by SA Brown | Jan 1, 2018 | Blog, Body By Fadi, Uncategorized
“Where are you moving?” A friend asked me.
I said, “Onto better things.”
Hey friends,
New year, New You. Right??
Could be. Could be not. Who’s to say? Believe it or now you are.
Maybe in 2017, you wanted to be the absolute best version of you. Not fitness regime and nutritional values. And perhaps you succeeded.
Or maybe, you were lazy and unmotivated. Now you want to make huge changes in 2018.
Either way, whatever 2017 was for you, it’s over now.
So what’s next for you?
The same ole you or a brand new you?
Only you can decide. Choose wisely. A better you depends on it.
Until next time,
Stay healthy my friends.
by SA Brown | Dec 16, 2017 | Blog
“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by
change.” ~Jim Rohn
If I had two words to describe my life in the last year, they
would be ‘starting over.’ One year ago, I was recovering from an
emergency appendectomy. Before that, I had taken off a month
from work because of depression and anxiety. At that time, I
weighed about 240, but after the surgery, I was down to 220. I
was not exercising so obviously, the weight loss was due to
medical issues and not healthy means.
Still, I was 220. The last time I weighed 220 was in 2010. Then
I was a high school basketball coach. Although I was not eating
properly, I was active every day, all year long. In 2012, I
started a medicine and one of its side effects: weight gain. That is
when I weighed 240. Still, I was not eating properly and was not
being as active, but my weight was stable at 240. I was not
happy about that, yet, I did nothing about it. I accepted it
as a by-product of the medicine.
So I started buying larger clothes. I wanted to lose the weight
so I would try different gyms. I would walk around my
neighborhood, sometimes. I even tried to change my diet, at
times. Overall, I would try this and that but always ‘fall off
the proverbial wagon’ and always start over. I was missing the
discipline of consistency.
In 2015, I moved to Atlanta. I immediately joined LA Fitness but
soon canceled my membership. I went to a personal trainer but
he proved to be too expensive. I decided to walk around my
neighborhood but winter came. When spring showed up, I had lost
the desire. I even tried to change my eating habits but would
fall back into my old habits of eating quick and eating out. I
loved a daily hearty breakfast at Waffle House, just to give an
example.
Along came 2016. By summer, I noticed a real change in my
clothes. My yearly physical alerted me to a weight gain. I was
250. I had never been that heavy. My physical also told me I was
pre-hypertensive and pre-diabetic. My doctor’s recommendation:
eat right and lose weight. Duh! Yet, it was easier said than
done.
I tried again to eat right but feel back into my old habits. I
tried to be active but feel back into my old habits. It was not
until September that I realized I actually had fallen into a
deep depression. I took a month off from work. Then my surgery
and I took another two weeks off from work. By December 2016, I
weighed 225. I was content with that size but it was short
lived.
2017. I ate poorly. I look back on it and it was ridiculous.
Buttered toast. Wendy’s 4 for $4. Sonic. Zesto’s. You get the
point. I was not active at all although I have access to a
gym in my building. I just ate and ate. I have no reason why. I just
ate. By July, I weighed 265. I was officially a heavyweight. I
have never been so heavy. Although I became depressed, I wanted
to make changes. I researched and found Body By Fadi.
I met with Fadi and enjoyed his energy. He came across as more
of a teacher than a trainer. I could tell he was interested in my
well-being because of his passion for helping people get
healthy. I began his 52Fit Course Curriculum. I followed it for
a few weeks but I went back to work (my excuse).
In November, I am still the heaviest I have ever
been. Fadi reached out to me to see how he could help. I
realized I could not do this alone. On December 1, I met with
Fadi. We discussed my fitness and eating goals and how he can
help me achieve those goals. So guess what? I am starting over.
But this time, I have Fadi by my side. I will keep you posted on
my progress. I hope you’ll find inspiration in my journey.
Until next time,
Stay healthy my friends.
by Catherine Carter | Oct 18, 2017 | Atlanta Personal Trainer, Blog, Body By Fadi, Buckhead Personal Trainer, Fadi Malouf, Fitness, Health, Motivation, Testimony, Weight Loss
At 450 pounds, Jeff Groom could barely tie his shoes. His high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, edema and heart issues were all contributing to a dangerous outlook for his health. Without making some major changes, Jeff was facing a life of limitations and significantly less time with those he loved. And his health was not the only thing affected. The weight threw a shadow of hopelessness on every aspect of Jeff’s life, including his interactions with friends, colleagues and family.
The decision to change one’s life is often the outcome of millions of setbacks, and then one ultimate shove. For Jeff, that shove came at the beginning of January. He began his journey when he finally faced the negative impacts on his life from an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. Jeff knew he had to make a change, and could no longer endure the turmoil he was cultivating in his own life. He felt like he was slowly killing himself. One January morning, Jeff called a meeting among those he loved most, apologized for his mistakes and vowed to change his life, not only for himself but for them.
“I had everything I could want but happiness,” Jeff says. And with that goal in mind he decided to get serious about losing weight. He had been working with Fadi Malouf, whom he had met through a friend, for about two years. When he decided to make a real change Jeff knew he would not only need Fadi’s expertise, but also his support. Jeff went through numerous trainers in the past and he knew he was not an easy client. This is why he needed someone who was more than just a trainer, someone who would push him, coach him and care for him like family.
“I’ll pay you but I’ll fight you. I’m better at not doing what you tell me,” Jeff frankly told Fadi at the beginning. And Fadi accepted the challenge wholeheartedly.
The first steps Jeff took in his journey were cutting out alcohol, cutting back his red meat consumption, increasing plants and lean protein in his diet, and working out. He began to enjoy lifting weights and becoming more active. Fadi pushed him in the gym and provided him with nutrition counseling to help Jeff fuel his body correctly. He also helped Jeff sort through the mental part of weight loss as his life coach.
With such a significant amount of weight to lose, Jeff decided to undergo bariatric surgery a couple months into his journey. This helped him immensely, but he still had a lot of work to do.
“What people don’t often realize is that obesity is not the problem, it’s the solution to a deeper issue,” Fadi says, “Once I help clients identify the underlying issues and work through them, they can find the happiness they lost and care for themselves enough to lose the weight and be healthy long-term.”
Jeff recalls a difficult time at the beginning of his journey when he fell off the wagon and felt lost. He called Fadi in the middle of the night and told him he was struggling. Fadi dropped everything and went to be with Jeff and help him through his difficult time. Even though Fadi pushed him and they were usually sarcastic, this time Jeff needed the support of a friend.
In 9 months Jeff has lost over 200 pounds. His outlook on life has completely changed. He found the happiness that was lost from his life before and for the first time in a long time, he is excited about the future. His friends and family have also noticed a change in his attitude. Jeff discovered when you care for yourself and foster self love, you in turn care for those around you more.
For the future, Jeff is focusing on work and growing his business. In many ways he is promoting a healthier business, just like he did for himself- restructuring and not working with dishonest people. He is putting his family and company first.
Jeff’s nutrition and fitness regimen now consist of portion control and working out when he can squeeze it in. Jeff attributes much of his success to working with Fadi. The program he followed was unique from what he experienced with dozens of trainers in the past. Jeff says he still eats things he enjoys, but it’s not about eating large amounts of food, but more about taste. Changing his overall relationship with food has led him to his success with weight loss.
Fadi could not be more proud of Jeff. Playing a role in someone completely changing their life has given him a huge sense of purpose.
“Personally, Jeff has been one of my most rewarding clients to work with. I’ve seen him transform entirely and he is so much happier now,” Fadi says. “I know we will be life-long friends.”
Jeff believes anyone who wants to lose weight and get healthier should give Fadi a shot.
“The main thing about Fadi is he truly cares about the individual, not about the dollar amount. It’s a relationship and he really cares about people and their health.”
by Body By Fadi Guest Blogger | Aug 12, 2015 | Body By Fadi, Buckhead Personal Trainer, Exercise, Fadi Malouf, Fitness, Virtual Trainer, Weight Loss
Pyramid Workout: Legs
We started with a pyramid workout for chest and back, and now we are graduating to the legs.
Just like with the chest and back exercises, with each exercise below, you will start with 10 reps and then decrease to nine reps, followed by eight, seven, six, all the way to one. Once you get to one rep, you’ll increase all the way back to ten, stacking the reps on top of one another.
As you decrease your reps, you’ll increase your weight. You should be at the heaviest weight, truly challenging yourself on reps 1-4.
- Focus: Hamstrings, Quads, and Glutes
- Time: 1 hour
- Warm Up: Five minutes of cardio
Here are the three exercises to focus on for the legs:
Dead Lifts
- Equipment: Dumbbells
- Reps: Pyramid (10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10)
- Weight: Females: up to 35 lbs.; Males: up to 50 lbs.
- Tips & Tricks: Keep a slight bend in the knees as you lower the weights just below the shins.
Hamstring Curls
- Equipment: Leg Machine
- Reps: Pyramid (10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10)
- Weight: Females: up to 35 lbs.; Males: up to 50 lbs.
- Tips & Tricks: Keep your back straight and focus on one leg at a time
Step Ups
- Equipment: Bench (or stair)
- Reps: (10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10)
- Weight: Females: up to 35 lbs.; Males: up to 50 lbs.
- Tips & Tricks: Focus on the glute muscle; do not lock the knees as you step up one leg at a time
