August 2012

Name: Eli Sapharti
Age: 43
Occupation: Motivational Speaker & Weight Loss Coach. Founder: FATBoy FITMan   

Just over three years ago, Eli Sapharti was in the worst physical condition of his life. At 6’ tall he was 300lbs with 40% body fat.  He had high blood pressure, aching joints, and was always catching a cold or the flu.

 “One day I looked at myself in the mirror and couldn't believe how fat and unhealthy I had allowed myself to get. At that moment, I knew I had to do something to change this downward spiral.”

Getting Started: “One Step at a Time”

Eli attempted many fad diets and “quick fixes” that were only short-term solutions with temporary results.  He had been battling with his weight since childhood and was ready and eager to for life-long changes.

“I realized that dieting and impulsive changes in my physical activity were not going to bring me the long term results I wanted.  So I decided to just make 2 small changes that I knew I could commit to for at least 1 week.”

This “One Step at a Time” approach became Eli’s road map to weight loss success.  He created small goals for himself and committed to them 100% for a set amount of time.

Eli’s First Week: 

    • WALK for 15 minutes EVERYDAY

    • Eliminate soft drinks. (Eli used to drink 2 liters of regular soda per day.... P.S. Soda is among the top 20 WORST drinks in America.)

“After these first 7 days, I had lost 2 lbs.  I was sore from the walking and still going through 'withdrawals' from not drinking soda, but I felt accomplished and that motivated me to continue.” 

Eli’s Second Week 

    •WALK for 20 minutes EVERYDAY 

    • Stop eating French fries.

“That scored me another 2 lbs loss!  I was on a roll here without ‘dieting’ and without killing myself at the gym.  Every week from that point on I would make adjustments to my food intake and increase either the intensity or the duration of my exercise.” 

Within a few months walking became jogging (in intervals) and then jogging became running.  After 3 months Eli incorporated resistance/weigh training.  Since the beginning of his journey, Eli has run numerous 5K and 10K races and has completed two half marathons (13.1 miles) finishing in the top 5%.

It is Eli’s “One Step at a Time” approach that finally led him to long-term success after a life-time of struggling with his weight.  He was able to see results without because he took his time, focused on small goals, and did not make unrealistic promises to himself.

How To Break Bad Habits

Habits CANNOT be broken. Habits can only be replaced.

 “In order to replace a bad eating habit one must make no more than 1 or 2 changes at a time and they should not be drastic or radical changes.  For example, if you drink several soft drinks per day and you want to eliminate them completely form your diet, the first step is to reduce the amount you drink little by little. Start by replacing 1 or 2 regular soft drink with diet ones.  As you get used to this, replace one more until you end up not drinking ANY regular soft drinks.  The key to successfully replacing any bad eating habit is to do it ONE STEP AT A TIME!”   

Eli’s Most Important Dietary Change

“The most important dietary change I made was reducing and eventually eliminating 95% of my sugar consumption.  I believe that sugar consumption is one of the top reasons for the obesity epidemic in this country.”

Eli on Training

“I am a firm believer that that not all methods work for everyone all the time.  Besides, everyone starts at their own level.  Remember I started walking just 15 minutes per day 7 days a week. Month to month and year to year my training changed dramatically as I improved my conditioning and got stronger.”

“Today my routine is 6 days per week where I incorporate resistance training 4 days per week and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) 6 days.  The duration of cardio varies from 30 - 60 minutes depending on the day. It is a hobby and a passion for me to workout and hit the gym, but I tell people that you do not have to even step foot in a gym to get and stay healthy.”

Biggest Weight Loss Mistake

“I guess that one of my biggest mistakes was trying to get "there" fast.  As I saw progress, I wanted more of it and I wanted it NOW! So there were times that I would overtrain and that led to injuries.  I have learned that there are no shortcuts and that the best results come from consistent, slow progression.” 

Support System

Throughout his journey, Eli had no form of support.  In retrospect he refers to this as a fortunate situation because his own struggle has allowed him to be more empathetic towards others.  By not having any support, Eli realized the extreme importance of this aspect of weight loss really.  He is now more passionate than ever about helping guide others to success. 

“I have not invented anything new, nor am I revealing an ancient secret.  There are thousands of 'professionals' out there that have invented gadgets, gimmicks, diets, exercise programs etc yet the one thing I have seen that is lacking is as simple as stating the obvious and talking straight up with people.  And the other key missing ingredient is SUPPORT.  Everyone knows that proper eating and exercise is the way to losing weight and a healthy body, but few people can achieve this because 1) they lack real support and 2) They believe they have to go from 0-60 in 1 second flat.  My mission is to teach others that simplicity and consistency are the vehicles to their weight loss success.”

Staying Motivated: Focus on health NOT weight loss!

It sounds strange to say you can achieve weight loss without focusing on weight loss.  But I think Eli’s attitude is right on.  He didn’t stress about the number of pounds lost, he celebrated becoming healthier overall. There is a big difference!

“When I set out on this "journey" to get healthier, I did not have a number of pounds I wanted to lose.  As a matter of fact, all I wanted to do was to become a little healthier or at least not gain anymore weight.   As the weight started to come off and my energy levels started to soar I pushed a little harder. As I pushed a little harder, more weight came off and that motivated me to keep going.  I am not saying that there weren't days that I wasn't disappointed or frustrated with my progress, but I knew that if I had lost 50, 60, 80 lbs, the way I did, without gimmicks, diets, surgery, pills or crazy exercise programs, I knew I could achieve anything.  This kept me motivated.” 

Eli’s Advice on Getting Started

I KNOW how overwhelming it feels to think of how much weight you have to lose.  

I KNOW how difficult it seems to reduce eating all the foods we all love so much.  

I KNOW that you can barley walk without losing your breathe, nonetheless exercising.  

I also KNOW that you can achieve amazing results just like I did.  

If I had only one piece of advice to give you it is that losing weight (no matter how much you have to lose) is not an "all or nothing" thing.  For example, people ask me what difference a lousy 15 minutes of walking is going to do for them. I tell them that those "lousy" 15 minutes are 15 minutes that they are doing something positive to improve their health and life.  It is 15 minutes that they are not sitting on the couch eating and making their situation worse.  We all have to start somewhere.  As the quote on my motvational t-shirt says: 

"You don't have to be GREAT to start, but you have to START to be great!"

As a reward for being our August Fashlete of the Month Eli is receiving a customized sterling silver key chain with his personal mantra and best weight loss tip: ONE STEP AT A TIME. 

For more information on Eli's weight loss story and his personal coaching services please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/FatBoyFitMan  

www.elisapharti.com  

www.fatboytfitman.com

...and check out this video!