Atlanta's Biggest Loser is a WINNER!

The Transitions of Tommy the Cop

My life seemed to be the normal life that everyone had at the time. My life consisted of working, sleeping, eating, spending time with my family, and what ever adventure brought about the day. I had no structure or discipline in what I did from day to day. I worked hard and did my work well. I was a good husband; at least in my eyes. I did not work out or challenge my body or mind to stay strong and healthy. I ate what ever I had in front of my face. I have always been bigger than all of my friends and family; which never seemed to faze me. It all seemed natural. My family knew my lifestyle and I became used to it. I was comfortable and complacent. It was not until five or six months ago that I came to the realization that I was headed for the grave. I wore a size 42 pant, I had man boobs, and I could barely do any activity without dying for air. I began to look closer at the pictures of me. I saw a sad person that knew he was obese. I knew I was overweight, but I felt like I had no options. I always tried the quick fixes; diet pills, diet programs, and any other drastic thing someone overweight would try. I was fat. I was stuck in a rut that I felt I could not get out of and I knew I was dying fast.
My wife and mother always hounded me to go and get my cholesterol levels checked. My father had always had horrific problems with his heart. The problems were attributed to alcohol, cigarettes, poor eating, lack of exercise, and I am sure it was passed down through the family to him. I had to get checked for cholesterol, because I knew it was inevitable that I would follow in my father’s footsteps; I was half way there. So I went to go and get my cholesterol level checked. I waited a week for the results and the day the results were available I got a phone call. This is not the phone call that I wanted. My mom called from St. Louis to tell me that my dad was in St. Luke’s Hospital in St. Louis. My father had sustained another heart attack and was in ICU. A wave of panic hit me immediately. Is he ok? What happened? How did this happen? Mom are you ok? My mom assured me that my dad was going to be ok and she would call me if any additional information was available. We hung up the phone and not thirty minutes later I got another phone call; it was the doctor’s office. The doctor called me to tell me that my cholesterol level was astronomically high. It was so I they could not believe that I had no side effects of its levels. I was instructed to come back into the doctor’s office as soon as possible. I went into the doctor’s office a couple days later and I was put on high doses of pills to decrease my cholesterol levels. I was instructed to stop eating so bad and start working out. The same song and dance I had heard before.
I went home and had a moment of Zen if you will. I knew I had to change and change quick. I wanted to always be there for my wife. I wanted to live to have kids and see them grow. Lastly, I wanted to live life. I had to change. My wife and I started that change. I tried to work out when I could. I tried to eat better. All this seemed to be working, but I still was not going in the right direction. I still ate bad and I did not work out to the point where it would put a dent in my bad lifestyle.
My wife and I were in bed one night and she was surfing the internet. She came across this contest on 11Alive.com. The contest was titled Atlanta’s Biggest Loser. After my wife quietly read through the page, she hinted to me “do you wanna try out.” I was tired and dragging, probably not listening, which I said “sure.” So we filled out the application and left it at that. About a week later I got a call from the producers asking me to come in for a first interview to be a contestant on the show. I could not believe it. I was shocked and scared at the same time. I said yes and told them I would be at the interview. That is when I first meet Mari Garner. She was one of the interviewees. I was asked a series of questions and I left.
I received a call about three day’s later saying that I made it. I was going to be a contestant on the show. I went to a series of orientations and was told when to meet my trainer again. My wife and I showed up at The American Boot Camp Company Studio in Brookhaven for our orientation. We were told what was expected of us and any other pertinent information that we may need. I started to get nervous. What was I getting myself into with this training? I had to train twice a day, I had to eat on a set food schedule, and I could not do all the things I wanted to do. Now if you remember I had no discipline in my life. I did what I wanted and did not answer to anyone. I now had a trainer and fellow team mates that depended on me. I had a sense of accountability.
I went to training the first day and just then did I remember what it was like to exercise again. I was outside at 5:45 in the morning doing pushups, sit ups, lunges, running, and any other exercise you can do; when in theory I should be in my warm comfortable bed. So I went to work shortly after that and remembered I have another work out at 6:00 in the evening. This went on for three months. I trained hard and I did not stop. I acquired the discipline and structure I needed when it came to working out. I had a balance in my life where I looked forward to changing my life. First I lost five pounds in the first two weeks. Then it went to eight pounds. The pounds then started to shed. Now you need to understand that the training became my life. I was so focused on making a change that it became my life. My wife, family, friends, and work knew that if I wanted to still be around in five years I needed to sacrifice my life now for the future. I found that there was not enough time in the day for work and exercise.
During the training with Mari Garner and the folks at The American Boot Camp Company they did not just train my physically. I was challenged mentally. When you take a obese person and push them physically further than they have been challenged they want to quit. You just want to stop and not continue. You are encouraged, motivated, and challenged to the point where it becomes a obsession. You want to excel. You do not want to quit and you want to see how hard you can push your mind and body.
One of the most fundamental aspects of any lifestyle change is understanding that your body is not only a temple, but it is also a machine. If you feed your body the right fuel it will give you the results that it wants. If you feed it junk fuel it will be run down and not perform. You are more incline to be sick, obese, injured, or dead. We were taught the fundamentals of food consumption. We were educated what food was good and what food was bad. We were taught how much to eat and when to eat it. It is amazing how those who go to train with The American Boot Camp Company are not only being physically trained, but you are being trained on what you need to eat.
I had three long months of intense training. I was challenge to eat right and work out right. I thought that going into this journey with The American Boot Camp Company I was not going to see results. I am five foot eleven. I started out weighing 242 pounds. I worked out with all my heart and I became disciplined on what to consume and what not to consume. Three months later I lost 47 pounds. I am now less than 200 pounds. This was a feat I never thought I could accomplish. I am now five pounds away from my personal target weight. I will continue to work out with Mari Garner’s The American Boot Camp Company even when I reach my goal. They have been the most critically fundamental reason why I have achieved such a large weight loss. I will forever be indebted to Mari Garner’s The American Boot Camp Company.

Here is a sample of my daily activities during the three periods of my life.

1. Entry into Adulthood: I call this because I attribute my most weight gain to this period. This period is one that most working adults lie in and continue to stay in.
6:00am – I get up and get ready for work.
6:30am – I arrive at work. I do not eat. I am still tired. I drink about two Red Bulls waiting patiently for lunch.
12:00pm – Lunch time. A few coworkers and I go to eat. Let’s say we go to Longhorns. I get a steak, back potato fully loaded, and chili cheese fries. I drink about four Cokes. I go back to work not thinking that I just consumed around 1000 calories.
5:00pm – I get off work and head home.
5:30pm – I get home and meet my wife.
6:30pm – we are settled in and deciding what to eat for dinner. Oh boy lets do pizza.
7:30pm - the pizza guy arrives and we dive into our pizza. My wife respectfully eats two slices, while I finish off the entire pizza. Again not realizing what I just did to my body. Holy 1000 calories…..Again.
9:00pm – We are still sitting on the couch and I decide to indulge in about ten Oreo cookies.
10:00pm – Bed time.

I repeat this everyday of the week.
2. Rebirth- This is the time period while I am Training with Mari Garner’s The American Boot Camp Company.
4:30am – I wake up and get ready for training. I eat a orange to prepare me for the workout.
5:45am – I arrive at training. We work out for only sixty minutes, but it intense and you feel your body getting a work out. You are challenged and pushed to exceed your expectations.
7:00am – I feel good. I just had a great work out and I start my day off right.
8:00 am – I arrive at work and throw my breakfast in the microwave. I have two whole wheat pancakes, low fat syrup, yogurt, almonds, and a banana (all portioned controlled).
10:00am – I have a small snack to get me through the day. I have a slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter.
12:00pm – Lunch Time! I have a turkey burger and salad. Oddly enough it all taste great and I am not hungry.
3:00pm – I have a small snack to get me through the rest of the day. I have a yogurt parfait.
*just to remind you that from 8:00am through 5:00pm I am at work and still managing to eat my breakfast and snacks.
5:00pm – I head home for the day.
5:30pm – I arrive home to my wife and I preparing dinner. We have baked cod with steamed veggies.
7:00pm – Back to the gym. I train by doing kick boxing or some other cardio type work out.
8:00pm - I head home.
8:30pm – I am home and ready for bed.
9:00pm – After the shower I hop in bed and sleep like a baby.
*I did this type of routine for three months straight. I developed discipline and the foundation that motivated me to want to continue this lifestyle. I learned that it was imperative to not deviate from the program, that my future was dependant on my discipline.

I have continued this program to this date. Although the intensity of the schedule has been brought down just a bit; I have not deviated from the plan. I continue to work out six times a week, which the only reason I do this is because I love to exercise again. I love running with my dogs and exercising with my wife.
I would encourage anyone who has lost the will to make a change; visit Mari Garner and her staff. They provide the most impressive program and services to turn any disbeliever into a believer. As cliché as it sounds I should know, I was one. I now lost almost fifty pounds. I lost six pant sizes. But I regained my self confidence and discipline to survive in order to live a long healthy life.