By Marco

After holding thousands of consultations, both privately and for large fitness chains, I can say with absolute surety that there are undeniable patterns at play when it comes to whether or not someone elects to work with a fitness trainer. At the very top of the list is “I’d love to, but I can’t afford it.”

Now granted, if someone does not see the value of working with a pro, then they are not going to invest a dime. They may feel this way because the consultation they received was more of a sales pitch than anything else, but the reality is that ignorance can kill a person. Don’t believe me? Spend a day in a battle field somewhere without training, try to fly a plane, try to fix your own car (without being a mechanic), try to do surgery on yourself… see what I mean?

You think those are extreme examples? How would you like a list of the injuries: strokes, pass outs, calls to 911, the amount of people who quit trying and chronic conditions now in full swing, that all started at a gym; all because an inexperienced person “tried it” on their own. 

So you can’t afford a trainer? Well, let’s have a look at what you apparently “can afford.”

• Designer coffees
• Dinners out
• Vacations you can’t afford but put on credit
• Weekly hair appointments
• Weekly nail appointments
• Mani / Pedi
• The golf course fees
• The huge car you drive that you can’t afford and the gas that it eats
• The weekly partying, girls/guys night out
• Not making your lunches, buying them instead
• Nights out at the movies
• I love my wine and my booze. How much is that costing you?
• That outfit you just HAD to have.
• The “diet” and weight loss supplements you are buying
• The shopping spree
• The boxed “diet” food you are buying
• The cigarettes
• The big screen TV
• Binge buying at Costco, Best Buy, Guess
• Video games
• Fad electronics
• The list goes on and on…

Truth is you could do away with any one of these if not several and put some money aside to get educated by a fitness pro, but you don’t. You choose not to.

It IS a choice

Are you deifying your kids and buying expensive outfits that they outgrow in weeks?

What about that expensive hobby? Scrapbooking, cars, crafting?

As a man who lost 160 Lb. naturally and has kept it off, let me assure you of this: there is NOT A SINGLE SOLITARY SUPPLEMENT THAT WILL FIX YOUR WEIGHT PROBLEM or help you lose weight properly and long-term. Forget it; It is all a cash grab. You are spending money on shortcuts that do not work. 

The truth is that whatever we desire or prioritize the most, we manage to find the money for, or put it on credit, or find a way around getting it. Don’t believe me? Got any debt? What did you spend that money you did not have on?

The truth is we don’t WANT to spend money in the area of hiring a trainer. We would rather spend it on the vices and pleasures above. That and/or we think you can do it ourselves. This is the ONLY area people seem to skimp on. Not car repairs, not medical issues, not renovations, not golf lessons, but as far as the gym goes “I will try it on my own.”
As a trainer and award winning fitness consultant I can say this; NOTHING causes someone to leave a gym and give up on their fitness goals more than a lack of results. Why is there a lack of results? Because people in general have no idea what they are doing in the gym. I am not just talking about technique here. I am talking about programming, working around injuries, having a specific program; no, not just a class, though they are great as well. I mean a focused program that is right for each individual.

Bottom line? Everyone wants it, but few are willing to work for it, much less pay for it.

TRUTH IS, you can’t afford NOT to work with a trainer!

Check where your money is going. You may be able to make a few adjustments and at least get started with some potentially injury saving, discouragement preventing advice.

Most of all though, you have to decide that your health, fitness and well-being is THAT important to you. More than the vacations, more than the things we have all spent money we did not have for.

 By Marco Girgenti

In my last article, I wrote about ‘The Only Time I Ever Gained Some Weight Back,’ the article outlined the effects a 16 week, no carb transformation had on me. Today, I’d like to share how cutting refined sugar from my everyday eating has impacted other areas of my life; not just my reduced waistline.

CHRONIC PAIN

When you get used to living with joint pain or inflammation, you come to a place where you accept it and don’t really notice the symptoms any more… until one day you wake up and they are gone. It is a well documented fact that sugar causes inflammation which is a major factor in a long list of diseases, from cancer and diabetes, to atherosclerosis and digestive disorders. On a personal level, I had pain in my left knee for years, a trigger finger – caused by local swelling from inflammation or scarring of the tendon sheath around the flexor tendons and I also had recurring pain in the lower left side of my back and my left wrist. Since eliminating refined sugar or “simple carbs,” these are all gone!

Again, I want to take you back to my last article and remind you that I am speaking strictly about eliminating refined sugar, the kind you find in almost anything baked, any packaged foods, or meals in restaurants. Yes, it is everywhere. I still have lots of sugar from dates, fruits, etc… but my waist keeps shrinking and I feel stronger now than I did even 10 years ago (I am 49 as I write this article).

ENERGY

Refined sugar is also referred to as a High GI (Glycemic Index) food. My workouts are intense. They are all superset exercises and the HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) in my boxing workouts is extremely punishing. Yet, without any type of “pre workout” supplement, I power through these workouts with no inflammation and my energy comes solely from plant based foods. It amazes me. No “super science made in a lab” concoction. For a pre workout energy boost, I prefer 5-6 medjool dates and 2-3 tablespoons of seeds and my favourite are pumpkin and some coconut water to wash it all down. Alternately, I will juice an entire red beet, a 1-2 inch piece of ginger root with some cilantro and kale. These provide clean energy with nutritional benefits that are almost immeasurable and oh, they taste great by the way! 

POST WORKOUT STIFFNESS

In the past I would feel a lot of soreness following intense workouts, even when I was younger, which means I should have been able to recover more quickly than at 49. However, since I eliminated refined sugar, that post training soreness has dropped to 90% of what it was. In fact, I train to the absolute max, the kind of max where one more rep could mean the bench press bar landing on my neck, or one more HIIT could mean the heart rate at above 190. The fact that I feel little to no discomfort at all from 24 hours following this type of intense workout astounds me perhaps more than anything else.

I no longer find myself with energy drops throughout the day; the 2:00 p.m. dip etc…  I am wide awake and more alert than I have ever been since I replaced refined sugar with foods that have naturally occurring sugar.

In my next article, I will talk a bit more about sugar, as well as the shocking effects I experienced after coming off dairy and then having a 3/4 cup serving of greek yogurt; a darling of the health food industry.

I hope this information helps to inspire you to make healthy lifestyle changes.

Thanks for reading!

Marco

The Only Time I Gained Some Weight Back.

Some time ago I made a conscious effort to eliminate all processed sugars from my everyday diet. When I say “diet,” it is not in the commercial sense of the word; I mean it to be defined as my way of eating on a regular basis. I also decided to stave off large quantities of bread, pasta and those types of carbs in general. I have enough “stored energy” in my body and that is what those foods represent and function as – energy.

Sounds like a no carb diet, doesn’t it? The exact thing I have been preaching against and wrote about in my book, “Starving to be Fat.”  Years ago, I took a 16 week “transformation” type challenge on for a few reasons:

1) I wanted to see if I had the discipline to do it. 

2) As a trainer, I had clients who were trying it.

3) As a fitness consultant I met with many who had tried that lifestyle and failed. So, over the course of this challenge, I ate nothing but chicken, some red meat and fish, only greens, no fruit, no bread, potatoes or any carbs of that sort. No fat to speak of, other than some portioned cashews 3 times per week, maybe some flaxseed oil and enough eggs and egg whites to support a small supermarket.

I trained in the gym 4-5 days a week and wound up doing upwards of 1 hour and 20 minutes of steady state cardio. Fun, huh?

I dropped weight alright and loved the results. So, why did I gain some weight back after I came off that challenge? Now that I have dealt with refined sugar in my life, I have my answer. I never kicked my system’s addiction to refined sugar and that is why programs and diets like that only work short term and they can be harmful as well.

STILL EATING SUGAR

If you read my article “How Marco Continues to Reshape…” (if not, please click here to read it) you will have a general idea of how I eat now. You will also read there that I eat a lot of sugar and fat and that I am dropping weight steadily. So what is the difference between how I live now and that 16-week program? There are a few differences; the sugar and fat are natural, not refined or artificial. Since I dealt with the refined sugar addiction and replaced the refined sugars with natural ones, in a sense I detoxed (big fad word there) my body’s dependency on sugar. Think my diet is boring? If you tried the raw desserts Susan has been creating, you would be astounded. They all taste better than their refined impostors and though they are calorically dense, they carry massive nutritional density. Because they are natural, the body responds differently and you become satiated with less. The urge to gorge is gone, as a result! Everything in moderation, of course. If you eat 3 cups of nuts, organic or not and you are not training to support that kind of eating, you are going to gain weight.

CLICK HERE for one of our raw treat recipes.

CARBS GALORE

Among other significant damage the diet industry has inflicted is its insistence on pointing primarily to pasta, potatoes, breads and the like, as carbs. However, all vegetables and fruits are carbs as well. So you could say I am eating more carbs now than I ever have.

SUGAR ADDICTION

This sugar addiction is passive. One may not go around “jonesing” for a hit of sugar; it works in the background and hooks you slowly. I can tell you this 100% though; until you wean your body off refined sugar, you will probable never have long term success in your weight loss goals. In my next article, I will talk about the major differences I have noticed, even in relation to training as a result of eliminating refined sugar from my diet.

Confession: Last night Susan and I had a lovely dinner outdoors and had tiramisu, a decadent Italian desert. Sugar indeed! Once in a while, but not a lifestyle… and that makes all the difference in the world.

 

How Marco Continues to Lose Weight and Reshape His Body at 49 Years of Age. (over 25 Lb. dropped in the past 6 months)

Throughout my weight loss journey, I have learned, researched and also tried many concepts for losing weight and I continue to evolve and learn what works best and what is rubbish! This health and fitness journey is not a sprint and for me, it is a way of life. It’s about feeling great, being healthy, energetic and strong, looking better, getting results that last, and equally important; making it doable for my lifestyle. 

Here’s the gist of it all:

I do not eat or drink refined sugar.

No sodas, diet or otherwise. Get your head out of the “zero calorie” trap, you are being poisoned, period.

No simple carbs, baked goods, bread, etc…

Nothing man made as far as “food products.” E.g. low fat, low carb, sugar free… it is all marketing and a scam. If I look at anything in a box, a bottle or a bag, I read every label and ingredient and if it is foreign, artificial and unrecognizable, I won’t buy it!

No fast food… ever. 

Nothing fried. Okay, last week at a movie I had 3 sweet potato fries,

I stopped eating meat, fish and poultry some time ago. I am not saying this is necessary for weight loss, it is just a choice I made for other reasons, namely that there is no way I trust the food providers and the raising and preparation of the animals. Far too many recalls and ties to illnesses associated with livestock.

I rarely cook food anymore, unless it heightens the nutritional profile and release of certain properties of foods that are beneficial. 

I have all kinds of fats; olive oil, avocados, omegas in natural foods.

I have all kinds of sugar, the kind found in fruits, dates, etc…

Once a week I might have real Italian style pizza or an organic prosciutto sandwich.

My protein comes from plants, spirulina powder (a fresh water green microalgae that contains a host of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and 2 g protein in 1 tsp.), nuts and seeds. I do not eat any soy based products.

I do not trust any whey protein powder manufacturers. Pretty much, all dairy based whey protein powder comes from cows that are fed grains and are bombarded with antibiotics. As far as any protein supplements, I use plant based hemp protein powder.

I do not use any type of weight training supplement and I am in better health with more energy now at 49 than I was 10 years ago.

I am an avid juicer. Cold pressed, organic produce. It is time consuming, but I don’t care. I view it is an investment in my health. I would rather spend 1.5 hours juicing and prepping food than wasting it sitting on my arse watching soap operas or some unreal reality show.

Cheese? If I am in the mood; once in a while. 

Popcorn? Yes, but just popcorn made at home or one I am familiar with as far as ingredients. I steer clear of GMO foods and all corn is pretty much GMO unless otherwise indicated.

Chips? Once in a while, yes. The chips have 2-3 ingredients maximum. -Potatoes, salt and some sort of healthy oil.

I tell you this; “desserts” that are uncooked, using coconut fat/oil, cocoa, real chocolate and the like are absolutely delicious! It is pretty much impossible to overindulge on these because what they are made of is “real” and the sugar is natural. When it hits your brain, it does not cause responses that fake or refined sugars do.

My coffee is black. I used to be triple cream and sugar.

Is it easy? It is a lifestyle choice. It is just my new reality and it is what works for me. 

During my last business trip to South America, glorious food was everywhere and you have to be committed to take the lifestyle with you. If you are on a diet, you are doomed! I plan ahead when traveling. Susan piles me up with healthy snacks to take on the plane. When I fly, I have already decided to not eat the food they serve (the equivalent to disgusting and unhealthy hospital food). I research food markets and restaurants in the area where I will be staying before I travel. My first trip is to the local grocery store to pick up fruits and veg. These go back to the hotel room with me and are ready anytime and affordable both financially and calorically.

EXERCISE 

I train 3 times per week for 45 minutes. Travel and a few other items as of late have made that more of a challenge than usual, but I do not gain weight, even during a layoff.

My training sessions consist of full body, superset weight and resistance training). I do not do a lot of cardio, but if I do, it is a form of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training. One example is a heavy bag, boxing workout. 20-30 seconds of full out combinations, followed by 30 seconds of lower intensity for a half an hour total time. Believe me, you can forget the treadmill.

THE TAKEAWAY:

Stop eating refined sugar.

The right choices 90% of the time and by this I mean REAL WHOLE UNPROCESSED food is a “cannot fail” weight maintenance lifestyle. You just have to want it bad enough. You can whine, you can be a slave to the cake you “just cannot pass up,” or you can go through discipline and some discomfort now, to continue to progress towards the body and health profile you want.