Interview with Jeff Weyl – Starting an Alkaline Lifestyle

This is the first of (hopefully!) many interviews on the Energise blog.

First up Jeff Weyl of Total Coach has agreed to be interviewed on how he turned his life, health and wellbeing around. After a moment of clarity he went on to go from 320 pounds and a 48 inch waist to 180 pounds and a 34 inch waist and set up his own success and peak performance consultancy!

So here goes:

Interview with Jeff Weyl

Ross:

Hi Jeff, thanks so much for agreeing to take part in an interview! I know that you are always eager to help others out, but thanks for taking the time to answer these questions for us.

So, to kick things off – how exactly did you hear about the alkaline lifestyle and what made you decide to change your way of living?

Jeff:

It all started with my seeing a Get the Edge infomercial in a semi-conscious state while lying on the couch at 3 or 4 in the morning. I woke up and became glued to the TV…everything made sense at that moment. I didn’t sleep that night.

Ross:

And so what were the first steps you took – how did you kick things off?

Jeff:

I immediately went onto the Internet to find info on this Tony Robbins guy, who, before that night I had never heard of. I found all of these quotes which totally pumped me up. The next day I went to the library and took out Unlimited Power. I read that book in less than 2 days, doing the exercises throughout.

While reading that book, I immediately began to adopt some of the health principles Tony talked about back in the 80’s (which were based on Fit for Life). I then took out Awaken the Giant Within on book and audio book from the library. I was taking massive action in so many areas… I quit smoking after nineteen years, stopped drinking beer (which was at least a couple of six packs a week)…and started setting some massive goals.

At the time I had been laid off of work the month before, on an anti-depressant due to “major depressive episode”, and broke all around, not to mention weighing in at 320 pounds, and having asthma and high blood pressure/cholesterol…not a shining example for my two boys who I am a single custodial parent of.

I e-mailed Tony Robbins saying that I read his books, took massive action and knowing how abundant he is, asked for a complimentary copy of Get the Edge, since I was broke and felt I could tremendously benefit. I got an e-mail back about a week later saying that I might want to contact the Foundation about a CLEAR application (Community Leaders Educated by Tony Robbins). I called them and found out that I could apply for a UPW scholarship (this was September 2003 and Tony was coming to New Jersey in November 2003 for UPW). I applied and was accepted…I came up with, I think, $125 towards the event ticket. I was pumped, my momentum continued to grow, I started noticing so much energy and gradual weight loss, started exercising…volunteered at nursing homes and helped GED students work towards their diploma.

Ross:

And how was UPW?

Jeff:

UPW came and it was OUTSTANDING. My life has truly never been the same. What did it WEIGHT-wise was the ultimate success formula, Dickens Process, definitely Tony talked about alkalizing and energizing on Day 4.

I went home and read pH Miracle by Dr. Young and adopted those principles as well as so many from Living Health by Tony.

The rest is history…I went from 320 pounds down to now about 180. 48inch waist to a 34 inch. 3XL to a med/large. Total vegan/alkalarian. I have the added bonus of contributing all that I have learned to so many around me. Another great gift I learned and applied from Tony is the power to influence. I coach several people each week towards gaining health and vitality, some for free. I feel so rewarded by being able to take my successes and share some strategies with others. Life is truly a gift, and as Tony says, we all have the privelege the opportunity, and the responsibility to give something back, by becoming something MORE. I stepped up and continue to become something more…sorry for the humongously wordy answers!

Ross:

WOW! So, what more specifically did you do regarding your health – what steps did you take after UPW?

Jeff:

I first followed the 10 day Living Health program by Tony Robbins. Basically, you let your body be the judge as you are removing certain foods and substances from your daily intake, over the course of 10 days. Items that I “cut out” immediately, were meats, dairy, caffeine, eggs, tobacco, processed sugars. Needless to say, I felt amazing, I put complete trust in the fact that my body knows what is best for me, and have reaped the rewards.

Ross: It sounds like you cut out a hell of a lot at once! What was the biggest challenge you found and how did you overcome it?

Jeff:

Truthfully, the whole process has been rather effortless and FUN. A challenge was with coffee, but after gradually increasing my alkaline water intake, I eventually discovered that coffee didn’t taste too great and cut it out completely.

Ross: I know that you are a big fan of fresh foods and plenty of water – but what, if any, supplements have you used? Have they had a noticable effect?

Jeff:

I use a variety of Innerlight supplements as well as oils from Nordic Naturals. The Innerlight supplements that I use are Supergreens, Prime pH (a water alkalizer), chromium, Fibrada, and Earth Essence Clay. I use Ultimate Omega from Nordic Naturals and Udo’s Choice Oil.

Ross:

How long did it take before you could consider yourself to be fully alkaline? How long was your transition?

Jeff:

I was ‘feeling’ quite alkaline within the first month – more energy, sleeping better, etc and in all actuality, I considered myself ‘fully’ alkaline within 3 months. I say 3 months, because several resources that I have suggest that it takes the body about that long to replace ALL of the cells in your body with healthy alkaline ones. The transition was within 10 days- cutting out just about all of the acid from my diet, with certain foods taking a bit longer to transition to a more alkaline alternative, such as pasta.

Ross:

And so how long have you been alkalising for now and what difference would you say that this has made to your life?

Jeff:

It will be 3 years this October that I have been alkalizing. Differences include: removal of 150 pounds from my body, steady flow of energy, amazingly restful sleep, great skin, feel and look younger (I just turned 37)- I run circles around my two young sons! I have also been able to share my experience and help others to radically change their health and psychology for the better.

Ross: did you keep a diet journal, if so did this help?

Jeff:

I didn’t keep one, I just went for it, knowing my outcome all the way. I did, however, keep a ‘water log’ in the beginning to assist me in keeping track of how many liters of alkaline water and greens I was taking in a day. Eventually, it became second nature and log was no longer necessary.

Ross: So goal setting was an important part of this journey for you – so did you find that having a target and milestones helped?

Jeff:

The key to success in this arena is knowing your outcome. I set my one year goal, 6 month goal, monthly goal and daily goal. I always checked on my progress and made adjustments along the way. I found it helpful to write them down and look at them daily. Something helpful for me was and is the utilization of language and being aware of my thoughts. When I started, I remember looking at a pair of pants that I hadn’t worn in years that were very small , saying “you will be hanging off of my trim body”, in no time at all, that became a reality!

Ross:

Exercise must have played a big part in this transformation though – what did you do to get the blood pumping and the lymph flowing?!

Jeff:

When I first started, at such a high weight, I walked. Then walking became jogging, and now it is running. Stu Mittleman’s book SLOW BURN helped me tremendously in utilizing exercise to burn fat, I highly recommend it. Now I use free-weights, elliptical machine, run and I really love to rebound for at least 20 minutes a day!

Ross:

You can’t beat a good rebounding! OK, I’m sure you had some challenges along the way – what was the biggest struggle that you had?

Jeff:

The biggest struggle had nothing to do with the alkaline lifestyle, but rather with how I viewed my body. When you are heavy for many, many years and then (all of a sudden) you are trim and people are checking you out- it can be a head trip. Definitely well worth the journey on the path to amazing health and fitness!

Ross:

You have obviously come a long way! What are your top three tips for someone else who might be thinking of starting on an alkaline diet?

Jeff:

Top 3 tips are:

1. Just Do It! I know it sounds simple, but decide that you want to change your lifestyle and make it a MUST
2. Talk with someone who lives an alkaline lifestyle: that is the best way to find out if its for you, ask a lot of questions.
3. Think about how you have been living and eating up until now and the results you have gotten. I found that making a 180 degree turn radically impacting my life for the better. Take a look at where you are, chances are that what you are putting into your body are affecting you more than you realize.

Ross:

And finally, what is your favourire alkaline meal?

Jeff:

Very simply, for breakfast: warm brown basmati rice with some fresh raw spinach and sliced avocado, topped with a dash of cayenne pepper, Udo’s Choice oil and some Bragg Aminos.

Ross:

Thanks Jeff – this has been absolutely fantastic.

Jeff:

Definitely Ross, my pleasure. Thank you for taking interest in me and my experiences. My outcome is that people can make huge changes in their health and wealth quickly, while enjoying the journey.

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I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Jeff and I am sure we will keep in touch via email and through our websites. If you have any questions be sure to leave them in the comments section below as I am sure Jeff would be more than happy to answer them for you!

About Jeff

My website www.total-coach.com combines health and wealth coaching and training. It is being worked on right now, but is up on the web. I work with people who want to make some money trading foreign currencies, as well as people who want to get started learning about trading. I combine this with a alkaline lifestyle and the benefits one can experience.