[00:00:00] Ben: You just got to start, start somewhere. It doesn't have to be a lot. We're about stacking wins upon wins here at the FFP and FNP. And you can absolutely do that if you start somewhere. And that's, that's just kind of key, just starting somewhere.

[00:00:25] Kat: Hi, I'm Kat from the Fit Father and Fit Mother Project. And we are so excited to have you here today. We have a very special podcast episode. We have the one and only Ben here, who is our head trainer for both our fit father and fit mother programs. And he is going to share his story. You're just going to be able to meet him and see how awesome he is, what our members already know.

[00:00:49] They already love him and adore him, but let's not take any more time. Let's jump right into it. Ben, welcome to the

[00:00:55] Ben: podcast. Thank you. This is a long time coming. I've, uh, I've heard this, uh, should [00:01:00] have been happened a while ago, but, uh, we're here now. So, uh, yeah, let's do this. We're

[00:01:05] Kat: here. All right. Tell everyone here who you are and a little bit about yourself.

[00:01:12] Ben: Yeah. So, um, I am 41 years old. I reside in, just turned 41 years old, uh, may I add. I reside in Bristow, Virginia, which is about 45 minutes southwest of Washington, D. C. I was born and raised in Virginia. I spent most of my life here. Um, I have two boys at home. We have an 11 year old and an 8 year old. And I have been married to my beautiful bride for 16 years now.

[00:01:38] And I've been with FFP uh, just came across my 5 year anniversary. So, I don't know if you knew that Kat, but yeah, just uh, 5 years, a few days ago. And, uh, yeah, that's pretty much my back story.

[00:01:51] Kat: Awesome. All right. One of the incredible pieces of the Fit Father and Fit Mother project is that all of our team [00:02:00] members have walked this journey in some way.

[00:02:03] Everyone here has struggled with their weight, whether it was trying to lose weight, whether they wanted to gain weight. They've had a journey that they can connect with members on and you've had one of those journeys and I don't know if many of the members know that I think they see you and they think there's this fit trainer, right?

[00:02:23] And he's always been that and he's never experienced, you know, the struggle, but you have, you've been there. So let's hear it. Let's talk about it.

[00:02:34] Ben: Yeah. So, um, I guess I don't want to go too far back, but I was always, uh, The chubby kid, I guess I would say growing up and as I got older, I was pretty much, I would say the definition of skinny fat, uh, I don't necessarily have the best genetics, sorry, mom and dad, if you guys are listening to this, I know it's not your fault, that was the hand you were dealt as well, but, um, that's just kind of the way it was growing up and, uh, I was always active as a kid, [00:03:00] you know, played, uh, all sorts of sports, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, martial arts, I did a ton of different sports.

[00:03:06] I was always active. Uh, but I just, you know, I was just always that, uh, little chubby kid. And, um, we're talking about in the 1980s here and my mom actually had, uh, the foresight to always make sure we ate our veggies, always make sure we had something green, as she would say. In all of our meals, so it's not like I was, uh, eating the worst either.

[00:03:26] She had a very powerful and, and, and very strong influence on my life, uh, that I didn't know until I was an adult and I fell in love with this, uh, industry. But yeah, I just could never make the progress that I wanted to, even at a young age, and then when I got older in high school, uh, still doing sports, lifting weights, taking weight training in school, et cetera.

[00:03:46] And I still just couldn't, uh, make the progress that I was looking at. And. I have these two friends that all sticks out to me. There's a one guy that I lifted with every single week. And he would literally, you know, go out to eat six [00:04:00] days a week with his family. They're, you know, frozen pizzas sky high in their chest freezer.

[00:04:04] And, uh, this kid's like sporting a six pack. I'm like, what is happening? You know, I have my mom making sure I'm eating veggies and we're drinking a ton of water. And like, why am I this chubby kid? It just didn't make sense. And I had this other buddy who. But literally, when I go to SAS after school, I eat three pieces of white bread as a snack, right?

[00:04:20] And same thing, you know, sporting a six pack, totally ripped. You hear about those kids or when they're teenagers or young adults, I can eat whatever they want, you know, and, and, and not gain a single pound. Well, that, that wasn't me. So, uh, by the time college rolled around, I had put on, I think I was about 180 going into, uh, college.

[00:04:38] And then I ballooned up to 215 after my freshman year. Right. So. And how,

[00:04:42] Kat: how tall are you for people

[00:04:44] Ben: listening? Yeah. So I'm. Yeah, of course, for sure. I'm six foot flat. Um, so instead of that, you know, freshman 15 that a lot of people tend to gain, mine was, uh, quite a bit more than that for sure. And then, you know, college lifestyle, [00:05:00] fraternity lifestyle, lots of pizza, lots of beer.

[00:05:02] And then all of a sudden, just one day I just realized, Hey, you know, I'm borderline obese. If I wasn't there already, uh, up at two 15. And, um, I realized, Hey, this is. This is not the lifestyle I want. So, uh, for me, it was kind of like a light switch. And there's one day I said, you know what? This is the last day.

[00:05:20] Uh, I'm, I'm not going out like this and, uh, ordered myself a pizza. I ate half of it cause I knew it was going to be the last time I would just gorge myself like that. And then the next day, uh, the rest is history. So this was. Uh, my summer year between junior and senior year in college and, um, that was 20 years ago, uh, this past summer.

[00:05:39] So, uh, I just kind of came across that milestone of never looking back and my lifestyle, uh, has never been the same ever since then.

[00:05:47] Kat: How? Like, when I think about being in college, to make a decision in college, okay, I'm going to start eating healthy and frat too. Like, how did you handle that? What did that even look like?[00:06:00]

[00:06:00] Ben: Yeah, that's definitely there were some challenges because I still wanted to live the uh, You know the quote college lifestyle still want to have fun, especially in my senior year, right? It's my last year and I still wanted to be with my friends and hang out and have a good time So I always tried to find it a way to implement some sort of healthy Change in my life, right?

[00:06:20] So, you know, I still splurged on occasion, you know, I still had fun at parties and such, but, uh, I found a way to eat healthier, uh, throughout the week, right? So, uh, we would always have what they call brotherhood dinners where, uh, we would all get together and then usually it would be pizza or Chinese, takeout Chinese.

[00:06:36] Food or something unhealthy, uh, stuff like that, where I didn't want to miss out and hanging out with them. So I would just bring my own, right? I, every once in a while, of course, I would still enjoy the pizza or the Chinese food with them. I didn't want to deprive myself either, but most days I would just bring my own food so I could still hang out with them.

[00:06:51] Or I made sure I always got to the gym, uh, before classes in the morning, sometimes a little harder than. Other days at the 8:00 AM classes. But, you know, I always still [00:07:00] found a way, uh, to, to be active and I would incorporate, uh, more of an active lifestyle with doing sports with them, trying to get them to run with me and, and to hit the gym with me so I could still spend time with them.

[00:07:11] So it was a balance, you know, and, uh, it wasn't the easiest situation, but that's why I always tell some of our members that if I could do it in college, in a fraternity, you know, I'd still lose the weight that, uh, you could do it too. Whatever, uh, lifestyle, uh, obstacles you may have going on. So, yeah, it was definitely a challenge, but, uh, I'm glad I did it.

[00:07:29] And, uh, I lost about half that weight, half of the weight, uh, between my junior and senior year. And then the rest I lost, uh, in my senior year going on into adulthood, I guess you would say.

[00:07:40] Kat: And how does that change? So, You've had 20 years now of keeping the weight off, and I'm sure that looks different when you're a young man coming out of college, right, on your own versus trying to keep the weight off as, you know, newlywed and then as a dad and of little ones and a dad of now older ones.

[00:07:58] Like, what has that [00:08:00] process looked like and how has that changed?

[00:08:03] Ben: Yeah. So, you know, I guess I'm blessed. And potentially cursed with, uh, my mindset and attitude. I'm very tunnel vision. So when I get my mindset on something, that's all I focus on. Um, so it was a lot easier coming out of college, as you said, as a young adult and not married yet, and basically living my own lifestyle, but, you know, as Work priorities, uh, start coming about as you're newlywed, as you said.

[00:08:28] And now of course, being a parent, you know, your priorities change a little bit. Your day-to-day changes. Uh, a lot, a bit. And, uh, I think I was lucky enough to create habits, uh, from an early uh, age when I first started doing this, where I was able to, um. Continue not, maybe not the lifestyle that I want to live completely, but, uh, the major tenants of the major staples of it with at least doing something active every day with at least making healthy choices, uh, surrounding myself with positive people who have a strong [00:09:00] impact on.

[00:09:00] Uh, this lifestyle and supporting me and knowing this is the life I want to live, it's definitely helped a tremendous amount.

[00:09:08] Kat: And what a great point. I think everyone thinks of, okay, I need more movement and I need to be eating that perfect plate. You know, my vegetables and my protein, everyone thinks of that hydrating, but you mentioned surrounding yourself with those positive people who are going to continue.

[00:09:23] to encourage you to stay on track that I don't think is often added in to that realm of what we think of. And that is so important. And I'm happy you mentioned that some members can hear that 20 years of success came with support from others to around you. So did your family latch on right away when you said you wanted to make this change or was there some push?

[00:09:48] back from from talking about making a different lifestyle change.

[00:09:53] Ben: Yeah, I wouldn't say there's pushback from family, but more so from friends and maybe not pushback might not be the right word, but it may be [00:10:00] more, uh, you know, I'm going to work happy hours, you know, and and not, you know, partaking with them or when you have company.

[00:10:08] Uh, or office pizza parties, you know, why aren't you doing, you know, you know, have some it's okay It's not a big deal. And of course it would have been okay You know, if I wanted to have a slice here and there it's totally fine you know, we got to live normal life too, but another hand I I had a goal in mind that I wanted to Uh reach and strive for and so there's a little bit Of, uh, uh, not, you know, not pushback, but I would say maybe not a support as supportive as I could have needed or use from some of my peers or coworkers or office mates, but eventually once they saw this type of lifestyle I was living, they saw, you know, how good I was feeling and, uh, Just how happy it made me.

[00:10:46] They, they eventually got on board and then, uh, you know, ideally or hopefully I was able to rub off on them a little bit as well.

[00:10:53] Kat: All right. So he mentioned happy hours and pizza parties. Those are not with the fit father project. I want to make sure that's, uh, everyone knows [00:11:00] that let's kind of go through that.

[00:11:03] That's a great chance for us to open up. How did you end up here? How did you end up a trainer at the Fit Father and Fit Mother Project?

[00:11:11] Ben: Yeah, so, like I said, I fell in love with, um, uh, the journey when I, uh, lost, uh, my weight between junior and senior year of college, uh, so much that I wanted to make, uh, a change in my Studies at school.

[00:11:25] Um, but unfortunately at the University of Virginia, where I went and go, who's, uh, they did not offer, uh, exercise science or kinesiology or anything like that. So, uh, I didn't really have any options at that point. And I didn't want to transfer with only one year left before I graduated. So, um, what I decided to do is I would just move forward with my normal career path.

[00:11:45] And, um, I put that in my back pocket for later. So I spent time after college working as a researcher, a software tester, quality assurance. I worked in tech, uh, for a little while. And then, you know, seven, eight years later, after I graduate, [00:12:00] I realized, Hey, you know what? I want to align a profession with a passion.

[00:12:04] And so I made the difficult decision that I was going to, uh, quit my job to, uh, get my personal trainer certification. And, uh, this was in 2010, I believe 2011, somewhere around there. And I was working for an amazing, very, very progressive company called the Motley Fool, which I'm sure some of you who are listening may have heard of this company.

[00:12:25] And they were, uh, super progressive with how they treated their employees. And before I left, I pitched them on the idea of potentially having kind of like a wellness person on staff. Right. So, and that could help, help their bottom line, help with, uh, their ROI, maybe, you know, reduce some absenteeism, boost productivity, increase happiness, things like that.

[00:12:44] And, you know, this was, like I said, in 2010, before corporate wellness was, you know, wasn't even a thing yet, or maybe in its infancy, and they bought the idea, they loved it, and I created a position at this company where I switched over from quality assurance tech work to doing this, uh, [00:13:00] uh, more wellness promotion, and I did that for a few years, and it was, it was basically a dream job, I got to create the job from scratch, and I was very appreciative of that opportunity, but my wife and I wanted To be at home with our young babies and then toddlers and our infants and then toddlers as they grew.

[00:13:21] So we made another very difficult decision. We both quit our secure full time salary jobs to go more self employed. Uh, so we could work at home and be with them as they grew up. And then, uh, so I worked for myself as a trainer, uh, online and in person. And, you know, fast forward a few years later, they're, they're back in grade school and I was ready.

[00:13:40] to rejoin the workforce. And, uh, luckily enough, I found, uh, the Fit Father, Fit Mother project, and, uh, the rest is history. And I've been with you guys ever since. I mean,

[00:13:52] Kat: that's incredible to trust that, like, love of family and say, hey, it's gonna, like, it's gonna work out. We're gonna make it work. And [00:14:00] now we get to help.

[00:14:00] Ben: Yeah,

[00:14:04] Kat: that's true. Looking back, like it worked out so well, but I am positive that was extremely stressful when you're in the moment. Yeah. Okay. So let's talk about that. Like when it was stressful, did you feel yourself ever starting to slipping on your own health or did that almost boost you to stay on top of your health during that stressful time?

[00:14:26] Ben: I would say more of the latter. It definitely boosted me. Um, you know, like I said, I've tunnel vision with my goals and I never want to waver from them, uh, but I could definitely feel, uh, the mental stress coming on with, obviously with, you know, now with a newborn or a young kid and a newborn in the house and, uh, trying to make ends meet financially.

[00:14:47] And, you know, we're working for ourselves and. You know, I was lucky enough to have an amazing, amazing wife who was super supportive of, uh, this type of journey of trying to make it on my own. So that definitely helped, [00:15:00] but, uh, staying with your healthy eating habits, staying with your daily movement, um, taking the time to, I would make sure I'd get outside every day just to be in the sun and be near water and, and, uh, get a little bit of that earthing, uh, get my feet in the grass, just to kind of ground myself, literally.

[00:15:16] Uh, ground myself into the earth every day just to make myself, uh, realize, Hey, you know, I'm doing this for the right thing. You know, it's all going to be okay. And luckily it was. Hey, it's Dr. Ray. I want to quickly pause this episode to thank you for listening to this fit father podcast. I am just blown away at how amazing this podcast has become.

[00:15:37] I had no idea when I started FFP around 10 years ago that it would grow into such an impactful mission. And I want to let you know that I am so grateful to be connected to you in this lifetime. And on behalf of me and my entire team, we are so grateful to be in your life, helping you get and stay healthier for your family.

[00:15:53] That's what I want to share. Just some gratitude from my heart to yours. Let's get back to

[00:15:57] Kat: today's episode. Okay. So you're [00:16:00] over here at the fit father and fit mother project and you start being a trainer here and now we're taking off. Talk to us about what you do for those who are listening, who aren't members.

[00:16:10] Like what do you do for the fit father and fit mother project?

[00:16:13] Ben: Yeah. So, um, we have a wide, wide range of members, uh, coming to us from all varying fitness levels. Um, obviously the majority are. You know, trying to lose weight or change their body composition. And, uh, but they all have different, um, different, uh, potentially limitations or dietary restrictions or injuries that they may be dealing with, et cetera.

[00:16:36] So, uh, as the head trainer at FFP and FFP, I'm here to kind of help. Uh, make their journey theirs, uh, whether it's through our routine exercise modifications for movements that fit their needs a little bit better, or like I said, they have dietary restrictions, they can't eat certain foods, how can they mold our principles, our eating habits into their lifestyle, and I can help [00:17:00] create that for them, kind of a little bit of a cheerleader.

[00:17:02] Uh, as they, uh, go through the program and just making sure that, uh, I'm in their corner to help support them, however, they need it, uh, throughout the journey, because it is, it can be a very long journey for people and it is very easy to slip up, of course, and that's totally natural. Uh, it's perfectly normal for anyone going through this cause there's so many ups and downs and challenges and, and, uh, uh, just, I want them to know that I'm here to help support them and, and help, uh, walk them through any, if anything they need.

[00:17:29] Kat: Yeah, it's kind of that added community too, right? Not only are you that trainer, you're also, like you said, you're in their corner, like you're rooting for them. You care. And I think that's different, right? That's something that's unique to the Fit Father and Fit Mother project is that we have an entire staff who really is rooting for you.

[00:17:48] We want you to do well. We want you to succeed. We want you to be able to create your own perfect plate with your family and you get to watch these members do that and be on this journey with them. Which is [00:18:00] incredible now while you're here at the fit father and fit mother project How has your kind of fitness goals changed because you're at 20 years.

[00:18:09] You've lost your weight, right? So now what are you trying to do? What are those new goals that you've kind of started to walk into? Yeah,

[00:18:17] Ben: so that's kind of uh, once again, I guess the the The gift and the curse of this mindset that I have, you know, so I I ended up losing 65 pounds. That was my total amount that I lost.

[00:18:30] And when I got to my lowest, I realized it was just a little too low for my size, for my height, uh, so I wanted to build back up, but in the last 20 years, you know, I've cycled through so many different, uh, challenges, either, uh, challenges that were presented to me from. Um, like physical, actual, not like detrimental challenges, but like actual physical challenges, uh, for either, you know, gaining muscle and building my body back up versus cycling back, trying to cut back on body fat a little [00:19:00] bit, uh, going through different dietary changes, um, uh, eating primal at one point, paleo at one point, keto at one point.

[00:19:07] Just, I like to keep things interesting and try different things. And I think I've evolved to the point now. Where, first of all, I thought I knew a lot coming in here working before I started working for the company. But what Dr. Anthony has shown and introduced to me has been eyeopening. I feel like I maybe, uh, had half of my fitness journey, you know, leading up to the company, you know, 15 years of it.

[00:19:30] And then these last five, I've just been like another half. It's been that much information. And I feel like I'm kind of evolving now into more of a. I don't want to say maintenance lifestyle, there's not that there's anything wrong with that, but I want to, I like to push through to certain goals and, uh, but trying to find that balance between having a better overall healthier lifestyle, not just reaching blindly for a certain goal, uh, uh, so I guess there's kind of a bit of a balance, I guess I would say from [00:20:00] trying to build muscle, trying to shed fat, trying to stay cut, trying to do different dietary challenges to more of a, okay, what is, you It's gonna be healthiest for me and my family and my two small kids in the long run, right?

[00:20:11] That's, that's all that matters at the end of the day. So, uh, being there for them, being present for them, uh, while also giving myself that taste of a challenge that I, that I so

[00:20:19] Kat: desire. Yeah. And you do have another unique perspective of you can connect with members who are trying to lose weight because you've been there.

[00:20:29] You've kept this weight off, you know that. But you also, like, trying to put muscle on, and I know we have talked about this a lot, of that wasn't natural for you. Like, your body didn't, it wasn't like, oh, you were just working out and lifting weights and, you know, muscle mass, you know, was bulking, and you were just growing.

[00:20:47] You've also stepped into that where you can connect with members who have switched over to old school muscle and are really working to put on muscle mass. Cause you put a ton of effort into that for yourself.

[00:20:59] Ben: Yeah, [00:21:00] for sure. I think a problem that I had for many years and I probably didn't discover, um, intently enough until I started here was, uh, not eating correctly.

[00:21:10] Not, not that I was eating bad foods, but not eating enough foods, especially when you put that caloric surplus you need for growth, right? I, I spent so long trying to lose weight. Weight and body fat for this journey that it's hard to switch over right to eat at that surplus and I think for many years I sabotaged my success and potential results by, you know, burning away at some really necessary lean muscle, lean tissue.

[00:21:36] And, um. I think I've learned enough from that from my personal experience that I can help, uh, help with our members who cycle between the two programs. Because, you know, for those who aren't listening, you may not know, uh, we have two main tracks on the FFP side. We have the FF30X, which is more of a weight loss, fat loss, body composition changing type program.

[00:21:55] And then old school muscle, as Kat mentioned, OSM is more of that muscle building growth [00:22:00] development type program. Very, very different programs, very, very different protocols and lifestyles. Um, and I think I was caught somewhere in the middle. And, uh, so I understand that struggle for sure, but, um, learning what I've learned along the way for myself.

[00:22:15] And then, like I said, from, uh, Dr. A and, uh, the necessary steps it takes to either lose body fat, uh, or build muscle, very different journeys, uh, can definitely help with our members, uh, who have, uh, gotten to their point, uh, where they're happy with, with their weight and they've lost everything they wanted to, but they're ready to switch over.

[00:22:34] Uh, it's a great place to be and I can definitely understand that from their point of view.

[00:22:38] Kat: How did you realize, because you said like you had to realize you were not eating enough and kind of burning away at that muscle mass. How did you figure that out? If someone is listening right now, how would they do that for themselves?

[00:22:51] Ben: Yeah, it's, uh, it's definitely a process. Uh, As I alluded to before with something like FF30X, it's a lot easier, right? I mean, it's easier to eat at a [00:23:00] deficit. You don't necessarily have to calculate your calories to the T. You definitely can. And we have some members that do, which is perfectly fine. Uh, but for, uh, most of our members who.

[00:23:09] Uh, are on our FF30X plan. They don't necessarily have to, right? We kind of keep it simple enough where you're making healthy choices. You're moving daily. You're going to see changes for sure. But with OSM with old school muscle and muscle building programs, you need to be a lot more tuned in with your macros, right?

[00:23:23] You gotta, you gotta know about your caloric intake, how much you're eating, how much you need for growth, et cetera. And I thought I was doing that, uh, plenty well, plenty good. Um, uh, but I don't think I was eating enough to, uh, Match my lifestyle. I like to have, you know, a daily workout most days of the week I'm lifting but I also like to take multiple walks throughout the day as well So I don't think I was matching so My weights were going up and that could have just been a central nervous system boost From that perspective.

[00:23:55] I wasn't sure. Well, I wasn't understanding I was able to lift more but my body weight was not [00:24:00] going up right or my measurements weren't going up I think it just got to a point where Hey, you know what? I'm not eating enough, uh, to support my needs. And then, obviously, through OSM and these detailed plans, I realized, Hey, you know what?

[00:24:12] I need to be doing some, uh, calorie cycling, which we break down in the program about eating at that surplus that's necessary for growth. So, um, Yeah, I mean, it's definitely a challenge, but, uh, it is possible once you dial in everything and if you're willing to as well.

[00:24:27] Kat: And thankfully, we have a team who can help you do that.

[00:24:30] You know, Ben has figured it out. Look, Ben's been here. He's figured it out. He's done this hard work. You can come to our team and join. Dr. Anthony's put the plan together. Ben's tested it. He's run through it all and he can help you perfect it. You don't have to do any of that part now. If you're listening, just show up.

[00:24:51] That's, that's the best part. Okay. What's your next goals, Ben? Tell me, what are your workout

[00:24:58] Ben: goals? Well, well, [00:25:00] you know, as you know, Kat, we've talked about this a ton. I just, uh, I, I was doing keto most recently for myself and I realized I was doing it for nine months. And, you know, once again, with the blessing and the curse of the tunnel vision, I did it for nine months straight.

[00:25:11] I didn't come and go. I was, I was in nine months in, in, uh, ketosis. And, um, I realized it wasn't for me. I kind of had the opposite effect. I had some great results up front. You know, I wanted that challenge for that 20 year anniversary. I want to do something completely different. I've never done keto before, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

[00:25:28] And, uh, and then my body started revolting and going back the other way. My cortisol levels were just too high. I was storing more body fat than I was comfortable with. And I said, you know what? Hey, I love the workout routine. I've been doing this, uh, heavier lifting routine, but let's bring some carbs back into the mix and see what happens.

[00:25:43] And it's been a very welcome experience so far. It's only been a couple of weeks since I've gotten off, but, uh, I'm loving it again and, um, you know, to tie that in with. Uh, what we recommend with our program. I mean, keto is, if it's an option for, uh, prospective members out there or for current members, you want to do it [00:26:00] by all means, give it a shot, but, uh, we recommend a little bit more balanced lifestyle, right?

[00:26:04] I mean, keto is not the most sustainable for most people, long term, uh, carbs are not the enemy and I didn't think they were an enemy either. I just wanted personal challenge, you know, let me just clarify that. Um, but, uh, yeah, so we're more, more about a more healthy, uh, main. uh, attainable lifestyle, long term lifestyle change.

[00:26:22] And, uh, as I said before, I think that's kind of where I'm headed now personally, you know, with, with a little hint of a challenge with, uh, with this heavier lifting, but, uh, a little bit more maintain, it's so much easier doing having the carbs in their birthday parties and social celebrations. And I'm just so, so glad to, to be back in that, you know, normal lifestyle, I guess I should say.

[00:26:42] Kat: Yeah, I mean, I think sustainability, being able to have a program that it doesn't really feel like a program almost you're like, okay, I'm eating a healthy plate in front of me. Maybe you're boosting how much protein you're having or okay, I'm focusing on my hydration, but you're just. You're [00:27:00] eating a healthy plate of food at all of your meals, right?

[00:27:02] That's sustainable. Like you said, you can go to a birthday party. You can have these days where you can have holidays because that's just one day. It doesn't, it doesn't matter. You're just eating healthy and there's one day where there's a holiday or there's one day with a birthday and you keep moving versus like the keto or the paleo where they are great tools.

[00:27:21] But are they sustainable forever? You had an interesting experience of you did this for, you all need to really listen here when Ben tries something, he goes all in, like when he said he was doing this for nine months, this was no cheating, like completely all in. There was nothing that varied. He was in ketosis for nine months, like 100 percent there, no doubt in my mind there.

[00:27:47] And then, then you experience this where your body was. Was angry. Like revolted at you and now it's like, just get back to the basics. Like I'll just eat these healthy foods and it sounds [00:28:00] like you said, it sounds simple, which I don't want to say it's simple because it really isn't with all of, like what the world puts out there for us and what media shows us and what we can get.

[00:28:08] But it's more simple than most things.

[00:28:13] Ben: Oh, for sure. Yeah. And I just want to clarify I mean, for those out there who want to do something like keto, you know, if that motivates you. Obviously a lot of these diets work because they all have something similar in common. You're getting rid of a lot of the junk food.

[00:28:25] You're, uh, eating more, uh, hopefully more, uh, you know, nutritious whole base type foods. And that's why a lot of these diets tend to work. Um, but what we promote at FSP and FMP is more about that, uh, as Kat mentioned a couple of times, just eating that perfect plate. And for those who don't know, you're just dividing a plate into three, right?

[00:28:44] It's so simple. You just put 50 percent the plate, fill it up with veggies, 25 percent a lean protein, 25%. of a healthy complex carb or a healthy fast, something like that. And boom, you're good to go. And it's just so much more easy, uh, and, and maintainable to do something like [00:29:00] this, uh, long term right. And, and, and, you know, I don't want to put down any type of diet.

[00:29:04] You can get, you can do it if it motivates you and jump starts you maybe, and can help get you going. But yeah, there's just so much easier to live a normal lifestyle in our society by just, uh, you know. Promoting moderation and making healthier choices and I think you don't do anything crazy or crazy fat if you are trying to make changes.

[00:29:25] Kat: Okay, now we need fun facts about Ben. Ben, what do you do? What are you doing as a hobby? I bet most of these people listening are members. They want to know more about you. What do you do in your free time? What do we got?

[00:29:36] Ben: I mean outside

[00:29:37] Kat: of exercise? Yes Like I said guys, he's Super committed. So exercise is his hobby.

[00:29:44] But in addition to that, what else

[00:29:46] Ben: do you do? Yeah, I think it will surprise a lot of people. I'm very, uh, heavy into, uh, fantasy sports. Um, I preferred the daily option and I liked that because there's a Big, uh, game theory element [00:30:00] of that. And that goes back to, um, I was in engineering school at UVA and I kind of had that, have that mindset, right?

[00:30:06] That's why I ended up in tech for a little bit of that, uh, process, uh, oriented thinking mindset. So I'm really big in the game theory and, uh, that type of outlet. So, uh, between that and, uh, obviously exercise. I love spending time with my boys. They are at that age where they're super into sports right now.

[00:30:25] So basketball, baseball, martial arts, uh, things like that. So coaching them and playing with them and, uh, teaching them and, uh, just being part of their life is just, it's just so huge for me right now. Cause you're never going to get that time back. Right. So I'm just so thankful to be at a, at a company like the fit father project and fit mother project where they allowed that type of lifestyle where I can be with them.

[00:30:50] Because, you know, you know, without family, without your health, I mean, what do you have, right? And so it's, uh, uh, definitely a big part of my life, uh, being, being in their life. [00:31:00] Yeah.

[00:31:01] Kat: What teams are you cheering with your boys? When you and your boys are watching a game, who are you cheering for?

[00:31:07] Ben: Uh, well, definitely my alma mater, University of Virginia, all sports for sure.

[00:31:11] That is probably number one. Uh, I'm a big basketball fan, so, and football fan, and we don't have the greatest teams here in the Washington DC area. Uh, so the Wizards is, and I guess now they're called the Commanders, uh, are two, uh, uh, big professional teams we cheer for and the Nats of course as well. But we're struggling all around here, Kat.

[00:31:32] All I got to you Vieta is to propel us through. So you shouldn't have to worry about that.

[00:31:37] Kat: Oh my goodness. Okay, we will go with that. Go, go wizards. That's who we're cheering for.

[00:31:44] Ben: We can do that. Sure,

[00:31:48] Kat: we can do that. Okay, if you are someone who is thinking about the program or, you know, they're kind of where you were when you realized, like, hey, I'm overweight I need to do something.

[00:31:58] What's that advice you [00:32:00] would give for that? Member or perspective member who's sitting there right now.

[00:32:04] Ben: Yeah, I would say Just got to start start somewhere. I mean what we try to promote on your program material I mean, there's a lot of information and it's very helpful information is very Scientific and evidence based.

[00:32:18] Dr. Anthony does want you guys to know why we're promoting what we're promoting and not just Blindly doing something. It's supposed to be a lifestyle change after all, not just a quick fix, but just starting somewhere. There is so much you can do, so much you could do, uh, just to get going. It doesn't have to be a lot either, right?

[00:32:35] You know, if, uh, you're a big soda drinker, for example, just cutting down, cutting out soda can make a tremendous impact. You will be so surprised how much better you feel if you just switch out your soda for your water, uh, consumption, something like that, or you live with more of a sedentary lifestyle, just getting outside and moving.

[00:32:52] I mean, we're not talking about a lot, maybe 15, 20 minutes every day. Uh, even after dinner, uh, as a preferable option, maybe in the morning, you get that [00:33:00] morning sunlight on your skin, in your eyes. It's going to work amazing wonders just to make you feel better. Not just on the short term micro scale and the day to day basis, but long term you'll realize how much better you feel.

[00:33:12] You might be living, uh. Living in pain and you don't even know it because it's your normal, right, until you make these changes. It could be as small as just, you know, removing that junk food from your house, creating a grocery list just one time, one day. Do your shopping. And, uh, if you don't have that food in your house, you got to fall back onto something, right?

[00:33:31] It's just, it's just basically small changes, you know, hydrating more, giving yourself an extra glass or two of water a day, starting your day off with that instead of just reaching for those caffeinated drinks, uh, that, you know, make you feel good temporarily, but it'll give you that crash later on. It's just, it doesn't have to be a lot.

[00:33:46] We're about stacking wins upon wins here. Uh, FFP and FNP and you can absolutely do that if you start somewhere and that's, that's just kind of key. Just starting somewhere.

[00:33:57] Kat: Awesome. That's a great way to wrap [00:34:00] it up. Start somewhere, go and see Ben in the Brotherhood and Sisterhood pages. Once you join the program, you're added to this great community and Ben as well as our other coaches are there to support you.

[00:34:14] And for current members, remember that every Wednesday. You can turn in your questions to Ben and he will answer them live on the Q and A on Fridays for you to see, which is just another amazing benefit of being a member and being part of the community is you really, you get that interaction with Ben.

[00:34:29] You get to ask those personal questions and we are so happy to be on this journey with you. Please check us out on our YouTube channel for more amazing content. Listen to other podcasts, send your questions into us. So that our team can talk with you and we will talk with you on the next episode.

[00:34:48] Ben: Thanks for listening to this week's episode of the fit father project podcast.

[00:34:52] If you love what you heard, please rate and review our podcast on apple podcasts. It really helps spread this show to more men who need this valuable [00:35:00] info to watch full video episodes of this podcast and other motivational videos to inspire your training and more. Visit our fit father project, YouTube channel.

[00:35:08] It's free and everything's made for busy guys over 40. Like you visit youtube. com forward slash fit father project to get access to our entire video library. And finally, if you or someone in your life is interested in becoming a fit father or needs help losing weight, building muscle and living healthier after age 40, Then visit fitfatherproject.

[00:35:30] com where you can see our proven programs, supplement line for guys 40 plus and free meal plan and workouts to get you started. This is Dr. Anthony Balduzzi signing off. I'll see you in the next episode.