Rick T.
Changing your life is hard... Maybe it's time to not do It alone.
For most of my life, I was never “the big guy.” In my younger and middle-adult years, I was athletic, played a variety of sports, and was healthy. But over the last 20–25 years, life—and “the good life”—gradually caught up with me. I went from having a “dad bod,” to being a little overweight, then chunky, and eventually found myself staring at a number on the scale that was just shy of 300 pounds. Like a lot of people, I tried to fix it on my own. Over the years, I tried different diets and approaches. Two years ago, I even had some success with intermittent fasting and lost a significant amount of weight. But the problem was that I couldn't sustain it. Eventually, the weight came back. Then I stopped getting on the scale altogether. I didn't want to know how bad things had become. Honestly, I had reached a point where I was beginning to accept that I was simply going to be a fat guy who continued getting fatter—and eventually I’d have to deal with whatever consequences came with that. It’s almost hard to admit that I even began to plan for my early passing. I wrote “sorry I’m not here” notes left in the home safe to my wife, my kids and my grandkids. My doctor had already told me that I was prediabetic, but even that hadn't been enough to get me moving. My real wake-up call came when a good friend told me that complications related to diabetes had contributed to her becoming legally blind. Suddenly, her story didn't feel like someone else's problem. It felt like a possible preview of my own future. Not long afterward, I came across a post from Darcy at DFITZ Academy. It was directed specifically at men who were approaching 300 pounds. What immediately caught my attention was how straightforward he was. There were no gimmicks, no promises of overnight transformations, and no crazy restrictions. His approach was about building a realistic, sustainable plan—and helping guys like me actually stick with it. I'll be honest: signing up required commitment. Not just a commitment to change, but a financial commitment as well. I hesitated at first. But then I had to be honest with myself. For nearly 30 years, I had been trying to do this on my own. I knew the basics. I understood that losing weight meant changing my eating habits, becoming more active, and consistently burning more calories than I consumed. The problem wasn't that I lacked access to information. The problem was that, for me, information alone hadn't been enough. Twenty-five years of stepping on and off the scale had proven that trying to be a “lone wolf” wasn't working. So I decided to do something different. What I've found with Darcy is more than just a diet or exercise plan. It's accountability. It's having someone who knows what you're trying to accomplish, pays attention to your progress, encourages you when things are going well, and helps get you back on track when you're struggling. That personal attention has made a real difference for me. I'm not going to tell anyone that this is effortless. It's not. You have to be willing to commit to yourself and put in the work. But if your story sounds anything like mine — if you've spent years trying different diets, losing weight only to gain it back, and repeatedly promising yourself that “this time will be different” — then maybe it's time to consider doing something different. For me, that meant finally admitting that I needed more than another diet. I needed accountability. I needed support. And I needed someone in my corner. That's what I've found with Darcy and DFITZ Academy, and that's why I'm happy to recommend him to anyone who is serious about making a lasting change.