Losing weight is hard, and it only comes when you decide that it’s time to make a change. For a lot of people, committing to that decision is the hardest part of their journey, while for others it comes quickly.
Bob van Gorkom was weighing in at 320 pounds when came to the realization that only he has the power to change, a superpower he had all along.
Bob was set in his ways. He enjoyed a lifestyle eating thousands of calories per meal, and not caring about what was going into his body. He never thought twice about eating healthy or an active lifestyle and was content just the way he was. Then he realized that with a little effort, he could make a lot of changes, and that’s exactly what he did. Staring with re-evaulating his eating habits and a boot camp membership, his journey began.
In April of 2014 Bob decided that he was going to give up carbs and sugars. He then signed up for a fitness boot camp with Laurie Henderson, a personal trainer at Fly Dog Fitness. “Laurie was the first person who helped me realize that it was about doing MY BEST,” he wrote about the trainer, “Can’t move like someone a hundred pounds less than you? That’s ok do what YOU can do- and push yourself.”
Bob shared that to become a better you, “your current normal needs to go away- forever.” A statement that some one out there needing to make a change, needs to hear.
Along the way Bob learned that life changes aren’t about quick fixes, they’re about lasting changes and commitments. And Bob committed everyday, to his diet, to his physical activity, and to replacing old habits with new ones. The road was certainly difficult, but worth it when he reached the goal of losing 150 pounds.
Along with obvious physical changes, there were also self discoveries as well. Bob learned that one of his passions in life is jiu jitsu, all thanks to his choice to get healthy. Now he currently is studying martial arts at Holy City Jiu Jitsu with help from his youngest trainers Ben and Maggie, his children. Bob now competes in tournaments and has a goal to compete at least three times a year, something he never could have imagined doing at his previous weight. “Am I the leanest, fastest, strongest guy in the world? Absolutely not. But I’m a million miles from where I started, better than I was and looking to improve all the time. That’s what matters.
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