The amazing true story of how Christopher France lost 62 pounds and found a new life in less than one year. And how you can do it, too.
by MitchAllen
On a cold day in January 2008, Chris France was about to have lunch. He was waiting in the drive-through line at a local McDonald’s – again. His top pants button was undone because nothing in his wardrobe fit. That morning he had taken medication for both acid reflux disease and high blood pressure.
“People who experience dramatic change are often motivated by a single moment,” Chris says. “Waiting in that drive-through line at McDonald’s was my moment. I was a mess. I had had enough. Although Chris lives in Kent, he made the 35-minute drive to Fairlawn to talk with Jeff about his goal of losing weight and improving his health.
“Jeff was very honest with me,” Chris recalls. “He doesn’t take just anyone for a client. We talked at length about the lifestyle changes that would be required. A few days later, I signed up.”
On the morning of Chris’s first session with Jeff, he weighed 231 pounds. “I had worked at Chrysler for over 13 years,” Chris explains. “I spent most of my day sitting on my rear end on a forklift and eating fast food for lunch. Little by little the weight piled on.”
After working with Jeff for 11 months, Chris became a lean 169 pounds. He’s lost fat and gained muscle. His acid reflux is gone, his blood pressure is normal, and he’s no longer taking medications for either.
Unlike mass fitness facilities that count on thousands of members to pay a monthly fee but not show up, Jeff limits his client base to fewer than 40 people.
Most are successful business men and women, active and retired, who have had that “mirror moment,” the instant when you look in the mirror and realize that your remaining 20-30 years on earth are likely to turn miserable or become increasingly miserable if you don’t get in shape – and stay in shape – with meaningful and permanent lifestyle changes.
Of course, not everyone who meets with Jeff becomes his client. That’s because he’s looking for the right match. “It takes commitment to get in shape,” Jeff insists. “Our goal is to help each client develop his or her own self-discipline in a non-threatening, private and confidential setting. That’s the only way to achieve lifetime results. Plus, I’m going to be living in your back pocket for the next year, so we have to have a mutual respect for each other.”
Jeff also believes that the media and the diet industry put too much emphasis on weight loss and not enough on fitness. “It’s not about weight loss; it’s about fitness and fat loss,” he explains. “The body burns far more calories maintaining muscle than fat. That means developing muscle mass through resistance training is a sure fire way to speed up your metabolism. It isn’t rocket science.”
The primary objections people have to Jeff’s level of personal attention are time and money; it takes both. “I don’t buy those excuses,” Jeff flatly insists. “Committing to train with me for one hour, three times per week, isn’t that much time considering there are 168 hours available – it’s a very small time investment considering what is at stake. Most people watch three hours of TV in a single night,” Jeff continues. “And although we are more expensive than the typical gym, my clients enjoy a more private and personal training session on every visit.
Plus, this is your health we’re talking about your life. Most of us invest far more money on dining out than we do in our own fitness.”