn to complete the extra course before school started each day, and on my 16th birthday I was awarded my driver's license. I still take pride in that fact to this day. Also I was getting a reputation for being a very strong math student. It was my junior and senior years where I realized my passion for math as I admired it for its truth and beauty. Shortly before graduation I was given a special award in mathematics achievement and became the school's best student of the subject.

So there was good and bad. The junk food habit still had its grip on me as I was hurtling toward 300 lbs. I was hopelessly shy about approaching girls and, at times, made myself look very foolish when I tried. I grew a full beard in high school as an attempt to look more mature. One student even asked me if I was one of the faculty. I found that pretty humorous. P.E. classes were sometimes dreadful, but sometimes a lot of fun! I certainly couldn't climb that damned rope...you know the one. I did all right with softball and flag football. Volleyball and tennis were the best times physically as I developed a bit of skill for those sports. People were amazed that I could spike the volleyball and return shots on the tennis court they thought were past me. This was a great source of satisfaction that helped offset much of the negative stuff.

Stay tuned for graduation, adulthood, and beyond...

Comparing old wardrobes with Tracy Reifkind, author of The Swing and Russian Kettlebell Instructor Extraordinaire.

Gotta take a moment to give a shout out to Mrs. Reifkind as I had the honor of being her guest for a training session and a very informative consultation afterward. Obviously, she has overcome her own weight struggles. Her husband Mark is a Master Russian Kettlebell Certified Instructor and together are a dynamic force in the fitness industry. More pics and video forthcoming.

As the encouragement and the intensity of training increased and the weight decreased, there came a time when my trainer told me she was leaving the gym for another position or something like that. By this time I knew enough to put myself through a workout when necessary. It looked like it was about to become permanently necessary. But little did I know that after she left, 3 of her employees were plotting a takeover. It was decided that this awesome trio were not about to let me drift away from the progress I had made. They met with me and told me that they were willing to train me 1 session per week each. This meant not only would my proper training continue, but I'd be getting the benefit of 3 training styles coordinated into 1 continuously productive program. Who could be more blessed than me at that moment?

My training was given new life and, of course, I RIPPED into it! I had apparently impressed these 3 and I was not about to let them down. No way in hell! As the triple-tag-teaming went on, I became stronger as I lost weight. A balance was struck between resistance and aerobic exercise; a very important concept which was not lost on me. Many people lose a bunch of weight through surgery, drastic dieting, or some other extreme measures. The difference is that far more often than not, these folks wind up looking gaunt and become physically weak with the shock of relatively sudden weight-loss. Further, there is the tendency to gain some or all of the weight back. I'm telling you, there is NO substitute for diligent hard work, clean, healthy eating habits, and a focused, disciplined behavioral doctrine.

As I wrap it up for this time, I'm proud to say that these 3 professionals have gone on to become the owners and operators of FullForce Personal Training in Modesto, CA, the personal training facility where I currently work out. I am equally proud to say they are my friends.

The Roots (Continued...)

If it wasn't bad enough physically being an obese child, the mental and emotional tolls gave the experience multiple dimensions. You can probably guess some of these things that happened over and over: being picked last or not at all when choosing teams at whatever sport or game, taunting from other kids with no concept of tolerance or empathy, always being the fat kid in the class (once I heard a classmate say he was relieved because he thought he was going to be the fat kid, then he saw me...nice...).

Then there were the excuses and cover-ups from my parents and family members. Shopping for school clothes was never fun. I was called "husky", "heavy-set", "big-boned", and whatever other "polite" word could be used to describe me. A brainless child I was not. I knew who and what I was and couldn't get anyone to understand that or help me. People just thought I was too serious for my age and that I'd get over it. Still, there was a spark within me that said someday I can get out of this mess. Some people's somedays come later than others; thank God mine finally came along! Some people's somedays are today, no?

About the only thing going for me was the will to be a good student. Not a genius or a prodigy by any means, I knew that I had more than reasonable intelligence and did well in school, particularly in math. Apparently, I wasn't too fat for others to try to copy from me in class or expect me to answer all the teacher's questions. In this I had some advantage and used it to make life a bit more tolerable.

There were escapes during this time, as well. My brother took me to countless Oakland A's baseball games. My other brother took me to a lot of movies and often times gave me rides on the back of his latest motorcycle. That was always the best times! Once in a while, my brother would pick me up from school on his chopper. At least that day, I was the coolest kid in school! Family vacations and summertime breaks from school helped. Christmas time was kind of exciting, too. Lots of Hot Wheels and other toys and games to unwrap. Mom and Dad were kind and generous to me, they just didn't realize my inner turmoil.

Halfway between the ages of 10 and 11, my sister gave birth to her son. She was 18 and already out of control. It's a little late in the story to reveal this, but my parents were deaf mutes raising a large family of hearing and speaking children. Well, my sister took the most advantage of this fact and just ran wild. I was home most of the time, so sis decided to make me permanent babysitter. Here I was a child changing diapers, feeding and caring for a newborn while good ol' sis partied it up like tomorrow was judgement day. You name it, she did it. Shooting up, turning tricks, shoplifting, stealing from friends, family, whoever she could victimize. Meanwhile, she kept telling me how Junior was MY responsibility while she was gone. It was my fault when he got diaper rash or a little bump or scrape. When he got a fever, apparently it was me who neglected to keep him warm enough.

When she was around, I was appointed as her slave and she would mock me about it in front of her "friends". Lots of laughs. This is why I say that I was a father at age 10. I practically raised a child from birth for 2 years that I'll never get back. My other siblings were grown and out of the house, so I received little help from them as they were preoccupied with their own lives. Mom and Dad were deep in middle-age and really couldn't help me much. This evil spawn actually pulled a knife on our mother right in front of me (years later she would pull one on me), would constantly make threats, and tell us directly that yes, she was crazy. Tell you what, Nancy Reagan was right, just say no to drugs.

Well, times were traumatic to say the least. How to alleviate the stress of a mostly miserable childhood? The wonderland of junk food, of course! I was an intelligent child, but still a child. There is a big difference between intelligence and wisdom. How wise can a constantly sheltered, introverted, 12 year old be?

Take it from a much wiser 51 year old, make a change right now! Eat healthy and clean, move around, LIVE your life!

Next stop, the teen years...

At my worst, dressed raggedly most of the time.



Early in the transition with a dear friend





Making strides with help from a friend.



As the training continued, I learned to chop up my mission into  multiple short-term goals. For instance, starting at 532 lbs. meant that I had to change that first digit from 5 to 4, 4 to 3, and ultimately 3 to 2. It was absolutely brilliant to arrive at each of these checkpoints!

Obviously, I couldn't expect to be trained for free 5 days a week forever. My trainer had to change up the schedule from time to time and eventually, we had to drop to 4 days a week. Still, way more than I could ask for!

This was when I was shown the different free classes the gym had to offer. Once a week, I participated in water aerobics. Exercising in the pool did wonders for my flexibility and was a great change of pace. I noticed the Spin (stationary bike) classes that went on Tuesdays and Thursdays. When I was fit enough, I began taking the classes 10 minutes at a time. After a while, I could do the entire Spin workout. Little by little, I became a water aerobics and spin class regular. You couldn't get rid of me. In addition, my workout options were expanded and I was learning and doing more than I ever dreamed of!

As progress was made, I noticed an astonishing thing. People were beginning to take notice of me. More and more people would pat me on the back, shake my hand, tell me how well I was doing. Complete strangers were encouraging me and giving me positive reinforcement! You just don't know what that meant to me after decades of ridicule and negativity. After nearly 2 years, it seemed that hundreds of people were watching and cheering me on. I made a lot of friends and acquaintences, but I still get stopped from time to time by someone I don't know and they'll tell me how they remember me from when I started. Nice!

I'll wrap it here by telling you that the encouragement I got from these nice folks was as vital a factor in my progress as anything else. It carried me at times when I had doubts. As you make progress and achieve success, YOU will have the same effect. You'll be encouraged and admired and this will keep you going. Let me be the first aboard your band wagon!                               

         



Can't seem to rotate the pic, but you get the point!

                                                                                                               



The Roots of the Problem

It's time to shed some light on how I got to the place I was just before my transformation began. In order to do that, a summary of my life from the beginning bears telling. As this story unfolds, I'd like to unfold the weight-loss story concurrently. As this continues, I'll consider if this approach is viable or if I should concentrate on one story at a time. Your comments will help with this decision.

I was born at a weight of 10 lbs. 13 oz. From the womb, it seemed like I hit the ground running to obesity. Being the last of 6 children and following the 5th by 8 years, attention was heaped upon me especially in the food department. Mom was one of those old-fashioned mothers who believed that a fat baby was a healthy baby. My siblings told me many times that in my infancy, she would consistently feed me until I spit-up. Bless her heart, I never blamed her, but this was the beginning of my programming toward overeating.

At 7 months old I contracted spinal meningitis and was hospitalized for 2 weeks. I came very close to dying. After this harrowing ordeal for me and my family, life pushed on. But after nearly losing her baby, mom's attention to me increased dramatically. Unfortunately, I had a sister who died 4 years before I was born at age 13 from pneumonia. It was more than enough going through the pain of losing 1 child; the thought of losing a second put my parents in "lock-down" mode as far as raising me was concerned.

So some years passed and I grew into an over-sheltered, over-fed toddler. I became aware that something was wrong at about the age of 6. Something just didn't seem "right" or "normal" about me. One day at school when I ran out for recess, it dawned on me that I couldn't keep up with the other kids. Also, I was much larger than all the other kids and not in a good way. Just running out to the playground winded me and worse yet, I saw myself on film of all this going on. I was constantly reminded that at age 6 my weight was 106 lbs. It was a source of pride to my mother. My siblings found it to be a source of alarm. I believe this was the foreshadowing of feelings of unworthiness and low to no self-esteem.

On and on it went, the sheltering from the outside world, the enabling of having junk food meals, candy, chips, etc. almost at whim. I was a very fat kid growing up in a very bad neighborhood. Needless to say, I was tormented, made fun of, and bullied at every turn. The sheltering continued. The only time I ever went anywhere besides school was in the company of family members on rare occasions.

This covers pretty well my life to the age of about 10. At this point, my non-active, massive junk food eating lifestyle was hard-wired into me. This was also the time when my sister gave birth to her son. What developed from this would make my already unhappy childhood a truly hellish experience. I'd like to put a bookmark here and start from this point in my next blog.

Whatever kind of ordeals you or a loved one may have suffered, just know that things can absolutely change! A push in the right direction from someone who cares can work wonders. You just have to work that wonder...and you CAN!!

The first day of training involved a fitness evaluation. This was uncomfortable, to say the least, but necessary. The first step toward fixing a problem is knowing how bad the problem is. I weighed in at 532 lbs. Ouch! My waist measurement was a staggering 74 inches. OUCH!! I'm 6 ft., 2 in. tall. That adds up to 74 inches. I was as big around as I was tall! Unacceptable. My body fat percentage was 50.2%. Just over half my body consisted of fat. This was the wake up call of all time, and I damn well woke up!

The next day, the exercise began in earnest. Many people don't go to the gym because they worry about how they look as they struggle through their workouts. It was an incredibly easy excuse for me to make from the condition I was in. Fortunately, I never even thought about it. I couldn't care less what anybody thought, I had my opportunity and I poured body and soul 100% into it. 5 days a week, 30 minutes per session, I learned to do step-ups, wall push-ups, and many, many beginner's exercises as the sweat poured out and the fat dripped off.

I can still remember the phone conversation as I reported my first weigh-in result (I had to use a special scale away from the gym). I told my trainer I had lost 15 lbs. and suddenly there was applause in the background. This was my first realization that I had a community behind me in supporting my cause.

I never, EVER missed a training session. I kept a fanatically accurate food journal. It was time to prove to myself and the rest of the world that this time, my commitment was cast in stone. I was absolutely going to make it, come hell or high water. There had never been a time in my life when I was even close to physically fit. I was more than curious to find out what it would finally feel like, I was DRIVEN toward it!

Now I knew that it would take about 2 years to reach my weight-loss goal, but I figured the time was going to pass whether I did something or not. When the time came, I could be fit and strong for the rest of my life, or I could just be 2 years older and even worse off than I already was. Looks like the right choice was made, eh?

Stay tuned for the next blog and more details and encouragement as the stories progress. Keep up the journals and the active lifestyle. I'm right there in your corner!

            

51 and Going Strong!

Hello, everybody! Today is my 51st birthday and what better way to spend it than with a 45-minute warm-up followed by a sweaty, heart pumping training session with the Russian Kettlebells. A total of 30 each of swings, snatches, presses, and squats. Ahhh...no better present than ratcheting up the strength another notch.

   1st pic: some other lifetime

                                        2nd pic: a little over 1 year ago

Still having a bit of trouble with sideways pics. Here I am today, 51 years old with a 53 lb. kettlebell after today's session. It's a lot easier these days to "throw my weight around." To all of you on your way to your goals, it is an absolute fact that I didn't feel nearly half this good when I was half this age. You have a beautiful experience to look forward to!

On to new business!

Now that we have begun our journals, let’s get started with our workout regimen.

 Remember the old quotation, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” Especially for those who are in the condition I was in when I started, it’s vital to know that while hard work is a key to losing the weight, SAFETY is the first consideration. As I began the first of countless training sessions, I was told to “listen to my body”.  It is common when starting out to get a gung-ho attitude and try to do too much too soon.

Sometime early in my training, there was a time when my trainer was unavailable for a scheduled session. I was asked to train myself that morning and didn’t think anything of it. I had learned a good number of exercises and figured I could take myself through a vigorous workout and sweat up a storm. Well, I pushed way too hard, tried to do everything I knew at a pace I couldn’t handle. As a result, my shoulder was injured to the point where I couldn’t raise my arm above shoulder level. It halted my progress for 2 weeks and made life troublesome in general. It was no fun being forced to be left-handed for a length of time. Being fired up is excellent! Just be aware, an effective workout should make you sweat and feel sore, but there is a big difference between soreness and PAIN! At any time during your workout you feel pain, STOP! Do not workout any more until the pain has been remedied.

All right, let’s get down to it! An hour of physical exercise 5 days per week is a great way to start. You can do 6 days if you feel up to it, but the body needs at least 1 day per week to rest and recover. If you constantly workout every single day without ever taking a day off, you will be highly susceptible to injury. We don’t want this. EVER!

Of course, there are countless other exercises for all levels of fitness, and I’ll cover as much of what I’ve learned as possible. As this is my fourth year of serious training, I feel as though I’m a senior at Fitness University! Can hardly wait to start “Grad School”!

Don’t forget that brisk walking is a fantastic, natural way to exercise. Don’t think about how far you go, but how long. Can you walk for 10 minutes? Great! 20 minutes? Even better! As with everything, do what you can, keep the water handy at all times, and enjoy the results. Taking walks in addition to the workouts was a highly effective edge for my results.

In my food journal, I would often write down my exercise for the day. It reminded me of the effort I was putting in and made me determined not to waste it by going back to old eating habits. Give yourself a pat on the back whenever you get through a workout by documenting it. The journal isn’t just for food consumption. You can use it to channel all your thoughts and emotions instead of a knife and fork.

By the way, how's the journalling going so far? Any revelations out there?

Until next time, be safe, work hard, drink water, and get strong!

Ken White

It's Time to Take Inventory

First, let me just say thanks for all the great comments and feedback. I'll do my best to keep it positive while keeping it real.

Today I'd like to share with you an exercise that is a vital component in weight-loss and the quest for healthy living in general. This tool is known as the FOOD JOURNAL. Particularly in the beginning, this practice is a top priority for achieving and maintaining healthy habits. I start by sharing this before any of the workout experiences because you can workout until you're red, white, AND blue in the face; if you're not eating healthy and often enough, you just won't see results. The combination of nutrition and exercise is dynamic!

What I suggest to anyone who asks me how to start is this: for 30 days, get a notebook and write down absolutely everything you eat along with what time you eat it. If you are truly honest with yourself, this should be a real wake-up call! Take a good long look at what you eat and how much in the course of a day, a week, a month. I'd bet that most people would be really surprised and, hopefully, motivated to make changes.

For a long, long time while I was doing this, I was required to keep track of how many calories, grams of fat, sodium, and carbs were consumed as well. I was told to surgically attach the journal to myself if need be. The journal was to be my constant companion. Accountability was my first lesson and it has been an invaluable tool that I still use after over 3 years of training. Now I don't ask you to be THAT detailed about it (you can if you want, though), just the what and when should do the trick!

If you can be diligent, you'll get a good sense of self-awareness which will lead to better choices and a strong beginning toward a healthier way of life.

I'm still learning to use all the bells and whistles on this site. Let me see if I can get some pictures up. Meanwhile, I'll be planning and posting plenty more of the many dimensions of this experience (workouts, nutrition, my life before training, a day in the life, etc.) and doing my best to be a positive force for all who need an encouraging word.

See you next time,

Ken White

My name is Ken White. In April of 2008 I stepped on the electronic scale at the health clinic and it read 580 lbs. There I was, 47 years old and racing to an early grave. For about 7 months I worked out on my own and managed to drop about 60 lbs. Then, I quit for about 3 months and started gaining again. Finally, in February 2009 I decided to give it one more try and went to the gym near my new apartment.

The first day there I stumbled around working out not knowing what I was doing. When I was wrapping it up, the head trainer there approached me and we had a chat. She basically saw that I was trying my best, but without guidance I was going to eventually injure myself. Then she presented me with an opportunity that put me at a crossroads in my life. She offered to train me free of charge 5 days a week!

Well, this was a real wake up call to me. The question was literally being put to me, "Do you want to live or die?" I knew there were no more excuses. What more could I ask for to drop the pounds. Well, I chose to live, putting absolutely 100% into those workouts. Not only that, I was given an education in nutrition and behavioral modification. I was held accountable for my eating habits by keeping a journal of every bite of food I ate.

I was doing well until my trainer left for another job. Fortunately, 3 of her employees (who are now 3 of my best friends) took up the slack and tag-teamed me. Each one trained me one day a week, so I could continue at least a 3-day per week regimen. I found other ways to exercise on the other days, so I developed a very active life-style.

It was never easy, but it has been absolutely worth every drop of sweat, every sacrifice of junk food. This incredible life experience has helped me to lose over 300 lbs. in 2 1/2 years!! I got to a record low weight of 227 lbs. when we stopped training for weight loss and started training for strength and flexibility. Since then I've put on about 15 lbs.of muscle.

I know it was like winning the lottery to be given the chance that I got. What I'd like to do here is to reach those who are in the situation I was in that fateful day in April 2008. I was middle-aged, miserable, depressed, could hardly move, and just plain wanted to give up on life. Food and lots of it was just the way things were going to be. Well, I want to inspire and motivate people who think this to be their lot in life and tell them change can absolutely happen without shortcuts or surgery. In future posts, I'd like to share insights and details about this transformation and maybe put some advice out there for those who'd like it.

This is really just a launching pad, but let me know what you think and let's see where this goes. God bless!