Trainer Notes : June 29

Well, we did a few re-measures last week, to see where Michael is at 3 1/2 months into this. As mentioned in the previous blog, he has lost 70 lbs. up to this point! He has done this in a healthy way, too, as he has also decreased his body fat percentage by 6%. One of the biggest and most noticeable tells, though, is all of the inches he has lost. You've seen it if you've been following his video blogs. His 2XL's are starting to get a little baggy already - the XL is not too far away. So, in total so far, Michael has lost 42 inches from his body. As I was putting that number together, I really had to stop and put it in perspective. 42 inches...42!

That is 3.5 feet of size that has been burned off in the form of fat. This includes an amazing 13 inches lost around his waist and 11.5 inches lost around his waist. More than anything, I feel the best about the overall health and life improvements these results are starting to provide for Michael. His risk for diabetes and coronary artery disease is on it's road to practically disappearing, and I love the fact that he can now shop at normal departments stores and fit comfortably in a movie theatre seat. Most of us take these seemingly basic things for granted, and I'm just happy he is able to start experiencing them again. It's almost like a "reset" button on his daily lifestyle.

Finishing up Michael's last workout for the week, it also really hit me how quickly he has drastically improved his conditioning level. I mean, in realistic terms, to be where he is now compared to 3 1/2 months ago is pretty amazing. Even still at 320+ lbs., I'd put Michael's strength and conditioning level up against your average gym-goer or exerciser, and I guarantee he would win out the majority of the time. A workout that was quite a struggle for him even a couple weeks ago, was noticeably pretty manageable for him this week. His breathing was easier and he was almost "bouncing" from exercise to exercise. His increase in energy is incredible.

I love that he has so much energy that he has gone from watching hours of t.v. in a day to hardly any at all. Again, assessment numbers will show the raw data, allowing us to come to these conclusions as well - and I love analyzing the numbers - but sometimes it's the simple observations that seem to jump out at you and reinforce it from the practical side. Alright, that's a wrap for now. Under 300 here we come!