What's your secret???

Hello!  I had more thoughts at the end of the last post but, I thought they deserved their own post.  I have two questions that I get ALL THE TIME.  Not that I really mind when people will say "Wow, you are looking like you lost some weight." It is very nice.  It's one question and the response I give to the other question that confuse/frustrate me.

The first thing that people ask me is; "What's your secret?"  Now, I have worked at a local grocery store as a part-time cashier for close to 4 years.  So many of the customers who have been coming there realize I have lost a lot of weight and that I am healthy now.  They ask me my secret, and my standard reply is that "I have finally done what my doctor has told me to do for 20 years, watch my diet and exercise.  It really works."  This is the frustrating part for me. They say something along the lines of they have tried or something to the effect and as I am ringing out their groceries it's ALL junk food.  I try not to judge, it's hard to think your are trying real hard when the junk that you are buying is going to be in your house tempting you.  My wife and I stopped buying the junk so it wouldn't tempt us.  We both have stronger will power now, so it's not a big deal to have some cake in the house.  I have my cheat days, the other night the ice cream truck rolled by it could be one of the last times we see him so I treated my son and I to a treat.  It was awesome, but it was my cheat day and I have been good since. Plus, I had a cheat week when I was in Florida, the food was awesome. What's a former/recovering fat kid to do? :)

The other part of that question is when people seem disappointed that I don't tell them about a magic pill.  Hard work pays off. I am never going to be in a body building show, but I am not afraid of taking my shirt off.  I can still hide behind the fact that I am fair skinned and in some intense sun it would be safer, but it's not because I am ashamed of how I look anymore.

Now the other question, I guess it means that people care about me, but the second most common question is if I lost the weight cause I am sick.  I really struggle with that question, again, I am glad that people care, but I sometimes feel as if they thought that being sick would be the only way I could lose weight.  I know that I am probably reading to much into the question.


I hope that you are doing well in your journey to whatever goal  you have.


Mike
225

This would be "Fat Mike"

This would be IFBB Figure Champ Nicole Wilkins and Not "Fat Mike"

The Gift that Keeps Giving...

Well, summer is almost over as we are preparing to send kids back to school. Hope your summer was eventful.  Speaking of sending kids off to school, it annoys me how soon stores are shoving "Back To School" sections or sales in our faces.  It seems now like kids only have a couple of weeks of not thinking about school and by the 4th of July the sales are going.  Can we give the kids a little time to unwind and relax??? 

On to the point...the main one.

As I was thinking about this new blog it dawned on me about all of the things that I love about my job.  I manage a Vitamin Shoppe store.  The benefits are numerous.  I came from a company that really didn't seem to care about their employees, that was going bankrupt and if they make it out stores are/will close fast and furious.  As a matter of fact all 4 of the locations that I called home in my 8 years with the company are now boarded up.  Scary.
I made the decision to work for one of the best managers that I have ever had the pleasure of working for.  (Yes, she does read this blog on occasion but I am not trying to kiss her behind. She already knows all of what I am going to say.)  What I love most is that she understands that I have a family, and family comes first.  She has supported me and had my back when others were ready to throw me away.  I think I can say that I also have had her back and was a rock for her when she was in a tight situation.  Part of the reason I am at the Vitamin Shoppe is my transformation from "Fat Mike." She knew that this was the direction my life was going and I was no longer a fit for the company I was at.  She had a rough situation at a store and we changed the direction of that store together. 

The PEC.  If you have ever talked to me in person over the last 6-7 months that is all I was talking about.  Vitamin Shoppe flies us to Florida, puts us up in a great resort and has us learn about our industry and what is new and exciting...really??? Companies want their employees to be knowledgeable??? I know, right.  This is the part where the gift keeps giving. I am not going to make it out like it wasn't work.  It wasn't my normal week, it was hard, but it was still work.  We learned a lot and got a lot of awesome product...for FREE.  I met a lot of contacts, got my picture taken with Rich Gaspari.  If you have followed bodybuilding at all you should know the name.  If not, he's a big deal in the bodybuilding/sports nutrition world.  I met the CEO and all of the heads of my company. I had one on one face time with them all.  Awesome.  PEC was the 3rd week of July.  I am still receiving free product.  Now most of what I get goes to my awesome staff, but what is nice is every time I turn around I see more free stuff and am reminded of how great this company is.


I know that this looks like an informercial for the Vitamin Shoppe. That's not what it is intended to be.  I guess I can tie it into my journey to my 225 like this...I love that I lost weight, I know that I will be around for a longer time to see my little boy grow up to be a man.  Where I was a year and a half ago, I don't know if I could have said the same thing with the same honesty.  That is truly the Gift that Keeps on Giving...


Good Luck,

Mike
225

 

Rich Gaspari and I