My name is Mitch Danielson. I am 48 years old. For as long as I can remember I have been in good shape. That is until I hit 40-years-old. After that the pounds kept adding on. I have worked in concrete since the age of 19 and while having a labor-intensive job sufficed for physical activity when I was younger, it wasn't enough to keep the pounds off anymore.
The problem I had at 40 was my metabolism was fading but I still wanted to eat all of the comfort food I had before. I love sugar. When I was younger it didn't matter what I ate because the pounds didn't stick. I didn’t have to work at it, I felt great without trying hard and it didn’t look like I needed to lose weight either.
Fast forward to this past fall, some friends who were part of FitClub invited me to be in the Fall Breakthrough Challenge. That challenge was the wake up call I needed.
I always thought the lbs. would magically come off without changing my bad habits. During the 10 weeks the coaches and my teammates showed me how to have better eating habits. I also got back to working out.
As a result of the Fall Breakthrough Challenge, I lost 35 lbs. Finally, I was feeling great again. My body didn’t hurt every day from being out of shape. I enjoyed physical activities again without feeling like I was going to pass out.
This whole thing started out as a 10-week challenge; now it is part of my routine. I work out 3-4 days a week. Now that I’m at a healthier body fat percentage I have been building my muscle back up while keeping the fat off. It's all about just getting started with a great group of people who all encourage the right changes.
What worked this time, as opposed to every other time I tried to lose weight, was that it was a competition. I’ve always been able to lose weight when I needed to, for example for life insurance physicals. Once I pass the physical, I would go back to my old ways and the cycle repeated. My reason for losing weight didn’t feel important enough to keep it off. Slowly, I started to not like what I saw in the mirror. My body was starting to hurt.
I am a very competitive person and since FitClub does these team challenges, something inside me clicked. I wanted to win! Then I found a group of people that were also competitive. That was the key for me. Most people at 48-years-old are not working out much but I found a community of people who were like me.
With some hard work and eating healthily, most of the time, I can feel and look good! I do like what I see in the mirror. My body doesn't hurt anymore. This is what motivates me to keep working.
The problem I had at 40 was my metabolism was fading but I still wanted to eat all of the comfort food I had before. I love sugar. When I was younger it didn't matter what I ate because the pounds didn't stick. I didn’t have to work at it, I felt great without trying hard and it didn’t look like I needed to lose weight either.
Fast forward to this past fall, some friends who were part of FitClub invited me to be in the Fall Breakthrough Challenge. That challenge was the wake up call I needed.
I always thought the lbs. would magically come off without changing my bad habits. During the 10 weeks the coaches and my teammates showed me how to have better eating habits. I also got back to working out.
As a result of the Fall Breakthrough Challenge, I lost 35 lbs. Finally, I was feeling great again. My body didn’t hurt every day from being out of shape. I enjoyed physical activities again without feeling like I was going to pass out.
This whole thing started out as a 10-week challenge; now it is part of my routine. I work out 3-4 days a week. Now that I’m at a healthier body fat percentage I have been building my muscle back up while keeping the fat off. It's all about just getting started with a great group of people who all encourage the right changes.
What worked this time, as opposed to every other time I tried to lose weight, was that it was a competition. I’ve always been able to lose weight when I needed to, for example for life insurance physicals. Once I pass the physical, I would go back to my old ways and the cycle repeated. My reason for losing weight didn’t feel important enough to keep it off. Slowly, I started to not like what I saw in the mirror. My body was starting to hurt.
I am a very competitive person and since FitClub does these team challenges, something inside me clicked. I wanted to win! Then I found a group of people that were also competitive. That was the key for me. Most people at 48-years-old are not working out much but I found a community of people who were like me.
With some hard work and eating healthily, most of the time, I can feel and look good! I do like what I see in the mirror. My body doesn't hurt anymore. This is what motivates me to keep working.
