Body Systems Coaching Testimonials

Why was the program so effective?

“I would say probably first off learning how to get back into training and working out. And the importance of moving was huge. Realizing that, I don’t sleep enough and how helpful that was when I started making adjustments and how your energy level kind of magically changes after a couple of weeks of doing all that.

And how your energy level kind of magically changes after a couple of weeks of doing all that. I found myself not drinking three energy drinks a day anymore. I mean, I still might have one on occasion, but nothing like before that was literally what I was using to keep me going Caffeine man.”

We had too many front yard Happy Hours to count. We started getting out of town to the mountains every chance we could. Before I knew it, I had packed on the COVID 10-15 lbs. By the time June rolled around, I was up to 210 lbs. and knew I needed to make a change.

There were periods of time in my life when I was in the mid to low 190’s, but I never felt good and didn’t look fit. I had always viewed the process of weight loss as restricting calories and trying to get some extra cardio in. I had no idea what it truly tooked like from a dietary or training perspective. I had never lifted weights with consistency.”

What value did I bring?

“My first call with Ben was a bit of a shock. I had to commit to tracking everything I put in my body, which seemed like an impossible task. I also had to commit to consistent training. Ben did a fantastic job of easing me into things. We established a baseline of what I was eating and started making adjustments from there. I kicked off my training and tracking while I was on vacation for two weeks in San Diego.

My understanding of the “process” greatly improved as we starting increasing protein, strength training, and reducing calories for a period of time.

Ben brought knowledge, patience, accountability, and reassurance that I was moving in the right direction.”

Where are you now as a result?

“Depending on the day, I have lost 25-30 lbs. of fat while gaining significant muscle. I LOVE going to the gym now. I spend 35-45 minutes strength training 4 days a week and it never feels like it’s “too much”. I have complete flexibility to eat what I want, when I want, as long as I stay between the agreed upon guard rails we have in place each week.

This was meant to be a six month commitment. Through the process I would learn new habits and develop the skills I needed to keep the weight off. This has become much more than that for me. I’ve committed to another full 12-months of working with Ben because I think we have just started to scratch the surface of what I’m capable of.

It’s truly empowering to know that you are becoming a better version of yourself each day. For that gift, I will forever be thankful.”

But, what you don’t see behind these pictures is the unwavering focus and determination Greg has displayed throughout the process. The sacrifices made daily and internal battle being fought, especially now, as he hovers at his “goal weight”.

Most people talk about the journey from start to end. The total weight lost, as if that’s the whole story, but it’s not. It’s only the beginning. In fact, I’d argue that for most people, the weight loss is the easy part … maintaining it is where shit gets really real.

But, not the way we do things, and not for Greg … because he’s developed the tools and skills to continue to navigate his weight loss journey:

• To function in the “real world” without hiding behind his food scale and avoiding social situations.
• To acknowledge that their aren’t “good” or “bad” foods, and that he has the freedom to choose what he wants when he wants as part of his nutritional structure.
• To focus on what he can control when things get tough, injuries happen, and frustration and/or stagnation sets in.

To Greg, this continued effort and consistency has transformed him and the lifestyle he lives. He is a different person than he was close to 50 lbs. ago; the choices he makes, his goals, his vision for the future and his daily unrelenting action is what has and will continue to yield lifelong progress.

I’ve gained a lot of solid muscle mass. I can feel the definition, I can feel myself getting smaller, my measurements are getting smaller and smaller.

I’ve been able to incorporate an appropriate eating plan. I just know what to eat. And I know how to plan out what I’m going to eat. So my whole approach to food is different, but I don’t feel like I’m going to backslide into some bad habits because I’ve been able to incorporate the habits that I’ve created. It doesn’t ever make me feel like I’m being deprived of anything either.

The other thing too is for the first time in my life, I feel like the exercise is incorporated into my routine. And I’ve always heard over and over that it has to be part of your routine, it’s gotta be part of your routine, but I’ve never been able to make it part of my routine.

It’s about your mental state. It’s about how you handle stress. It’s about how you interact with your coworkers and your family. That’s what all this program will help you do. It’s not just about weight loss. And I think for me, that’s probably the most impactful part of the whole thing. It’s awesome. Don’t waste your time. What do you have to lose?”

“After working my tail off at the gym for a long time and not seeing the results I wanted, I realized I needed some help. I scheduled a call with Ben to see what this whole program was about. I was skeptical. And rebellious. I’m pretty sure I started the whole conversation with, “I’m not giving up alcohol, or carbs.”

I was sick and tired of my friends saying they couldn’t go out because they were on this diet, or not drinking because of that diet, or not eating carbs … I was not about to be that party pooper person I despised. I also was NOT going to cook a different dinner for myself than what I would cook for my family. Generally speaking, I WAS NOT going to do something that was extremely restricting or unsustainable.

I told him that success, to me, would be getting to a place where I was comfortable in my skin, and still being in that same comfortable skin 5 years from now. What surprised me was that Ben was completely on board with my demands! He had a plan, he had knowledge and expertise, and he had the long term in mind. This was not going to be a cookie cutter plan that I just followed like a soldier to get quick results. This was going to be as much an educational process as a physical one. Ben was going to teach me to own the process and the knowledge gained would be mine to keep and use long after my time with him was over. I was sold.”

Was there anything in particular about our program that really helped you? Why was it so effective?

“I appreciated that the program set some parameters for me but didn’t put restrictions on me. I never felt like I was white knuckling it, or suffering. Every week that I saw progress just encouraged me more and helped me to put more faith in the process. I was grateful for the consistent communication with Ben. Every week, we talked through the previous week’s accomplishments and looked to planning for the next week. If special trips or holidays were approaching, we planned for success. I was never without help, encouragement, guidance or advice.”

As a result of implementing the program, what was the outcome? Results?

“I can see my back muscles again! My stomach doesn’t flop out of my jeans when I sit down! I can fit into EVERY SINGLE PAIR OF JEANS I have been saving for 12+ years (don’t judge) and now realize they are so out of date I should have donated them long ago … I am once again comfortable in my own skin. I am more than comfortable; I feel great in my skin!

Setting a goal and achieving it is so empowering! That success has translated to a lot more confidence overall. I’ve set some performance goals for running and strength and just feel excited about achieving them–I know that I can and will.”

The biggest fear I had when getting started, and frankly, why I didn’t start sooner, was because I was sure he was going to tell me all of things I couldn’t have … and for me, I knew that wouldn’t be realistic.

Real talk: I like my late night treats, my weekend Dairy Queen, and I’m never as prepared as I could be (or should be 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Life is chaotic and between competitions, training, travel, and the kiddos, I don’t see things changing anytime soon. My coach at Body Systems gets that, because he’s a busy parent as well, which is why I think his guidelines and weekly nutrition adjustments have been so easy to implement (and because he’s been doing this for over 15 years 😳).

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been working my ass off and you’d be nuts to think that I can eat whatever I want. There are times when I’m hungry and times when I don’t want to train, times when the plan goes to hell and times when I just want to say F-it … but you’ll never get anywhere in life if you don’t lean into the discomfort.

But I’m all-in and committed to the process, to improving my physique, my health, my performance, and leading by example for my family.

And yah, I screw up … a lot. Too many sweets, too much alcohol, not paying attention or just giving into temptation, but that’s the beauty of the plan. I’ve got the structure in place, the flexibility and freedom to own my mistakes, and the guidance to know exactly how to get back on track.

I’m damn proud of the progress I’ve made and seriously amazed at how much I’ve changed my eating habits despite having no “meal plan”. Just great coaching, guidance, and accountability that fits with my goals and crazy life. And I think the results speak for themselves …

If you’ve been thinking about making a serious lifestyle change and you’re sick of the bullshit restrictive diets and unrealistic meal plans, and you’re ready to put in the work and transform your body and health, then you should hit up Body Systems.

One of the best decisions I’ve made for myself and my family!”

I no longer feel like a complete wreck and failure. Life will always throw curveballs, I’ve learned to suck it up, focus on what I can control, and work hard at it. I feel fantastic!! Thank you, Ben!”

Update: After 17 months of coaching, Bridget has completely transformed her lifestyle. She has improved her mindset, body composition, nutrition, and strength. Bridget is down 50 lbs. of body fat, continues to get stronger, and sets a great example for her family.

Let’s see what happens if we stop claiming to be too busy when really we were just deciding to not prioritize our health.

Ben never told me “you can’t have …”, “you have to drink this”, “just fast and shorten your eating window”. NO. We don’t do unrealistic expectations here. Only science based, realistic, sustainable goals that fit OUR REAL LIFE. Workouts specific to the equipment we had to work with.

I’m down 40+lbs., 25 cm down on my waist and in the best mental space I’ve ever been in. I’m strong. I put the oxygen mask on myself first for a change. It’s ok to take care of you. I promise you, it’s not selfish. Self care is more than a manicure. Love yourself from the inside out. Trust the process and most importantly, DO THE WORK. Do it, “Daley”.”

And, no matter how much I did (I ran/did yoga/worked out at the gym) and no matter what diet I tried (vegan, vegetarian, keto), nothing worked. Last September, when it hit me that I was turning 40, I decided to get *real* help.

Coach Ben taught me so much and I just threw out everything I thought I knew about nutrition and trusted the process. It wasn’t a ‘get fit quick program,’ but more like a ‘do things the smart and right way and make gradual improvements to ensure long term success’ kind of deal. We needed tangible, measureable, and visible evidence of our efforts and progress, so Chris and I started this program, measured everything we put in our mouth, got to work, and took progress pictures along the way.

Coach Ben gave us workouts to do, and macros to stay within, so I could have that boba or slice of pizza if I wanted; I’d just adjust what I ate the rest of the day to make it fit. Coach Ben was so motivational and easy to work with. I had goals of getting fit by 40, but he’s instilled habits in me that will serve me (and my family) for years to come. I was hesitant to post progress pictures but I’m proud of how far I’ve come and I think the 50 year old me would look back and say Dayum!🔥🥳🥰🙌

🙌 Thank you for helping me reach my goals Coach! You’re the best!! I feel great and am in the best shape of my life at 40.” 🥳

Even though he knew that the ways he’d lost weight in the past (“TONS of cardio coupled with an extremely low fat, low calorie diet”) wasn’t right for him, and clearly what he was currently doing wasn’t working (high fat, extremely low carb), he was still scared of leaping into the unknown for fear of retreating into his previous overweight self.

For a guy like Ian, as counterintuitive as it may seem, we actually had to get him to chill out … to actually do less.

He was training too hard, not sleeping enough, under recovered, and grossly restricting carbs (his main fuel source).

What had (kind of) worked for him before clearly wasn’t working anymore.

Over the course of 6 months, we helped Ian understand the role stress plays in the fat loss process and why often times simply training and eating smarter, not harder or less, is the recipe for effective fat loss, increased energy, and improved health.

Proud of this dude and the work he put in to create long-term, realistic change that he’ll continue to be able to refine on his own moving forward.

It’s not like I just wanted to lose a bunch of body fat. I wanted to really tone up and feel really good. And I couldn’t believe how many times I was saying, “I just feel so good.”

I always say that your program actually helped me get pregnant just because I got healthy and I felt great. And I just got myself to this place where we could get pregnant. Starting your program, it gave me the tools to be able to have an even healthier pregnancy and then help me even further when the baby’s born.”

Meeting you and talking to you, it immediately put me at ease. It sounded like you understood exactly what I was going through and you were just there to help me. And I totally believe that 100% and everything was just comfortable and so helpful with your program. So I would say, make that call.”

The Smart Nutrition Coaching Program

When Gabe and I started working together, he had been strength training consistently but wasn’t making any progress with his weight or health. He was fat, sick, tired, and fed up with mainstream diets that gave him restricted calories, unrealistic ‘meal prep’ plans, lack of support, and didn’t factor in the time and responsibilities that come with having a family and a demanding job. He was working hard, but fighting against his own physiology and confused about the often contradictory nutrition guidelines he was seeing all over the media.

After doing a deeper dive into his lifestyle and eating habits, it was clear that we needed to work SMARTER, not harder. Poor sleep habits, excessive caffeine, inconsistent meal timing, and inadequate protein intake were just some of the areas that we started to strategically address through The Smart Nutrition Coaching Program.

Over the subsequent months, Gabe and I worked together to help him improve his eating habits, manage his blood sugars throughout the day, train the right way for his body type, and change his mindset around health & fitness.

After 6 months, Gabe had lost 40 lbs. of fat, built muscle, transformed his physique, overhauled his nutrition, overcame type 2 diabetes, and was feeling great knowing that he had become the father, husband, and leader that he always knew he could be by investing in himself and his future.