Don't tell Richard Birch that all truck drivers do is eat and drive. Richard admits that he wasn't in very good health. "I was a heart attack waiting to happen", says Richard. Richard tried other weight loss programs, like the Diet Center in LaCrosse. "All they did is sell me expensive food. I wish I would have invested the $2,000 I spent with them on training with Dave."
Richard started at Fit4Life about 2 years ago at a weight of about 300 pounds. It took awhile to get used to the idea of doing cardio and eating right on the road. But when Richard started seeing the results from his efforts, he was "driven" to reach his final goal weight of 190 lbs. Richard drinks over 2 gallons of water each day, eats salads, chicken breast sandwiches and fruits rather than greasy burgers and fries. "My stomach can't handle grease like before", says Birch. I'll get sick if I eat like I used to."
Richard brings dumbbells, an exerise bench and mat on the road. He'll do laps around the parking lot when his trailer is being unloaded or at rest stops on the road. Other truckers often give Richard funny looks when he's exercising by his truck, but others are asking for his advice. Not only has Richard lost about 100 pounds of fat, he's also in the shape of his life. At the SACS cancer walk last August, Richard walked 110 laps or 27.5 miles overnight. He wants to set the record next year with 200 laps. I wouldn't be against him!
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