Success Stories Archives

Holiday Eating, Manhattan & Family – Episode 945

: Episode 945 – Vinnie & Anna talk about our critics on Twitter, holiday eating, whether or not New Yorkers are thin because they walk everywhere, Matt G a success story, dealing with family who criticize our #NSNG lifestyle and much more…

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HOLIDAY EATING

Holidays can be particularly difficult, especially for those new to NSNG
You are surrounded by carbs and desserts even more than usul
Obviously, you will feel better if you stick to NSNG, but if you put a little LIL, it’s okay!
Ultimately, what matters is what you do between Christmas and Thanksgiving, not between Thanksgiving and Christmas
- Be warned, if you eat too much pie, you will feel sick!!!
Also particularly difficult when you are surrounded by family who does not understand NSNG or who does not support it
Try to stick to it as much as possible
- If you indulge, try and get back on the wagon right after!
Most of all, enjoy the time with your friends and family as much as possible while making sure you eat how you want to eat

Matt G’s Before & After Pics

Vinnie & Andy in New York

Lose Weight, Make a Movie, Get Chicks with Paul Perez – Episode 943

by Vinnie Tortorich

: Episode 943 – Listener Paul Perez joins Vinnie this Saturday to discuss his journey that allowed him to lose weight, make a movie about it, and the fact that women pay a lot more attention to him than ever before. In making the movie about his weight loss journey, Paul gained tons of weight and then lost it quite quickly. Do not try this at home.

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LISTENER PAUL PEREZ

Paul Perez is a cameraman by trade
- For 20+ years
- Steadicam
  - Lots of walking backwards, etc., dangerous job
  - Makes the most beautiful shots in movies
Had been skinny for most of his life, until he ended up at 230 lbs
- 6′ tall
- In college, he asked a woman out, she said she had to study, then he saw her at a party
  - Made him realize he had to do something about his weight
Paul made a movie about his weight loss

LOSE WEIGHT

When Mr. Perez was essentially stood up, he realized he had to change something
- Looked in the mirror and decided he had to lose weight
Lost about 60 lbs before NSNG (1994)
- Swam a lot, grilled chicken, grilled salmon, less pizza and junk food
- He still ate a lot of black beans and rice because of his Cuban heritage
  - Got away with it because overall it was healthier, he was young, and exercising
- The chick didn’t even recognize him
  - She wanted to see him, he blew her off
  - HE became the hot chick
His film documents his weight loss from the realization to the aftermath
- Paul starred in his own movie
- Did something amazing and unusual (and highly NOT recommended)
  - VERY UNHEALTHY – Vinnie does not condone it
- He gained a ton of weight, got back up to 250 lbs for the fat scenes
  - Fatter than ever
  - Shot these scenes for 3 days
  - To gain the weight:
    - A dozen glazed donuts on the way to work, then Snickers & coffee at work, on the way home lots of McDonalds
      - Threw in some other fast food places, added tons of Oreos (double stuffed mint) and half gallons of ice cream
    - He felt like CRAP while he did this
      - Sweat, sleep apnea, etc.
      - Wanted to crash midday
  - He dreaded each day when he had to eat this way after awhile
- Then quickly got back down to 165 lbs
  - Forced himself to stop eating it
    - Wasn’t too hard because he was so dedicated
    - Loved eating salads, grilled chicken, grilled salmon, etc
    - He had eaten SO MUCH crap that the withdrawals weren’t bad
    - Swam every morning
  - Real food made him feel so much better and he craved the REAL food
  - He could do this because he is a super motivated guy
- Got fat FIRST so he would have motivation to lose the weight

Paul Perez’s Movie Trailer

Getting Started with Exercise – Episode 939

by Vinnie Tortorich

: Episode 939 – Listener Patti calls in to talk about recovering from surgery, her NSNG success so far, and getting started with exercise.

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GETTING STARTED WITH EXERCISE

Patti found Vinnie via her son
- Her son found Vinnie via Adam Carolla
She started listening herself
A fan for about four months
Drove from Iowa to the Kansas City meetup
She is active on the FB page
Patti had a couple of setbacks because of surgery
- Last October, she had a cancerous tumor removed from her colon
  - Listen to your body if there are signs of something wrong!
- This past July, had a giant ovarian cyst sitting on her bladder and entwined
  - Surgery lasted over 4 hours
She has lost 14 lbs so far!
- She does not look like she’s recently experienced such major surgeries!
- Back up and running
She and her husband jump rope
- Started about 5 mins a day, planning on increasing
Overall, Patti feels amazing!
- Used to eat a lot of wheat bread, brown rice, didn’t pay attention to sugars, etc, until she had the cancerous tumor
- Now, she is totally NSNG!
  - Didn’t find the transition difficult
    - Owns Eat Happy which makes things easier
Exercise makes you feel great!
- Your body will feel fantastic, energized
- Fast walking is even good exercise
  - 30 mins of aerobics
- To keep your body toned up, you have to do other things, but you don’t have to join a gym

Rob Howe on Work Ethic, the Pro Sports Grind & Living with T1D – Episode 933

by Vinnie Tortorich

: Episode 933 – Former Washington Generals player and creator of the Diabetics Doing Stuff podcast Rob Howe joins Vinnie to talk about never giving up despite adversity, the unknown grind of non-elite pro athletes and his journey after discovering he had Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) at age 16.

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ROB HOWE

Former pro-athlete and Type 1 Diabetic
- Played D2 basketball in college
  - Lots of talented guys in the D2 level
    - About 2 inches shorter, 20lbs lighter, and a little slower
    - Same amount of work
Avid podcaster
You can grow more when you are overwhelmed, even when it sucks sometimes
Worked in Marketing during London Olympics
Former professional basketball player
- He played for the Washington Generals, his team would face Harlem Globetrotters
- This is exhibition pro basketball
  - He fulfilled his dream of becoming a pro ball player
- Had to do everything NBA basketball players do (plus often add a level of comedy and additional entertainment)
  - 500 people outside of the NBA who play pro basketball
    - Lots of top level guys in Europe too
      - Making top money, putting numbers on the board
        
        Overseas gigs can be tough, though
        
        It’s a grind because you can be replaced with 100 other great players at the tip of a hat
Young athlete who had to manage his diabetes
- Didn’t even know he was diabetic until the age of 16, when he was already an athlete
Make sure to check out his podcast, linked above!

How Did Abram Lose 100 lbs? – Episode 930

by Vinnie Tortorich

: Episode 930 – Life-long athlete Abram Erikson tells us about how it took him 20 years to lose 100 lbs; 19 years to lose 20 lbs and 8 months to lose the remaining 80 lbs via NSNG, from 330 lbs to 230 lbs!

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Pure Vitamin Club

LOSE 100 LBS

Abram has had incredible success
- With NSNG and from hitting the gym
Lost 100 lbs, from 330 to 230 (he is 6′)
- First 20 took near 20 years with calorie in/calorie out
  - Worked until he graduated college
    - Wrestled in college
- Since, learned about NSNG
  - Lost 80 lbs in just around 8 months
High carb made him sick!
- He feels that 15 years of his life were taken away
  - People misguided him when he just wanted the best for himself
    - Toxins around him at all times
      - Coaches, nutritionists led him down the wrong path
Just eating meat and veg
- This is real food!
If you have a substantial amount of weight to lose, don’t “cheat”
- Otherwise, it’s okay to put life into living every once in awhile
Abram recognizes sugar is one of the most powerful drugs out there
- He now knows how all of this works; makes him feel a lot better

Sal DiStefano Is Not A Victim – Episode 925

by Vinnie Tortorich

: Episode 925 – MindPump podcaster, Personal Trainer and former gym owner Sal DiStefano joins Vinnie to talk about debunking the myths that the fitness industry perpetuates, wellness being more that just diet/exercise, and that people often choose to be victims with their health.

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Pure Vitamin Club

SAL DISTEFANO

Italian, like Vinnie, but much younger and more attractive
- Italians raise families by committee
Unfortunately, ladies, he has a girlfriend
Sal sees many people attempting to be victims
- It is a powerful and overused tool, particularly regarding health
  - Makes you feel better to place blame on someone other than yourself
- Sal does not blame unhealthiness on others
  - Take responsibility because you can do something about it!
    - Then, you can find empathy
  - Don’t play the victim – it is often a cop out, even if the food industry is screwing us over!
    - That being said, nobody wants to be fat
      - The sugar and grains industry, and programs like Weight Watchers steal people’s good intentions
        
        However, there is always something to do about it
        
        Vinnie saw this happening in the film industry, particularly to children in the entertainment business
Has the MindPump podcast
- Vinnie has appeared on this podcast!
- Check it out because it is a great podcast and talks more about all of this stuff