Share: 
Ask The Trainer

Former student drops 29 pounds and 33 percent body

June 14, 2014

Anyone who frequents The Starboard in Dewey Beach probably recognizes the contagious smile of Keith Kirk, affectionately known to locals as Toasty. Keith is the right hand of owner Steve "Monty" Montgomery and has been working at his establishment for a long time. But my history with Keith started 17 years ago, when I first entered the classroom as an eighth-grade U.S. history teacher.

The year was 1996, and I was teaching history at Gunning Bedford Middle School in New Castle. Hundreds of students and almost two decades later, I clearly remember having Keith in my class. He was very pleasant and easy to get along with and always did what he was told. But recently our paths crossed again, and I had the opportunity to work with him in a different capacity.

In early March, Monty brought Toasty to see me and said he would be a good candidate for my 12-week Body Transformation, so I set up an initial interview and scheduled a starting date. When Keith and I met, I have to say it was a first for me. I would be training a former student, so I wanted to make sure results were great. Within minutes of our first session, I knew Keith's potential was unlimited.

Keith is one of those rare people who seem to function better under pressure, and the more difficult the challenge, the harder he worked. Instead of complaints, he constantly said things like, “I love this. This is great. I can't wait to see what's next. I'm totally committed.” When clients come with this type of positive attitude, results are sure to follow. That was confirmed in our first round of testing, when Keith had lost 17 pounds and 16 percent body fat in only six weeks. “One of the best parts of this program is the BodPod," said Keith. "After seeing such great results, I would not have been happy if I did not match it for the second part of the program.”

By the time week 12 rolled around, Keith had completely transformed his body, and people all around him began to comment on how much he had changed. His clothes were loose, his energy was much greater and when we tested him in the Bod Pod at the end of week 12, he had lost 29 pounds and dropped 33.5 percent of his starting body fat. His results were great and comparable to the best we have trained. When asked what the most surprising part of the program was, Keith said, “How much I had to eat. I have never eaten this much in my life, and after awhile I didn't even need to look at the clock, because my body would tell me it was time to eat every three hours.”

After completing the 12-week challenge, Keith informed me his goal was to have a great summer and lose another 10 pounds. In August, he will rejoin us for round two of the transformation, and this time we will get him in the kind of shape he never thought possible. In our last conversation, he told me something I thought was very interesting. He said, “You were my teacher before, and you are my teacher now, and I did not want to disappoint you.” Little did he know I felt the same way. Great job, Toasty, it was a pleasure to work with you again!

Subscribe to the CapeGazette.com Daily Newsletter