Jeremy Garrett
Age: 27
Operations Manager for Compass Professional Health Services
Began Training: 01/09/2013
Starting Weight: 215.6
Current Weight: 192.6 (10/31/2013)
Starting Body Fat %: 18%
Current Body Fat %: 12% (10/31/2013)

My journey into a healthy lifestyle first began my Senior year of high school. After four months, I shaved off about 54 pounds by doing cardio first thing in the morning before school and after school returning to lift weights. Supplementing this was a strict diet. I went into college weighing 205, the least I had ever weighed. Not long after that, a dramatic social life and intense academic workload found me putting off working out and maintaining my diet. I ended up not only putting on the Freshman 15, but I went a bit farther. After college, I starting going to the gym and I began the Atkins regiment of no carbs and lots of protein. I found some success in this campaign, but ultimately became stressed from working two jobs and once again had not time to devote to my friends and family, let alone working out and watching my caloric intake. I then decided to do the Medifast diet. While I did drop below 190 pounds, I soon realized after months that I was losing muscle. This coupled with daily near-blackouts and a feeling of no true strength, I decided to ditch that. I asked a personal friend for a trainer reference and he directed me to Chris.

The one thing Chris has successfully taught me is to believe in the process and never make excuses: there's always something that can be done amidst sickness and even injury. The simple act of stretching and never skipping a planned training session has helped me tackle the valleys that we often find ourselves in. Currently, I have hit my first true plateau after 10 months of training and I am learning to keep persevering through this segment in my journey.

Not only has Chris equipped me with the determination to make good things happen, he also challenges your mind. His regiments and exercises constantly require active thinking and not just 'going through the motions'. I have since taken these lessons and I have used them in my everyday life from simple actions such as getting out of the car to picking something up that I may have clumsily dropped to the ground. Many of my coworkers seek me out for advice on injuries and soreness to which I am able to pass on the knowledge Chris has helped me to learn and understand.

I think the best thing that can be said of Chris is his dedication to you as a person and not a paycheck. Chris will never let you down if you bring everything you've got and leave it on the floor. He truly enjoys watching people succeed and he's constantly there holding you accountable and pushing you to accomplish what he knows is inevitable.

For me, it was the basic premise: put my money where my mouth was. I knew if I truly wanted to get in shape, I needed to put my hard-earned money into a worthwhile investment. One of my goals this year was to see how good of a shape I could get into in one year's time. Chris has helped me push towards that and with the tools he's provided for me, I aspire to achieve that goal before January 9th, 2014.

All in all, Chris knows his stuff and he makes himself available to put you in the best position for healthy success. Even if you aren't ready to commit to 30 sessions up front as I did, at least give it a go for at least three weeks. If I can do it, I know you can too, especially with Chris in your corner. Go on; give a shot: I double-dog dare you!