DENNIS SHIRK

DENNIS SHIRK

BEFORE

AFTER

(Photos taken July 8, 2002)

Dennis has been such a fun client to work with. His very positive spirit has certainly helped him achieve his goals, I couldn't be happier for him! Thanks for sharing your story Dennis :) -Marjie

"I am an Air Force Reservist who has been on active duty most of the last 18 months. At the beginning of March 2002, as I was staring at my 46th birthday, I realized what I was doing to maintain my weight was not working. For more than the last two years I had been dancing around my max allowable weight (205 pounds for my 72 inches). I was very concerned I would be asked to step on the scales on a day I was on the "wrong side" of my allowed weight.

I was using the weight machines at the Wright Field Fitness Center in Area B at Wright-Patterson AFB when I saw Marjie working with two separate clients. I thought I could work with her and allow her to help me achieve my goals. Or, at that time, my one goal of staying off the AF Weight Management Program.

I sat down with Marjie on 8 March 2002 to discuss my goal(s) with her. We discussed my expectations of our work together. We refined my initial goals (if you don't know where you are going how do you know when you get there?) and set up a game plan to achieve these goals. We talked about my diet and Marjie suggested some (?!?) areas of improvement :). She decided where I should begin in my weight training and aerobic exercise, with strong consideration of my old, pre-damaged body. The whole game plan - diet, weights, and aerobics - were designed to give me the most "bang" for my time "buck."

I have achieved results!! In the first three months I lost about 30 pounds. Instead of dancing around 205 pounds I am now dancing around 175. Since my sophomore year of High School (1971 - 1972), my weight has only been this low once. A few years back, I was told or read I could expect to gain about one pound a year for the rest of my life. I no longer buy that lie. I can achieve a healthy weight and maintain it for the rest of my life!

After years of what seemed like daily knee pain, my muscles are now supporting my knees correctly and as long as I don't do something really dumb, I am fairly pain free. My wife and I recently moved from an apartment to a house. Three years ago when we came back to Dayton, we had 10,000 pounds of "stuff." We now have more. Due to a set of no-shows by friends, I was directly involved with most of the moving of the heavy furniture and boxes. Yet, I suffered very few injuries and was able to heal quickly from the ones I did receive.

People who know me and my story give me heavy compliments and reinforce my progress. My wife can again find my ribs. :) She was concerned when I lost my "love handles" she wouldn't have anything to hold on to but has found she can now put her arms all the way around me. The clothes I bought when I was heavy must be replaced. But, I had a stack of clothes I was about to give away because they were too tight. So I am keeping the "too tight" because now they fit and getting rid of the "too loose" clothes.

I have reached my initial goals, and working with Marjie I have a good foundation. Marjie is now helping me to build on what I have established as I move on to my next goal. It seems to be widely accepted that as we get older we need to get fat, get slow, become non-functional, and suffer the slow destruction of our bodies. But, with my increased fitness, lower blood pressure, lower pulse, improved cholesterol/blood work, I am looking forward to a long, healthy, productive next two-thirds of my life!"

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