01 Mar Derek Strachan’s Transformation

BEFORE:

Day 1 December 2, 2015 – Derek Strachan

This challenge came at the perfect time. My wife and I have already been committed to transforming our health. We started at the beginning of November and already I have lost 11 lbs. I am excited to see how much change we can accomplish. Here is my current stats: Weight 201lbs, arms 13.5″, forearms 12.5″, waist 36″, thighs 26″

AFTER:

Good day fellow Lifebookers!

These past 90 days have been some of the best days of my life as I have witnessed firsthand what it feels like to be getting my health back to a place that I am proud of. The year prior to this challenge has been the most challenging year for many reasons. I was feeling burnt out from working 11 solid years in our Chiropractic business trying to dig us out of mountains of debt we accumulated from going to school, starting a business and living way beyond our means.

The burn out lead to me simply not caring enough to do anything about it and my health was changing rapidly. I was putting on weight at levels I had never seen before. I topped out at 215 lbs and was feeling completely gross with how I felt and looked. Then I injured my foot badly in July of 2015 and it compounded my problem.

Tamara and I have plans to travel for a year with our kids. I was not sure how because we didn’t have a plan. My motivation was not where it needed to be. I knew I had to change and get serious about our financial life so we could make this trip happen. I was inspired by some friends who owned a chiropractic business and sold it to move back to Canada.

This was the spark I needed to get my ass in gear. Financially, our practice grew, I was working with more purpose in a long time. The passion was back, I wanted to get us in a position so we could travel. The problem was, I wasn’t taking care of my body while I was working all these hours. I was not living a 12 category smart life. At the same time, Tamara was dealing with her own health challenges and not fully taking care of herself. We both gained a lot of weight and lost energy.

Something had to change. It was around this time we saw a friend who was losing a lot of weight and feeling great. We asked her what she was doing. She shared that she did one of those weight loss programs and was paying thousands of dollars to be coached and to be following a meal plan, etc… Tamara and I thought, we can do that on our own. We are self-motivated people and if we do it together we have a better chance of succeeding. We rallied with another couple and the 4 of us committed to changing our diets and increasing our exercise routines. This was in November 2015. Then Damion presented the 90 day challenge and the timing could not have been better. We had a whole new community to be held accountable to. This super charged our experience.

I must say, being married to Tamara has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. She brings me so much joy and love. I have been inspired by her multiple times in our 22 years together but this challenge has been different. I have never seen Tamara take on a challenge like this for as long as she has and with the intensity and focus. Without her, I know my results would not be where they are. She makes me want to dig deeper and get the most out of my commitment.

I would be lying to you if I told you I have not had an ounce of sugar, or any wheat, or dairy, or alcohol. I have had these things out of my diet 95% of the time. I am okay with that. Tamara, on the other hand has been ALL IN! She has not waivered, she has been fully committed to her goals. I am so proud of us both. I feel like I have won already by simply achieving what I have achieved. I am proud of my body again and am continuing to work on it.

The biggest win for me is that for the first time in my life, I have decided this is the new me. I am not going back to the old ways. It doesn’t make sense to go back to the habits that got me to where I was. This challenge has changed my relationship with food, with Tamara, with my kids, with my employees, with my patients, all of it has changed and I am so happy!

I can go out and say no to alcohol, or get up at 5 am, meditate, work out with high intensity, say my affirmations, read and start the day with gratitude.   I am forever grateful to Tamara for being my rock and being my guiding light in life. She has taught me so much on our journey together and this challenge has brought us to a whole new level of health and prosperity in life.

For the first time in our relationship (22 years), we get up together and meditate, we haven’t missed a day. We also workout in our home at the same time. I have always worked out in the morning but Tamara would rarely join me. She has been there almost every day. Occasionally, she chooses to work out later in the day but rarely a day missed. I am arriving at work earlier and being more prepared for the day. I am coming home earlier and having the energy to play with my kids. I no longer feel lethargic in the middle of the day, I rarely eat out for lunches anymore which means I am eating healthier but also saving money. We have paid off almost all of our debt. April will mark the final payments to our debts.

I have taken massive action on preparing for an associate to hire who will take over our practice so we can travel. I have been reading every morning, listening to podcasts, something I never use to do much of. It is now a common occurrence. I am sleeping better through the night, I rarely stay up late anymore or eat late at night. My portion sizes are smaller, I have a green drink every morning and I laugh more. I am more present with my family, friends and having more fun.

As far as my fitness goals, I have dropped from 212lbs to 189lbs, I am 7lbs from my firefighting weight which I know I will be at by the end of March. I can now do 13 pull ups, my goal was 10. I have never been able to do 13 pull ups, not even when I was firefighting.   I did 90 pushups without stopping. That is 10 from my goal but a little longer I will check that off my list. After measuring my whole body, ie. my waist, arms, legs, hips, chest etc… I have lost 9.5 inches. I am super pumped about that. Tamara bought me this really great shirt for my birthday in September last year that was a large and I could not fit into it. The shirt now fits me like a glove. I need to get new rivets on my belt to keep my pants up.

My life is clicking on all cylinders. I have not done the Intraspect Assessment in a while, but when I do, I know my score will be hirer. I really have improved my life in all categories. This is first time since I have learned about Lifebook which is 5.5 years ago that I can honestly say, I am living a very balanced 12 category smart life.

Thank you Tamara, for being my best friend and my true inspiration. Thank you Lifebook for helping me bring it all together, for providing the framework to organize it all.   I could not be happier with my successes. I am so excited to continue this journey and step into the next chapter of my life with clarity, focus and determination.

I appreciate this community so much. We are one inspiring group of people.

Thank you Damion, You Rock, this community Rocks!

With love, hope & inspiration, I say thank you,

Derek Strachan