I constantly get asked the question, “What was that moment like when it all changed for you?” Most are asking about the moment I stood on the scale to win the Biggest Loser. On December 8th, 2009, 16 million live viewers wanted to see what I had done. Had I succeeded? Well, I looked worried when my competitor and good friend Rudy Pauls stepped up and the world found out that he had lost 234 Pounds. He set the new record for the most weight lost on the Biggest Loser, previously held by Eric Chopin for 5 seasons. As I stood on steps and watched Rudy’s success, I looked at the camera and looked worried…on purpose. I didn’t want to give it away that I knew Rudy’s record would be bittersweet to him. I was about to lose 239 pounds and not only break his record of 234 pounds, but Helen Phillip’s record of the most percentage of weight lost in history. All this is fine, breaking records and winning shows, but what about that moment? What was it like when it all changed for me?
Biggest Loser Danny Cahill says make 2012 a life changing year!
Danny Cahill comments on what it takes to lose weight?
Many people ask what it takes to lose weight. There are so many numerous ways to lose weight. I think instead of fad diets (which can make you drop pounds) I like changing your lifestyle! Yes, weight watchers works; yes, Jenny Craig works; yes, Dukan Diet works; but the fact of the matter is that eating good, healthy foods instead of fried, fast foods, lowering the calories you eat, and moving more daily is the bottom line and best way to lose weight.
Most of all, it takes self discipline; you have to “Lose Your Quit” and decide that the finish line is where you are headed. Let’s face it; we’ve all lost 10 pounds and gained it back before we finished the job. That’s the freedom of choice that we are given! But the sweet thing is that when you chose to “Lose Your Quit” and go to the end, ANYTHING is possible!
Ignoring Issues leads to a mess!
We can’t deal with everything all at once. We have to deal with what is on the table now and worry about other things later. I had to deal with relationships, my addictive gambling, my debt, and my weight all at different times. Now it is something else, but that is how we are refined; one fire at a time. The easiest way to get discouraged is to think of all the things that are weighing you down. You have got to focus on one, deal with it, defeat it with discipline, and then move to the next.
Are you STUCK in FEAR?!
I remember when I was in kindergarten. Mrs. Harrell was an awesome teacher. By the time she got me in her class she had been teaching 40+ years. I was that kid that would always make a wave in class; not in an evil way. I was just a flood too big to hold back!
I entered kindergarten with a bang. I was ready to break open the floodgates and run through! Just ask anyone in that class at Sooner Rose Elementary in Midwest City, Oklahoma. I'm sure they'll probably remember me. It was hard back then to keep me quiet. In fact, Mrs. Harrell once told my mother that I was the first student that ever made her think of retirement. I used to be embarrassed by that statement; now I'm kind of proud! That was the reason I won The Biggest Loser. In fact, it has been the reason for most of my achievements in life.
There was a time in my life when I wasn't afraid. I would speak up when the teacher asked a question. If the band in high school needed a bass player, then I would go buy a bass and be the bass player...even if I had never played one. If the football coach thought I was too light at 175 pounds to be strong tackle, I'd just kick some rear and show him size didn't matter when heart was involved.
Changing The Rules
In life, we often live by a set of rules. Rules are usually the things we are “not allowed” to do like “No being in the hall without a pass” or “Curfew is at midnight.” I was thinking about my time on The Biggest Loser and the rules we had to follow. They included “keep a food journal and a calorie log, work out until you hit your calorie burn each day NO MATTER WHAT, run a marathon, participate in a scary and tough challenge” and more.
Turn on the Lights!
The next time you walk into a room look at the opposite corner. Imagine never seeing the tables, chairs, walls, and other obstacles between you and that opposite corner and the room being pitch black. To get to the opposite corner would be tough; it can even seem to be next to impossible. At the very least you will probably get a few bruises while bumping into the obstacles that you can’t see.
Now think of how easy it is to get to that opposite corner with the lights on. You can clearly see any obstacle in your way (kind of like the song!) You will navigate from the door to the opposite corner without hitting any obstacle and in record time! What a thing sight is! (please read on...)
Train your mind to find success
When you stumble, LOSE YOUR QUIT!
I asked a question to my fans the other day. I asked, “How do you feel when you are dieting and you mess up?”
I got all kinds of answers, but most of them stated that they felt guilty and self-defeating. There was one reply from my old friend Ken that struck me! He said, “I feel the same as when I'm walking up a set of stairs and my foot slips off a step. I forget about what just happens and get back to the task of putting the next foot on the next step. My plan is to get up the stairs, not stand on the step that I slipped on and wonder what happened. I’ll never get there if I don't move forward.”
Listen, I couldn’t have said it better myself. Life is full of “slipped on steps” and “ups and downs,” but I guarantee that if you keep moving and quit looking back you’ll get farther than if you regret your stumble! If you keep looking back, you cannot move forawrd. And that’s the key…move forward.
Danny Cahill of The Biggest Loser asks, "Do you have the guts?"
There was a quote in a movie I remember. It said something like, "You don't have the guts to become what you want to be." Wow. That is true in my life at times!
For 15 years I sat behind a desk doing something I really dodn't want to do. It wasn't that I was unable to become the person I wanted to be...I just didn't have the guts!Turns out that in a few months I will be going to Bangkok, Thailand on a mission trip. 6 years ago I turned to Darci and said, "Wouldn't it be great to have things under control? I mean, just to be able to go on a mission trip and help others? I'd give anything to be in a position to be able to do that!"
Today I am, thanks to The Biggest Loser and to the guts that I found in me! I want each and every one of you to know that YOU CAN do ANTYHING you want to do. It is in you and all you have to do is bring it out! It doesn't matter if you have money. It doesn't matter if you have kids. It doesn't matter if you have bills. It doesn't matter if you are 500 pounds! YOU CAN DO ANYTHING! It will take time...and GUTS...but it can happen. The fact of the matter is that the decision is yours. As long as you say, "I just don't have the will power" or "There is no way I could find the time to go back to school," you JUST WONT DO IT.
