He’s proof that little changes can lead to massive weight loss.

No matter what reason I went to see a doctor about, the problem always came down to my weight. When I had my cholesterol checked, the doctor’s office called and asked me to come in again because my numbers were off the charts. They couldn’t calculate my cholesterol, but it still took me years to start a workout program. What was I waiting for?
     For years I wanted to lose weight but I just didn’t have the time. As I drove my boys to school every morning for 10 years, I said to myself, The first year I don’t need to drive them to school, I’m going to start to work out. I’m going to take my commute time and devote it to workouts.
     Well, wouldn’t you know it, during my first commute-free September, I met my personal trainer at a local pool and I was off and running.
     I was 259 lb, 6-foot-1, and three years earlier my top weight was 277 lb. On my own it had taken me three years to lose 18 lb. But with the help of my personal trainer, I lost 58 lb in 10 months!

Baby Steps
I used a multifaceted approach to weight loss that centered on making a lot of small changes. The first thing I did was visualize myself on a treadmill. I had not even started my program, but at 6 a.m. when I was tossing and turning in bed, I could hear boom, boom; boom, boom; boom, boom — it was my feet hitting the treadmill.
     When I started treadmill training, I could do only 10 minutes, and I felt dead. I said, Carl, it’s OK, start with that. The next day, I did my first 10 minutes; three or four hours later I’d do another 10 minutes, then all of a sudden, I was doing 20 minutes. To this day, I do cardio sessions in 10-minute segments.
     I was an animal. I started walking steps in my office building during the winters to get some cardio in, so every couple of hours, I’d go up and down the steps for six to eight flights just to get my heart rate up. I lifted three days a week, all at home after I turned my basement into a gym.
     I ate clean. I stopped drinking alcohol. I drank whey protein shakes every day, and a casein shake before bed. I walked steps. I ran steps. I jumped rope. Sunday, I rested, but at 11 p.m. Saturday night, I did my ab workout.
     The results have been incredible. Since losing the weight, I’ve been able to discontinue taking five cholesterol medicines. My seasonal allergies are gone. My neck size decreased by 2 inches. I used to take two drops (one at night and one in the morning) for my glaucoma, but now I need only one at night. The total spent on my personal trainer was a bit over $2,000, yet my total savings on medicines is $1,600 per year — that’s a savings of $16,000 in 10 years! (I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my personal trainer Jackie Christiansen [www.fitnessbyjackie.com]. Without her help I never would have been able to accomplish so much.)
     I don’t have to hide behind a mustache, and I wear my hair short now — I don’t have to hide behind anything anymore. My waist decreased from 48 to 36 inches, though I still wear my 48-inch belt as a badge of honor. (It goes almost all the way around, but I like wearing it; maybe mentally I’m still a heavy person.)
     My advice to others is to start with small steps — eliminate soda, order vegetables rather then fries, always take the stairs, park your car obnoxiously far away and walk. And educate yourself. I read a minimum of one fitness magazine per week, and I usually read it in one sitting.
     Lift weights, eat clean and get your cardio in. It will happen. It did for me.

Carl Cassani
Age: 49
Cty: Great Falls, VA
Pounds Lost: 60
Carl’s Advice: Start with a lot of small steps, make a lot of small changes.