The Day after my first workout with Chris Powell
August 20, 2012
Throughout my transformation, I would write poetry as a way of documenting everything I felt during this time period. This particular poem is one that I wrote the day after my initial workout with Chris Powell. This was is patented fight or flight workout. It is entitled “Pain” because that is what I felt the next day. My body was aching and I was sore in places I did not know I could be sore. It is also titled this because I could physically feel how far I was in the whole and how difficult the year would be. It was like taking three steps up a hill, looking up and realizing you still have a mountain to climb. Without further ado….Pain.
Pain
By Jarvez Hall
I woke up today in pain
It hurts so bad, I may make it my middle name.
I keep a smile on my face to keep everyone deceived.
Because if I told them how much pain I was in, I would not be believed.
Sometimes it feels like the more I work, the further I have to go.
It is a consistent reminder of how deep I was in the hole.
It is real easy not to know
How far you are down.
I did not realize the path I was on
Led six feet underground.
Though I have turned my life around
And I have chosen a new course.
I do regret some of my past actions
And I do have some remorse.
But yesterday is gone
And today is now here.
Tomorrow I will look different
When I look in the mirror.
This journey is not a journey
At least not one for vanity sake.
It is about making a better life with my wife,
And about changing my fate.
Yeah, tomorrow will be a good day,
But as for today, I am in a lot of pain
I am struggling with weight gain especially after having a minor heart surgery/repair. I’ve been clear to work out and have worked out here and there but nothing consistently. I’m SEEING the weight and the unsightly changes my body has taken on since the weight gain. I hate that when I talk to people who have a more significant amount of weight to lose they disregard my difficulty because “its only 20 pounds”. The struggle is still the same. I can’t find the motivation and as you know once you put on the 20 it has the potential to become even more. I started with telling myself “I only have 5 pounds to lose and can do that later” now I’m up to 20 and its painful.
Start with giving yourself a small goal. How about lose one pound a week? It may not seem like alot but do that for 20 weeks and you are there. Stpeak with your doctor and look at what you can do and start there. Id its just walking, water aerobics, exercise bike etc. Give yourself a since of urgency and you can get there.
Your poem is beautiful like a page out of my life. I am a 32 year old single mom of two girls. I am at the point where my kids have to help me dress and tie my shoes. I am afraid I will become a burden on my kids and it isn’t fair to them. I want to be there to see them transform into young ladies and become mothers. Its sad cause there are people out there struggling with diseases where they have no control of. This life feels like I done lost control of it. Congrats on your victory and maybe the new journey of life be as rewarding as you imagnined it would be!!!!!
Decide what it is that you truly want. Why do you want to lose the weight. Jarvez clearly had motivation, he was able to get leverage on himself because his wife was concerned. Tell someone who is important to you about your goals so they can hold you accountable. The first thing you need to do is to get your brain on a diet and purge it of all your negative thoughts. Every time you have a negative thought, say a phrase ” I am whole, strong, successful and happy.” Only think about your goals. Your mind is like a laser beam and when you chose to focus on a particular goal, you can achieve anything. Look at Jarvez’s amazing story. Congrats man!
You can be what you will to be.
100% mental
90% diet
10% excerize
Did you ever use a weight vest for your training?
Congratulations, I love hearing stories like yours.
What is your next goal?
Can you help my son, he is 23 and weighs 320 and I’m afraid he will reach 548 also, if he doesn’t turn his life around like you have. We live in Cypress, Ca. Thank you.
Awesome Jarvez. Seeing you on tv last night was so extremely motivating. I’m starting at 341 and currently down to 307. I’m on my way but still have the rest of that mountain beyond the first few steps.
Sometimes I don’t push myself, I don’t ask “what’s next” and seeing you last night helped me to realize that if you at 200 pounds heavier than my starting point could drop and do 50, there’s no reason at all that I can’t either.
All the best to you, your wife and your upcoming arrival named after your beautiful mother. Like you, my mom died way too soon.
I have been struggling with the same amount to lose (40 pounds) for over two years. I have had set backs with my knee(one surgery, getting ready to have a second) and it is really getting to me. Even walkin makes my knee hurt. In addition, I am an emotional eater and I have been binging which is not helping my weight. Any advice?
Congratulation Jarvez watching your story last night was very motivating. I way 350+ only problem is my wife watches these shows and thinks its easy to lose the weight. What kind of work did you do before the weight loss and how much time did you take off from work during the transformation ?
Jarvez – I am inspired by you and your inner athlete. I have had some setbacks with my knee (one surgery last year and another one coming up). I want to run and be able to do any exercise that I want but right now I cannot. I am an emotional eater and this is not helping because I just want to turn to food. I would love to have some advice and input from you. You did such an incredible job in such a short amount of time (with known setbacks). How did you keep from binging? And also, when you and your wife would go to dinner, how did you keep from eating the unhealthy foods because this is really, really hard for me. I love ice cream and Mexican food and I find it hard to stay away and I find it even harder not to binge. I have gained almost 20 pounds of the 25 that I lost and yet I’m about 50 pounds heavy. It’s very disheartening. Thank you for your response in advance!
Congratulations Jarvis, you are one-in-a-million!!! I watch Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition all the time, but it was last night show 08.19.12, that I was so overwhelmed. It was like watching ME!!! I’ve decided that its time for me to wake-up & make a change. I’m 52yrs old and have been overweight all my life. I weighed 250 lbs when I was 13yrs old. I was at my heaviest 384lbs in 2007 & I decided to have the Lap Band procedure because of my major health issues & since then I’ve lost 66lbs. I’m now at 318 lbs, but still have major health issues. I need to lose more weight as I been told by my doctors that if I don’t, I may not live to see 60yrs old. With watching you last night, I started my day off dieting and light exercising since I have a bad back, swollen knees & ankles. Jarvis, any tips from you, I would be so appreciative!!! Thank You so much for your inspirational story and Thank You Chris Powell!!!
Great poem Jarvez! I can’t imagine the pain you must have been in after that workout, but it was all worth it. You are much healthier and most important you look happy. Thank you for sharing your story with the world, the episode was very emotional and inspiring. It definitely makes me think about making healthier life choices and exercising on daily basis. After having a baby, I had so much weight to loose and I would always come up with excuses of why I could not workout (I didn’t want to be away from the baby). I lost 75lbs in the first 7 months that the baby was born by just nursing and I wish that I would have exercise to help me keep the weight off. I’m now slowing gaining the lbs again and I don’t like it, but after watching your episode, I’m motivated to make positive changes. Thank you Jarvez and may God continue to bless you and your beautiful family.
I am so inspired by your story.. After watching you the other night on TV, I feel like I was on that journey with you. I lost 100 pounds about 4 years ago, and my son was killed in a car accident in Dec 2010, and I have slowly put the weight back on. I eat when I am sad, which is all the time. I am at 195 # which may not seem like alot to some, but to me it’s awful and I am miserable.. Whether its 200 pounds, or 50 pounds… its just depressing and unhealthy. Thanks for sharing your story.
love it. i love your sunshine and attitude (as well as your wife’s!). your positivity and taking responsibility for yourself, as well as your introspect and care for others gives me inspiration.
Hi Jarvez. You have come a long way since you interned at Chemeketa. It was nice to work with you and see how you have become such an outstanding person (you always were). Congratulation on your marriage, new lease on life, and wonderful transformation. Best wishes and I hope we meet up again some day. Sincerely, Ron Meek