Ed Hensley for Customer Testimonial Video

Speaker: Ed Hensley

Ed Hensley: When I first found Chris in breakthrough training. Um I was kind of at the end of my rope, I was, uh, um, almost 320 pounds and even at my height, that was, uh, not good. I was having trouble, um, even just going upstairs, I was having trouble getting winded when just going for a walk. Um, and as someone who had been athletic through a good part of my life, I'd hit, I think I was like 51. And, um, you know, I, I was, I was that dad, I was the dad that couldn't really participate, uh, with the kids, with the sons. Um, I was, I was big but, um, that, that was just it. I just stood there and, um, couldn't, I really felt my confidence, um, and myself and, um, and all, I honestly, what I had to come down to myself, what was, um, um, I wasn't gonna make 60 uh, the, the rate I was going, like I said, I was close to 320 pounds and some change. And, uh, um, I, I really felt everything going downhill. My, my health, my confidence my relationship with my wife and kids, um, especially my son who's as athletic as I was at that age. Um, and I just couldn't join in and that really, uh, that really hurt on a lot of different levels. So that's, that's where I was when I first. Um, just searching for some sort of solution and praise the Lord. Somehow Chris's feed popped up on my phone. That's where it all started.

Ed Hensley: Uh, things I tried in the past before I came across Chris's feed. Um, kind of a lot of the, the normal stuff. Some of it, I, I just tried, um, uh, even intermittent fasting, um, tried just working out on my own, coming up with my own workouts. Um, one of the probably overall worst things I did or found out that I was doing is I would start up, um, getting back in the gym and I would try at late forties, early fifties to do the workouts I was doing in my early twenties. Um, thinking I, you know, could, could still do this. My, uh, uh, my pride was not going to, um, get in the way and what I found out it just, you know, physically, not only my age but the size I had gotten, um, you know, I couldn't do at 300 plus pounds. What I had done at 200 pounds 30 years earlier. Um, the, the same workouts, all they did was was, um, hurt my confidence further because I couldn't do them. And if I did complete anything I was sore for a week, I, I didn't, um, I didn't gradually work into, uh, starting with where I was, I was trying to start where I was at 21 not at 51. And, um, as far as on the diet side, I, you know, I would, I would try things. II, I was successful, um, a few years earlier in just not really documenting what I ate but just, you know, cut cutting things off at a certain time in the evening. Um, I'm often, I'm a CPA so often, like during tax season I'm up pretty late. Um, so I, you know, instead of, um, eating an entire meal again at 11 o'clock, um, I, I was somewhat successful in, in, at least in losing weight, um, by just, you know, grabbing a handful of grapes or something like that. Um, but then that would last for a while and I'd revert to what I did before and that's, that's how the, the, the weight would go up and come down a little bit and go up and go up. And, um, so I, I ultimately never was successful in that. I tried some other online things. Um, uh, I won't mention names but, uh, um, just things that, that talked about the psychological aspect of, of heating and all this stuff and, and I think, you know, that that might have worked if I had bought in or it might have worked better anyway, had I bought into it. But like I said, the C PM too mathematical log to, to buy into that, I guess. Um, and, um, ultimately they, they all failed because I, I guess my mindset it really wasn't all in and, uh, um, so none of those was gonna work. Um, but I think the, the key to all of those and why they didn't work was the, I had no accountability. I had nobody, I was answering to, I decided, um, decided I wasn't gonna work out today. I didn't work out that day. There was, there was nobody saying, oh come on, man, get with it, get with it.

Ed Hensley: Well, since starting with, uh, breakthrough, breakthrough training and, um, uh, really ramping things up. Um, some of the things I've noticed is that everything has been more gradual. Um, you know, it's not been, you know, lost 10 pounds a week for the first month or anything like that. It's, it's been a gradual pound here, 2 pounds there. But ultimately, I have gone from, uh, like I said earlier, nearly 320 pounds to last week. Last time I weighed in, I was at 250. So I have lost, uh, nearly 70 pounds of total weight. Um, that's, you know, that, that's been a measurable part. Um, but the, for me, the even bigger part is, is just feeling better. Um, just, you know, not being, um afraid if, you know, my family wants to go to the state park and go on a hike. Um, knowing that I can, I can do that and I'm not going to have to walk 100 yards and sit and rest for a while and, um, can enjoy more time with them. They're, um, and, uh, um, going along with that, um, I have been able by, you know, my son still, he plays, uh, basketball in college now. So now the off season he's doing workouts. Um, you know, I, I, I not like, I'm gonna play one on one against him because he's still gonna murder me then. But, uh, um, but I can still work out with him. You know, I can, I can rebound, I can pass, I can, I can run the court with him. Um So that's, you know, that, that's kind of um brought our relationship back from, uh, from where it was when I was just one of the dads sitting over on the sideline. Um, um Another thing is, you know, just the, just the, the confidence and the, um the overall strength, um just feeling stronger, um not being, um, you know, really intimidated by something that, you know, physically is going to take some, some strength. Um, you know, I have gotten stronger, I've gotten, um, um able to go, go further, go longer, whatever you wanna call it. Um But, uh that's, that's been the, the biggest keys and, uh, um that's the, the measurable results. But, you know, I think the bigger parts, the, the mental results is uh the, the relationships kind of rekindling and, and being able to do things that, um honestly, two years ago, I couldn't have done. Um best example of that is right before I really got started with breakthrough. Um, my family and I we went on a, a vacation to Colorado and, um, of course, being the, the type they are, we, there was a lot of trails in Colorado to, to go on. Um, there was a lot of them. I just couldn't do, uh, they'd have, they, they'd go on ahead of me and, and, you know, I'd walk 100 yards and have to sit and find a rock and sit for a while and walk 100 yards. And, um, big change in that just this past weekend we went down, um, for a trip, I went rafting on the river, um, all the, the paddling and walking and carrying rafts and stuff like that didn't faze me a bit. Um And with not even knowing I was going to be doing this video that I was just kind of making a mental note to make sure and let Chris know, um, how much I appreciated being able to do that. Now, that's definitely something that two years ago, um, I wouldn't have been able to do.

Ed Hensley: Um, my experience was definitely different than, than about anything else. It's probably, uh, uh, the closest I was going to get to if I can be a personal trainer. Um, Chris was, uh, we, we met via video once a week. Um, he was reviewing my stats, so I had to put them in, I had to make sure I put them in. Um, my, my body stats, my workouts, what I'd done, um, documented what I had ate and, and he reviewed them. He, he actually looked at them and when we met via a video call once a week, we went over him and I could tell he, he had looked at them and he, he already had some feedback on some of the things, especially, um, um, on the, uh, diet side of things. Um, I was, I was very, for lack of better term, good at the workout side. I knew how to do that and just had, now I had specific workouts that were great to, they were designed for my age and, and the, the place I was at to build to, uh, really, even to what I'm doing now. Um, the work outside. I was good on it was the, the documenting the, um, what I'd eaten where I'd eaten, um, and staying within parameters for, um, uh, not just for calories but for macros and, and things like that I never paid attention to and, um, Chris taught me a lot and, and how to, um, look at the macros and figure out what foods would have certain, um, certain, you know, proteins and carbs and, and um fats and, and things like that and how to be looking at that on a daily basis. Uh That's something I definitely had never done before. So, um so that that part was, was very enlightening to me. Um And I think at the same time, uh like I said before, I think the accountability, the fact that I was going to have to um not that Chris is mean or intimidating, but I was gonna have to face this guy. And um then I think in some ways we were able to use my pride to my advantage because I was gonna have to face this guy. And if I hadn't done these things, I was going to have to explain to him why. Um Now he's very gracious and very kind that if I did miss somewhere along the way, he wouldn't in my face or anything, but he was um um with, with love. Um pushing, always pushed me to be, to be a little bit better to be to do a little bit more, um, you know, in the workouts to, um, it just, it just made me motivated to, to do that one more set. I mean, after, after two sets of something, I'm like, oh, ok. I'm, I'm done. Well. No, I've got, I've got to put it down. How many sets I did and how many reps I did each set. Um, when, uh, um, so, yeah, the, the experience itself was, uh was great on uh a lot of different levels. And like I said, for me personally, I think that the accountability have to, to um speak with Chris and, and face him every week with what I had done and what I hadn't done, um that, that part was, was phenomenal for me.

Ed Hensley: Let's see what I would say to someone who's kind of tottering on, on whether or not to do this, whether or not to, uh sign up with Chris go into the, the breakthrough program. Um I would say one of the biggest things for me is, is just to look at the trajectory of your life, um, from where you've been to where you are now, just look at that trajectory where it's going to go from there if you keep doing what you're doing now, uh, you keep, you know, trying diets, failing, trying to go work out and you do it for a week or two and you stop and, and, um, when Chris asked me that question a couple of years ago or whenever, and when I honestly thought about it, my trajectory, I was heading to a grave. Uh, uh There was no other way around it and maybe at 55 if I was lucky, I might have made it 60. But that's where I was hit at the, at the trajectory. I was on, I was probably gonna be pushing 350-400 pounds by then, but I'd be dead. Um, so think about that and oppose that to, if you, if you make these relatively few little changes, it seems like a lot when you're first making them. Um Really, I think that's that you're subconscious, try trying to stay with what's comfortable um for and that's why for me the, the, the working out was easy, the, the diet was hard. Um But staying with it, having accountability to do it and having to do it. Um, that was, that was huge. Um, so that, that's probably the best advice I would give would be, do you want to stay on the trajectory you're on, you know, what's been going on, Look forward to five years where you're gonna be as opposed to if you make these few little changes and change that trajectory, where is that trajectory I taking?