Podcast Transcription: From Health Scare to Fit and Strong: How a 51-Year-Old Busy Executive Shed 20lbs and Transformed His Health & Life In Less Than 5 Months

Ted Ryce: Hey Dave, thanks so much for coming on the show today and sharing your story. 

David: Pleasure to be here, Ted. 

Ted Ryce: Can you talk about how long you've been in the program? And what your results have been? 

David: I guess it's been about five and a half months now. Results have been very good. 

I've, uh, lost approximately 20 pounds, . I, you know, it wasn't all about weight loss or fat loss for me, it was about general health and I'm, I'm feeling healthy, I'm feeling strong. I'm really pleased where I'm at at this point. 

Ted Ryce: What was going on that inspired you to join my program? What was going on then?  

David: I realized that, for. Probably the past 20 years I've been trying to get a handle on , my overall health. I've had on and off success with losing weight. But then gaining it back again, I had, uh. Two people very close to me pass away over the course. One, one a little while before we started working together, and one literally right as we were starting to work together, they both passed away of cancer. So that, uh, that made me think about my own health. I actually had a minor heart attack a few years ago, so one of the things that was really crossing my mind is despite the motivation to get healthy after the heart attack, I still wasn't having as much success as I would like to. 

And, and my, my wife, Cindy and I, we, we really had a heart to heart. Talked about, okay, what, what can we do differently now to help this, uh, this stick? She actually started looking for coaches for me. She came across you, she came across a few other folks. Uh, I interviewed a few people and, uh, I am sure we'll get into it later, but, uh, but you, you were the one that resonated the most with me. 

Ted Ryce: , What was it about me? Instead of the other coaches, what stood out about what I did or my system  

David: Part of it was personal connection when, when we had the initial sort of fit call or introduction call or, or what have you, you know, you felt like someone I could get along with and, and work with. 

But perhaps more important in that I find in all sorts of aspects of my life,, philosophical alignment is important to me. Am I on the same page with this person? And, the way you articulated things, you weren't too extreme about any particular approach yet. 

You have to do it this way. , I find the best coaches are teachers, but they also create self-reflection. You know, I thought I would get that with you. And it's, it's been proven out by our, uh, by our work together. 

Ted Ryce: Nice. Yeah. , That's always great to hear. What were some of the things that you did in the past that maybe worked for a little bit, but you ended up gaining the weight back? 

David: I wasn't necessarily, trying a bunch of different fads or anything like that, but I would almost describe it as I would go through discipline periods , and undisciplined periods. And I actually, I, I lost, I lost a ton of weight on an incredibly restrictive, uh, program. 

Then I, then I gained it all back again. So it, it, one of the big things for me you know, we, we travel a lot. Uh, you know, we've, we've got an active, uh, social life. We've got two competitive baseball player kids, so we're constantly at tournaments and things like that. 

I'm eating out a lot, having a couple of drinks with clients and, and things like that. So what I would find in the past is. I would go through something and then I would get into a busy period at work or a vacation. Or getting into the Halloween candy and then, oh, well it's Christmas. 

I can't be, uh, you know, I can't be on a program during Christmas. So it often kinda life got in the way of, of what I was trying to do in the past.  

Ted Ryce: You said, this is the longest I've lost weight and kept it off. Can you talk about why what we've done together in, in your mind is different than what you've done before?  

David: When we agreed to start working together, I actually had a, I had a big conference, uh, coming up. 

And I, and I also knew that, a a, a close family member that lived overseas was very, very ill. I ended up missing that conference because unfortunately they passed away. So I, I had to head over to the uk and one, one of the things that I had either asked you about or, or amused about is. 

Well, maybe we should start after all this stuff, and we agreed, well, let's, you know, that's life. Like things happen in your life. Let's start now and try and give you strategies for when you're doing those things. 

So before that conference, my wife and I took a little mini vacation and I started the program and, and it act, it actually worked really well for me. The other thing that's worked well is, you had me cut down on my calories. Quite significantly. 

Which I think I said to you in the beginning, I'm like, this kind of scares me. And you said, well, Dave, I want you to get results right away. I said, okay, let me give this a try. And one of the biggest things for me was, I was eating a lot more protein and a lot less fat and carbs, and I enjoyed eating that way. 

, I remember saying to you a few times, I am flabbergasted that I'm not. Hungry. So I just kind of changed my mindset in terms of what I was doing and I actually like eating that way, 

Ted Ryce: What would you say was your biggest challenge in the program? What was the hardest part for you? 

David: You know, e even in those early days, I, I talked to you about the fact that, you know, when I'm at a business event, uh, the, the nature of my role is, is I'm probably gonna have, I'm gonna be hosting clients and colleagues, and I'm probably gonna be having a couple of drinks with them. It was both a challenge and an opportunity in terms of, because those things are relatively frequent for me. 

I really had to plan around them. You know, the, the, the one problem for me is, you know, despite the best laid, laid plans, you have a glass or two of, uh, of alcohol and all of a sudden you start to think, ah, you know, may, maybe I should just have that dessert or what have you. 

What I've really appreciated in, uh, in working with you is, is you kind of strike a balance between, there's accountability there. 

But there's not, you know, busting my, you know, what's in terms of, you know, if, if I, like sometimes I come to you almost sheepishly and say, ah, you know, Ted, I was outta town and I walked back to the hotel and I grabbed a chocolate bar outta the mini bar and blah, blah, blah. And you're like, is that a problem? 

I'm like, well, I guess not. So, I really kinda learned how to think less about success and failure and, and just think about every single decision I make is, is a learning experience and, and nine times outta 10, it's a very conscious decision.  

Ted Ryce: Yeah, that's another great one. So, um. What would you say is your, , biggest learning lesson or the thing that you enjoyed the most in the program? 

David: I would say, the flexibility the flexibility to choose. One of the things we've talked a fair bit about is if I know I'm gonna have one of those dinners that we just talked about, well, how can I adjust my breakfast and lunch accordingly? 

My personality is such that. If I feel like I'm being forced into something or if, if I feel like the decision is not mine, I, I kinda, rebel against it. So I think the thing I've enjoyed the most is, you know, everything I'm doing, I'm doing because I want to. 

So I, I think that's really helped and, a lot of what we've been doing in the past number of months, I can see myself doing it for the rest of my life so from a sustainability standpoint, with what we've been working together on, I feel like sustainability is kind of tweaking of what we're already doing versus, okay, I've lost all the weight. Now I'm gonna go back to the way before, but just try and moderate it a little bit. 

That wouldn't work for me, but, but sort of saying, okay, now I'm, I'm enjoying this lifestyle maintenance mode. Looks like moderating a little bit, but not going back to, to how I was before.  

Ted Ryce: Here's a question for you. How is your. Life different, if at all, in ways that are outside of health and fitness. Any positive change? Yeah, work wise, relationships wise, what would you say?  

David: I'm feeling like I am, uh, more disciplined I'm feeling good about, what I've put into the process and the success that I've had., I would say it's giving me some confidence in other areas, 

I think success in one area begets success in other areas, you know, because I'm feeling good about myself. That helps when I'm working on something difficult at work or whatever the case may be. Personally, I'm feeling fit and strong. I'm not, I'm not just feeling thinner. 

It, it may sound silly, but you know, I walk up the stairs and I, and I walk. Down the street and I feel it in my muscles versus in my joints and that, that sort of thing. 

I was actually very open with my kids about it as well. My, my son is working out with me. My other son's always asking, Hey, you know, Hey, what did you weigh this morning? And that sort of thing, but. Obviously Cindy wants me to stay healthy and alive for the next 30 or 40 years, and it was a source of stress she was worried that my health wasn't optimal, as was I, so it was a source of stress that has significantly reduced at this point.  

Ted Ryce: What would you say to anybody thinking about joining, uh, my coaching program? What should they know? What, what advice would you give for someone on the fence? 

David: I would say. Have an open and honest initial conversation in terms of a, asking you all the questions, you know, if, if someone has, you know, sort of hopes and dreams and, and fears, uh, you know what, what, one of the things that's worked best for me is, is being as open and honest as possible, uh, both in the questions that I ask and admitting. 

Admitting when I don't know something and admitting when I've, you know, when I'm feeling bummed out or, or whatever the case may be. So like, I think that starts from the very beginning. So if someone's considering working with you, you know, to be honest with you, in terms of what they're looking for, uh, and ask the right questions. 

And that, that kind of initial open conversation, uh, I think makes sense. The, the, the, the other thing in terms of, um. And, and again, I know you're flexible depending on the client that, that you work with, but you, you put a fair bit of onus on me and, and one, one of the questions that I, I like you, you know, you, you'll, you'll teach me something, if you will. 

And then you'll say, well, what, what was your biggest takeaway from that, Dave? What, what did you, what did you learn from that? And, and again, it forces me to self-reflect if that coaching style doesn't resonate with, with someone, then, you know, maybe you're not the right coach for them. But, uh, but if it does, gosh, it's, uh, it's incredibly effective. 

Ted Ryce: Yeah. Thanks for saying that 

well, Dave, I really appreciate your time. It's been so amazing to, to see you progress in the program. 

You've just crushed it. Any, anything else, any parting words? Parting lesson, what would you say?  

David: Probably the parting lesson for me has been, really kind of taking control of your health, you know, and, and not, not thinking of it as. 

I just wanna lose some weight, but it's taking control of this aspect of my life and all of the benefits that go along with that. You know, whe whether it's reducing stress, whether it's looking good, whether it's keeping your heart healthy. Whether it's living a little bit longer, like it, kind of, thinking of it holistically. 

I think that's what's, uh, really worked for, for me personally and and me working in, in the context of working with you.  

Ted Ryce: Wise words, Dave. Uh, it's been an absolute pleasure and yeah. Excited for what comes next for you. 

David: Thanks!