No More Excuses!

Christopher Coe Overcomes Injury, Depression, and Obesity and Loses Over 100 Pounds to Gain Health, Passion, and Fitness!

By Sue Mosebar, Executive Editor

Christopher Coe lost over 100 pounds and transformed his entire life!

"I don't have time."

"I'm injured. I can't even walk, for goodness sakes."

"I'm too overweight."

"I don't know where to start."

"I don't have a gym or the money for a gym."

"I don't like going to the gym. I'd be embarrassed."

"I'll never succeed anyway."

These are all excuses thousands of people use every day to avoid building a leaner, healthier, stronger body.

Few people can say all of the above with any honesty. But these were a reality for Christopher Coe.

He had badly injured his ankle and had found himself bedridden after surgery. During this time, he gained weight. A lot of weight. 75 pounds in just a few short months. He was disgusted with himself. Wouldn't even invest in a new pair of jeans—mostly because he didn't think he could afford them. After all, with his injury, he found himself out of work for months on end as well. He didn't have a clue what to do, where to go, or how to get started.

"Christopher Coe had every reason to give up before he ever got started. But he decided to transform those obstacles… those excuses… into the fire he needed to transform not only his body but his entire life. "

But you know what?

That didn't stop him.

He had every reason to give up before he ever got started. But he decided to transform those obstacles… those excuses… into the fire he needed to transform not only his body but his entire life.

I sat down with Christopher and asked him how he did it. Here's what he had to say:

SM: When did you first realize you wanted to lose some weight and get into better shape?

CC: It's been years now… (laughing)… It started out that I used to weigh right around 220. I was a size 36. Then I got injured at work. It was an ankle injury, and I had surgery in August. Between August and November, I gained 75 lbs because I couldn't move.

I was really, really unhappy. I didn't leave the house. I was a total shut in. I would go to my therapy appointments and whatever I had to do. But that was it.

And then my brother-in-law, Jim, introduced me to iSatori. He told me, if you want to start working out, you should try this and see if it can help you. And he showed me a bottle of Lean System 7®.

We were a little worried at first because I am very caffeine sensitive. I'm also an insomniac. But I started taking the Lean System 7. I also bought H-Blocker™, Eat-Smart®, and 3-XL™.

Because I'm not a big fan of gyms—I always felt uncomfortable there—I went to Wal-Mart and got just a basic, basic weight bench. I also bought an inexpensive $50.00 recumbent bike. And I just started working out. In my home. Every day.

I followed Stephen Adele's Lean System Success Plan, and I started doing the weight lifting and the cardio on the bike every other day.

My weight started dropping really quickly. I started eating a lot better—I went from eating a lot of junk food, a lot of fast food to eating healthy. What a concept!

I started realizing what I needed to do.

SM: What was your heaviest weight?

CC: I quit weighing myself once I hit 310. But I think I was probably close to 320.

SM: How did you feel then?

CC: Oh, I was disgusted. I was wearing sweat pants. I couldn't wear jeans because I couldn't afford buying any more because I had gotten so big. I was just totally disgusted with myself.

And I was shut in. I didn't go anywhere. I was laying down either in bed or on the couch.

"Since I started training with kettlebells, I noticed a lot of my weights were increasing a lot."

SM: Was that due to your injury or to how you felt?

CC: It was more due to the way I felt. I didn't like going outside any more.

My injury, when I first started working out… I got injured in September but I didn't have the surgery until the following August. So I hadn't gained any weight in that time because I was still working at that time.

But then I had surgery on August 14th, and I was on the couch until November. But I didn't really start until February, because I was still recovering.

That's when I was back at work. I was feeling better about myself, and I just started hitting it religiously. Every night. It didn't matter. I made it happen.

SM: Did you start setting goals? Or did you find goal setting important at all?

CC: Not particularly. I didn't know anything about all that stuff at that time. Measuring or bodyfat. I just more started doing it.

I wasn't really going for goals. That wasn't until later. I started setting goals like a year later when I realized… yeah my jeans fit better. But I kept thinking, I'm overweight. I'm fat.

I was actually over at Jim's house, and he made a comment. And we grabbed my original pictures I had sent him. And he took the other pictures and compared the two, and it was like, "OH MY GOD!" Phenomenal. It was at that time I realized how much I had really lost. It just blew all of us away.

SM: What do you think made you get started?

CC: Oh, it was mostly my disgust with myself. When I went back to work and realized I couldn't put my jeans on. When I was off work, I was wearing sweat pants a lot. I wasn't going anywhere. I knew I had gained weight. But the largest pair of pants I had bought was a size 42. And when I went back to work, I couldn't even fit into the 42's. I'm a truck driver, so I was wearing sweatpants to work, and that didn't go over very well.

I was just feeling sick of myself. I just got really tired of it all.

SM: Now that you've gone so far, what keeps you motivated to continue?

"My brother-in-law, Jim, has just been awesome. He comes up to me constantly and says, 'Dude, look at all that you've done!'"

CC: Right now, school. I'm currently enrolled in a National Personal Trainer Institute. I'm working on an NSCA certification, NASM certification, and ACE certification to become an actual personal trainer.

SM: So have you started going to a gym?

CC: No. I've never actually gone to a gym. I've always had everything at home. I actually realized I had to upgrade when I was lifting so much weight that the little Wal-Mart gym broke. I broke the cable on the pull down. So at that point, I went over to Buy It Again Sports and I picked up an Apex for like $300. I already had all the weight, so it was a pretty good deal. I also bought a treadmill at the same time.

In school, I also started training with kettlebells. I have nothing but awesome things to say about the kettlebells. With them, you're focusing on muscle endurance. So you're building muscle while you're building up your cardiovascular system.

Since I started training with kettlebells, I noticed a lot of my weights were increasing a lot. Which I was ecstatic about! My lat pulldown, within just three weeks of starting the kettlebells, increased by 10 lbs. Cable row increased by 15 lbs. My bench press increased by almost 15. So I gained anywhere from 10 to 15 lbs on all my workout weights just by adding the kettlebells.

SM: Since your injury, are there any other obstacles you've faced that you've had to overcome?

CC: I had to relearn how to walk, which was just insane. That was probably my biggest obstacle that I've had to overcome.

SM: How much support have you gotten from the people around you?

CC: I can't really say a lot because I was single at the time and living on my own. My family was very supportive of me. They told me, "You're looking great." Of course, Jim's just been awesome. He comes up to me constantly and says, "Dude, look at all that you've done!"

SM: So now that you've accomplished so much, how do you feel?

CC: Oh, I feel great. I just feel awesome. I can't even explain… words don't explain how much better I feel.

"Even a year ago, you never would have seen me without a shirt on."

SM: Have these changes affected other areas of your life?

CC: Energy levels, definitely. I went from not being able to do much to being able to do lots. My stress levels came down quite a bit. I think the biggest thing is that I just feel better. I'm more confident, and I started going out more. Hanging out with friends and stuff like that.

Obviously, the Personal Training Career. I was never interested in anything like that before. It never even crossed my mind. It was after I lost all the weight. I realized how much I had lost. I've always been big—not as big as I was—but big. And most of my friends have been overweight. Most of my family is overweight. And I like helping people. I figured this was my chance. Because I've been there. And I know it can be done. It's something I really want to do.

And, I'm getting married in a month, and we're going to Fiji, and I'm really looking forward to that. Before, I never would have even thought about it. Going somewhere with my shirt off? Never! Even a year ago, you never would have seen me without a shirt on.

SM: Has your new fitness lifestyle impacted your family at all?

CC: Mostly just Jim.

"Don't give up. Don't get depressed. Don't get down. And drop your excuses. They're not going to get you where you want to be."

SM: Do you guys have a friendly competition going on?

CC: [Laughing] Oh, no, no, no. He'll never beat me. I lost over 100 pounds. I got him.

It's not a competition at all. We're just always bragging to each other. It's just friendly.

SM: What are your goals for the future?

CC: Actually, every week that I'm in school, they seem to change. I'm not really sure. I might head into working at a gym. Or I might… I've actually been thinking about opening up my own. A one-on-one kind of private gym. There's also a possibility I might be becoming kettlebell certified in October. So that's another option I'm looking at. But right now I'm not really sure. I'm just going to keep working out and keep doing what I'm doing. I guess I'll go where the road takes me now.

Physically, I'm trying to get down to a size 34. I gained a little bit of weight between homework and school and work and wedding. I don't have as much time as I used to to workout. But I'm still doing the kettlebells, and that seems to be working well. I'm still taking my Lean System 7 and everything. And I'm loving the Morph™.

Every weekend, we do four workouts in the morning, and I've been taking Morph, and now half my class is addicted to it.

My instructor, Kurt, is now quite fond of iSatori. I gave him a bunch of samples, and he really enjoyed the MX-LS7. He said it was the best energy boost he's had out of most of the supplements he's ever taken.

SM: Do you have any last advice or suggestions for people who may be where you were when you started?

CC: Don't give up. Don't get depressed. Don't get down. And drop your excuses. They're not going to get you where you want to be. That's the best advice I can give.

• Back to Issue 72 Table of Contents

Fill out the no-obligation form below to TAKE your free issue of the printed version of Real SOLUTIONS Magazine now! Still not sure? Click here to listen to a special audio welcome from our editor, Stephen Adele.