21 Day Fix Results: 52-Year-Old Ends 37-Year Addiction to Diet Soda
†Results vary depending on starting point and effort. Richard is an independent Beachbody Coach.
Richard Browning, age 52 from Defuniak Springs, FL, lost 110 lbs. with 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix EXTREME. He entered his results into The Beachbody Challenge and won $1,500!
Tell us about your life before you started the program. How did you feel about yourself and your body?
I am 52 years old. My dad died at 54 of a heart attack. My brother had a massive heart attack at 58 and had to have a pacemaker put in this past January. In January of 2014, I was hospitalized with two blood clots in my left leg.3 At the end of the year, I was told I would have one of the clots for the rest of my life. My leg is swollen every day but since I am allowed to exercise per my doctor, I will not let it stop me. I want to live longer than my dad. I’ve never been one to exercise much. At work, I was slow to recover from planting 100 flowers. My bosses were worried they might have to lay me off because I was unable to do the work assigned to me. This past January, I met Pamela Moore through a mutual friend. She showed me a way to become a healthier and thinner me. I know I have a long way to go but with God’s help and Pamela’s encouragement, I know I will succeed. I want to be an example to others who feel that their health or age is holding them back from living life to the fullest.
What inspired you to change your life and begin your transformation journey?
I weighed 360 pounds and have a blood clot in my left knee that I have to live with every day. My leg swells up every day double the size of my other leg, but I still do the 21 Day Fix workouts.3 I have a Shakeology every single day and I’ve learned to eat clean and to have the willpower to say no to foods that destroy my body. Heart disease runs in my family; I do not want this to happen to me. I needed to get healthy. I was sick and tried of going to the store to buy new clothes and putting on a 4xl shirt and seeing that it was getting tight. I refused to buy a 5xl shirt. I decided I was going to change my life from that point on. My doctors encouraged me to get the weight off and said I would have to live with the blood clot the rest of my life. I am hoping I can inspire as many people as I can to get healthy, even though they may have some health problems. I wanted to be the weight I was when I joined the military in 1986. That weight is 220.
What is the greatest challenge you faced before beginning the program? How did the program and Beachbody help you overcome that challenge?
Before beginning this, I was drinking 12 cans of Diet Coke a day. I had a 37-year addiction to Diet Coke. Now, I have a Shakeology every day and it has helped me to drop the weight and keep it off. Also, my eating habits were so bad. Now we are cooking meals from the Beachbody website and eating clean everyday. I was a corporate trainer and chef for Ruby Tuesday restaurant in my past job. So I knew how to whip up some big, unhealthy meals. Now I am teaching others with a healthy cooking class once a month to show people how to eat healthier. At work, I could not do much activity at all, but now I am running circles around men half my age. I have my drive back and I have so much energy now. I just don’t sit at the house anymore. I never thought I could run stadiums as I did in my youth, but now I run two miles of stadiums each week, even in the hot summer sun. I am alive again. Thank you Beachbody!
What in particular did you like about the program you chose?
I like the modifier in the videos in the beginning. I like the mix of cardio and weight lifting. Now I push myself with more weight as I get stronger and the pounds and inches continue to fall off. Shakeology has been a huge part of my success. Autumn inspired me to do my best everyday and to keep pushing when I felt like quitting. It was her words that made me finish time and time again. I have been so inspired by Autumn that I stepped it up a notch. I am now on my third round of21 Day Fix EXTREME. Before that, I did five rounds of 21 Day Fix and this has changed my life.
Describe the results you achieved with your Beachbody program. Which achievements are you proud of?
Because of the weight and inches I have lost, I am able to fit into clothes I haven’t worn in seven years. I have inspired so many people just to get started on their health journey. It is very humbling. I am now doing stadiums at a local high school, and in the beginning I was lucky if I could do one side without dying. As of late, I completed eight on each side and that’s two miles of stadiums in just 50 minutes. I am getting stronger everyday. I have reached one of my biggest goals of 100 pounds in six months. To date, since it is the end of July, I have lost a total of 110 lbs. and I have energy that I haven’t had in years. I have taken control of my life and now I feel I can really live again.
How has your life changed since completing your Beachbody program?
I did five rounds of 21 Day Fix and three rounds of 21 Day Fix EXTREME. I am getting healthier every day. I have an ultimate goal of being 220 lbs. again, which is what I weighed when joining the military. When that day comes, I’ll continue to do Beachbody programs and mix it up to keep me at that weight the rest of my life. My life has changed because now people everywhere (in person and on social media) tell me that I inspire them to be better and to do more, to lose the weight, to just get healthy again. I have my confidence back. I have my drive back. I am a happy person now and I feel I can better help others to reach their goals. My life has changed because I am not taking, but rather giving back. It feels great!
How did participating in a Challenge Group help you reach your goals? How did your group support you and keep you accountable?
I participated in my Coach Pamela Moore’s challenge group called CRUSH IT. At first I did not say much but as I saw results, I started posting more in the group, and being engaged with others with similar goals helped me to keep going. We shared struggles as well as our successes and celebrated everyone’s weight loss, big or small, and the fact that everyone was feeling great. It helped to see the motivating photos daily, especially at times when I did not feel like working out. A pic or a quote or something someone else in the group said made me make the right decision to Push Play.
How did your Team Beachbody Coach support you on your journey?
I was encouraged with texts, emails, and calls. She also offered free beach workouts since we live near the beaches of Destin, FL. She is so supportive of everything I do. I continue to be inspired by her and so many other Coaches. They have friended me on Facebook and they follow me and give me encouragement every step of the way. I am still a long way from my ultimate goal, but that will be a new chapter in my life when I get there. At that time, I will spend the rest of my life to keep the weight off and stay healthy. I just hope I can continue to inspire as many people as I can.
How did a Beachbody supplement, nutritional product, or program (such as Shakeology or Beachbody Ultimate Reset) support your transformation? What are the greatest benefits you gained? Did you see benefits to your energy, sleep, mood/mental clarity, digestion/regularity?
I feel sluggish when I don’t have my usual Shakeology for breakfast. Shakeology, I believe, is why I am having such great success in such a short period of time. I will continue to share what Shakeology has done for me as I believe in this product with all of my heart and soul. My body has so much energy now and my metabolism is double what it used to be.2
You can change your life, too. Take the Beachbody Challenge for the tools you need to Decide, Commit, and Succeed! Complete any Beachbody program, and enter your results for a free gift and a chance to win cash and prizes.
3Always consult with your physician about your unique medical needs before starting any fitness program or nutrition product.
2These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.