Visuals Success Story - Dave Morgan

Over the course of the last 2.5 years I’ve been utilizing the ‘Visalus Health Challenge’ platform/ViGrocieries for my personal nutritional clients as well as myself and have met many inspiring people living the ‘ViLife’. Never have I been in a circle of people that have so many moving testimonials and health transformations so I’ve decided I couldn’t keep the stories to myself. But if the stories I share with you each month don’t make you want to jump up and get started yourself, I don’t know what will!

For this month I am highlighting Dave Morgan, a 45-year-old rockstar from Louisville, KY.

My name is Dave Morgan and this is my story (so far)...

For 26 years I was obese. My doctor never talked to me about needing to lose weight despite making note of my BMI classification in my record. In fact, it was up to me to notice it on my chart.

Here are a few of my struggles:
• At the age of 13, I started going to the chiropractor for back problems due to weight.
• In high school, my thyroid died and I gained 85 pounds in 2 years. 
• I have had double arthroscopic knee surgery, hernia surgery, and carpal tunnel surgery. 
• I have sleep apnea which requires me to take a sleeping pill and use a CPAP to sleep.
• I have been diagnosed with morning tiredness which required me to take a pill to stay awake. When our insurance changed, the cost of this medication went from $60 / 3 months UP TO $300 / 3 months. I thought a diet of Mountain Dew every morning would be cheaper, although not healthier. 

My Dad passed away on his 56th birthday after complications from diabetes and a quadruple bypass.  Every day I looked in the mirror and saw me in my Dad and knew something had to change.  I look like my Dad and am built just like him, only a little taller, and I was headed down the very same road.  Something had to change!

In 2008, I pleaded with my doctor to help me lose weight and his first recommendation was lap band surgery. No thanks!

In 2012, my podiatrist informed me that my extreme foot pain was a result of having ‘extra’ bones and a neuroma in my feet that require me to wear custom orthotic inserts. 

When I started my first challenge on August 5, 2012, by the BMI standard I was classified as Morbidly Obese. At 5’ – 10” and 310 pounds I was staring high blood pressure and diabetes directly in the face.

With my first challenge I was determined to see what the shakes would do by themselves. With ZERO exercise, I lost 41 pounds. For the first time in years, I had HOPE. It was during this challenge that I started using the FIT KIT and no longer needed the Provigil or diet Mountain Dew to stay awake as I mix a GO and PRO together and sip on them through the day.

During my second challenge we went through Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and my birthday. After losing 10 more pounds I started to exercise and the first time I tried to run a mile since high school football my wife took me to the ER with severe back spasms and a kidney stone. While this set me back a few weeks, I was determined and I knew It Was Possible. Before the end of my second challenge I had run my first ever foot race, the Anthem 5K and I was now down 20 more pounds during this challenge. 

The first day of my 3rd challenge I ran in the Papa John's 10 mile race and two weeks later I ran in the Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon. WHAT was next? I organized and led a group of a dozen people on a 60 mile 3 day walk about Louisville, KY where every person involved shattered their personal records for distances traveled. My amazing wife, Shurrenda Rains Morgan, was the only female to endure all 60 miles and her physical stamina and mental endurance blew me away. When we finished this 60 mile walk I weighed myself in the parking lot and I had lost 104.4 pounds.

In my 4th challenge I added strength training to my cardio. I also ran the Iron Horse Half Marathon on October 13th and then broke a rib during the Tough Mudder KY on October 19th, BUT I finished the race and was down 105 lbs total. 

During my 5th I took a clinic on racewalking and began to lift weights and swim. It was during this challenge that we purchased a bicycle for me to use in training for the 2014 Louisville Ironman.  I call my bike the Vi-Tri Bike.

During my 6th challenge I participated in the 2014 Triple Crown and the 2014 KY Derby Festival miniMarathon, all with my amazing wife.  I also really began to increase my mileage on my Vi-Tri Bike and lifted nearly 1 million pounds of weights.  It was during this challenge that my wife and I were named the Southeast Regional Couples Weight Loss Champions with a combined weight loss of 150 lbs.

During my 7th challenge I swam over 50 miles, biked over 2,000 miles and ran over 200 miles as I was preparing for Ironman Louisville.  I averaged 18 hours of training and peaked at 32 hours in one week training for this EPIC event.  Ironman Louisville is a 140.6 mile triathlon including a 2.4 mile swim in the Ohio River, 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile marathon - all within 17 hours.  Before the Project 10 Challenge I didn't even know what the Ironman was and certainly never had it on my Live List.  On race day I completed the swim with 25 minutes to spare.  Unfortunately, 20 miles into the bike ride my left IT band decided it was done for the day and I completed the next 92 miles with my right leg.  I made it through the Bike In chute with 4 minutes to spare and through the Run Out chute with 1 minute to spare.  I dragged my left leg behind me for 10 miles until a race official approached me indicating I was 1 minute past the cutoff time and 3.1 miles from the check point.  I asked to complete the half marathon loop that I was on and with grace and respect, he agreed.  In a race that was 140.6 miles long, I completed 127.3 miles.  While I Did Not Finish (DNF), I Did Not Fail.  18 months ago, I couldn’t run 3 minutes without feeling like someone was I was going to die SO, this is a WIN.  I also built 20 lbs of muscle during all this training!

My blood pressure for years had been 140 / 80 and now averages 110 / 70.
My resting heart rate has gone from 90 – 95 bpm to 55 – 60 bpm.
Between my neck, chest, waist and hips I have Lost Over 50”.
Body Fat Percentage – has gone from 44.45% down to ~17%.
Body Mass Index – was 44.5 and is now down to 29.5.  I was carrying around 138 lbs of FAT.
Obesity – From Grade 3 by BMI standards down to Overweight.
Before much longer I will be able to come off my CPAP and sleeping pills.

All results are completely thanks to God’s blessings, my wife’s incredible support, ViSalus’ amazing products and our wonderful Vi-Family!

If It Doesn't Challenge You, It Doesn't Change You!! 

For me, ViSalus is not just life changing, it literally is Life Saving!

If anyone would like to learn more about the Challenge that Dave and I are using for our personal goals, please visit www.monicabrant.bodybyvi.com and watch the short 3 minute video on the home page. If you would like to get started on YOUR transformation you may sign up on this link or email me directly monica@monicabrant.com to learn more about joining my personal Challenge Team.

Q&A with Jennifer Soos: Aspiring Therapist

Jennifer Soos is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

based out of San Antonio, Texas, and a childhood friend of Monica.

You can find her at www.JenniferSoos.com

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Do you have a question for Jennifer? E-mail it to monicabrantnewsletter@gmail.com
A new question is answered every month!

QUESTION:

What is your experience and recommendation for someone entering the field of therapy who has a passion for it, yet might have unresolved personal "issues" themselves? Is it true that you really encounter your "problems" when dealing with clients?

Aspiring Therapist

ANSWER:

Dear Aspiring Therapist, 

You ask a very important question. There are definitely some critical things to consider when pursuing this kind of profession and also some helpful tips for people who are trying to find the best fit when seeking out their own therapist or other “helping” professional (nurses, trainers, coaches, doctors, social worker, etc.)

The short answer to your question about helping professionals encountering their own issues when working with clients is: Yes, it is quite true. And, let’s face it, therapists are humans, so they ALL have issues. The key here is making sure they have done enough of their own work so any remaining triggers or struggles they might have will stay well out of the way of the client’s work.

Perhaps a better way to answer your question is to tell you what I usually recommend to someone who is seeking a therapist ­ then you will see why your question is so important.

Here are my most common tips when searching for the right therapist:

In addition to the standard recommendations about checking for license status, asking about specialty areas, and finding out about insurance and fees, it is completely reasonable to ask a prospective therapist all kinds of other questions so you can feel confident about working with them.

● I highly recommend that people “shop” for their therapist. Ask around ­ more people have a therapist than you think. Read through the online profiles on the therapy sites and peruse their professional website ­ these things can tell you a lot. “Personality fit” is definitely important, so be willing to talk to or meet with a few before you decide to stick with one and delve into the issues. Trust your instincts here ­ you need to FEEL comfortable.
● Ask them questions upfront about their education. Finding out about their education is not about whether they went to the very, very best school ­ it is simply to make sure they didn’t get an online certificate after 3 months. You want to make sure they attended an accredited school with real­-life, in-­the-­chair experience.
● Beware of anyone who says they specialize “in everything.” That’s not possible. Find someone who can tell you about their specific experience with clients who have similar issues to yours. If you are struggling with anxiety you will be better served by a therapist who has sat with many, many anxious clients rather than a therapist who has spent a decade focused mostly on co­parenting skills with divorced couples. When people call me and say they want help with grief, I immediately offer to them that I draw on both my personal grief journey as well as more than ten years of facilitating grief support groups. I want them to know it is something I have very specific experience with and that I’m quite comfortable offering that particular kind of guidance. The therapist you seek should be able to
do the same for you (and if they can’t, they should offer recommendations for a therapist who can.)
● Most seasoned therapists can tell you pretty clearly what it will look like to work with them ­ whether they give “homework” or not, suggest reading or not, require that you meet weekly or otherwise ­ all things that might give you an idea about whether it will work for you.
● This is a big one: I personally would never, ever, ever recommend or see a therapist who had not been in therapy themselves. Lots of graduate schools require that counseling students be in some form of therapy while completing their degree, so it is a very reasonable thing to ask (and, I would argue, necessary.) A therapist who can talk openly and willingly about their own therapeutic experience will give you the best shot at making sure the therapist’s personal issues don’t get in the way of your work. I often divulge, especially to couples, that I have been in marriage counseling myself. I want them to know that I am not perfect and I’m not asking anything of them I have not also done for my own relationship and that I know how very hard it is. A therapist shouldn’t reveal their deepest, darkest issues to you (that would be a boundary violation) but they should be able to
speak easily about how important their own therapy has been to them.
● If you ever feel criticized or shamed ­ terminate and find a different therapist. Generally, therapists are called to provide “unconditional, positive regard” for those seeking support and that usually means a safe, compassionate environment full of acceptance. (Dr. Carl Rogers) A great, therapeutic relationship can be life­changing, but there is no room in an effective process for shaming or judgment ­ clients should not settle for anything less than a safe space for
transformation. If your experience in therapy is different than that kind of safety, chances are good the therapist did NOT do enough of their own work and it is getting in their way.

I know a lot of therapists ­ some of them very good and some of them, not so much. Unfortunately, just like all professions, there are bad apples out there. In my experience, the very good ones tend to be clinicians who went to experiential graduate programs (rather than just academic programs) and who have
been in and out of therapy most of their adult lives for a variety of things. This does not mean they were broken or horribly dysfunctional, it simply means they value introspection, the process of therapy and seek continual transformation. They believe in the idea that we are all, always, a work in progress. And that is a very good thing.

I would be happy to discuss more specific examples and programs with you as well.

Feel free to contact me via my website jennifersoos.com

Thank you for a great question,
Jennifer Soos, LMFT