Jeff Meacham

Blog 14: Jeff Lost 21 Pounds on the Sky Fit Challenge!

by Rob on November 5, 2009

Before The Sky Fit Challenge

Well, it’s the end of October and I’m basically done with the Sky Fit Challenge. What a journey it has been. No really, it has been a trek. I’ve had highs and lows, days when I feel great and days when I think there’s no way I can do this. There were weeks that took me out of town and derailed me but when I returned to L.A. I jumped right back into it. Rob made me do some sets where I called him very bad names and Christy put things into my diet that were tough to swallow (pun intended). However, let me say this, down over 20 pounds, seeing abs for the first time and just feeling great was so worth it. I owe the Sky Fit Challenge more than words can describe. During these 3 months I booked jobs on TV shows, worked around the world, made good money and slept better than ever! Christy made it possible that I was never really hungry (ate up to 5 meals a day) and with Rob’s workouts I was getting a great cardio and muscle routine at the same time. It never hurts to hear people tell you that you look great and notice you’ve lost weight. Honestly, it made me feel so much better about myself. A confidence grew over these last few months and the insecurities slowly started to go away.

The real push I will make for what Rob and Christy do and for the Sky Fit Challenge specifically is that it’s not hard to do this! There’s no Master cleanse where you starve yourself for 2 weeks, no boot-camp where someone is yelling in your ear and wont let you up until you finish 75 push ups, no stupid diet that just wont stick or workout that is made for olympians and no surgery that can have complications. Rob and Christy work with you, one on one and they design the plan for you! They listen. Each month is a step by step process and after a while it just becomes a part of your life. Foods start to taste better and workouts become something you look forward to.

Christy’s philosophy is to add healthy organic foods into your life, not take away everything you love. She gets you off the addiction of sugar filled foods and helps you make smart choices through the day. Caffeine, white sugar and white flour are all highly addictive drugs and the food media will do anything to keep you eating them. Working with Christy helps you break that cycle. She doesn’t use the word “diet.” Christy believes no “one” plan works for everyone, so she learns about you and your lifestyle and creates a plan that’s right for you.

Rob has been in and around gym’s for most of his life. Not only has he taken the classes and certifications that make him a highly knowledgeable Personal Trainer but his years of experience in the gym makes him great at what he does. What makes Rob’s training so unique is the way he thinks outside the box. The exercises are complex, fun and keep your heart rate up. He likes working outside, running stairs (oh those stairs), and creating different workouts that are diverse and work the whole body. Nothing about his workout sessions are boring. He pays attention, learns your body and gets you the results you’re looking for.

Okay, enough of those two. Their the best. Period. As for me? For the rest of my life I will have to fight off the love handles, going to Chili’s and sucking down their awesome blossom or eating to many cookies. Hell, things could be a lot worse. But, this week for the first time ever in my life, I don’t have to say maybe tomorrow I’ll get in shape or tomorrow I wont eat as much. My parents can’t say, “It’s in your genes, you’ll always be big.” I’m not quite as cute and cuddly anymore or whatever someone calls the fluffier people out there. Casting Directors can’t look at me and say to themselves, “he should loose a few.” That swim teacher when I was in middle school, that douche bag of a soccer coach, my sophomore college acting teacher they can all kiss my ass cause today I feel like Brando. Surely not as talented but maybe I could stand next to him, shirts off, in a 1953 casting call and feel proud. Some of you might here this and thinks it’s ridiculous but their my dreams and they mean the world to me.
Thanks for reading. More to come.

Brando At His Best

Meacham At His Best

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Blog 13: How Do I Keep Healthy At Work?

by Rob on October 18, 2009

Check out this week I had. Flew to Atlanta on Saturday only to fly right back to LA on Sunday to shoot an episode of Big Love on Monday. Finished shooting at 8:45pm, went home to kiss my wife goodbye, drove to the airport and took the red eye back to Atlanta. Arrived at 7am and was working a trade show by 9:30am. Spent the next 3 days doing multiple presentations and partying hard with the company at night. This company’s philosophy is “work hard, play hard.” Trust me when I say – they live by that.

So, what I’m getting at is the body took some hard hits this week. I barely got a chance to work out and the food at the hotel and late dinners were good but not healthy. And that’s okay cause life can get in the way from time to time. I surely don’t have a 9 to 5 schedule and sometimes I have to travel last minute. The solution is: Don’t give up. In the past I might have quit because I feel like it’s never ending but with 10 weeks of the Sky Fit Challenge under my belt I just come home, eat what Christy suggests and jump right back on the horse with Rob. I started the day with 2 eggs and veggies, worked out with Rob from 9-10am, had a mid morning protein shake, played tennis with my buddy Blair, had lunch at 2pm that was asparagus and a Organic Chicken Hot dog with no bread and an apple and peanut butter for an afternoon snack. Just right back to it and I feel 10 times better already.

Week 1

Week 10

Okay, two weeks left in the challenge. Rob and I are making plans for the post Sky Fit and it involves some SoCal winter half marathons and triathlons and maybe a 2010 Marathon. Who knows? The Sky (fit) is the limit. Ha-ha. I’m still a dramatic dork at heart but now I have abs.

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Blog 12: Jeff Lost 17 Pounds So Far!!!

by Rob on October 6, 2009

After I found I out that my weight went down to 184 pounds the other day Rob asked me when was the last time I weighed that much. You know, you were thinner at some point, when was it? I thought about it, was about to give the stock answer of sometime in college (which is a lie) or sometime in High School and the truth is I did weigh that much at some point but it was never at a time when I felt good about myself physically. So, I’m in uncharted territory and I cant wait to see where it goes!

With nine weeks down in the Sky Fit Challenge here is what I’ve learned so far. For workouts, three days a week over a five day period seems to be perfect. Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays is ideal giving me one weekend day off. I prefer Saturdays off and do my long runs on Sundays. Since the beginning of this challenge Rob has not laid a single weight in my hand. We have used pull ups, resistance bands and my own body weight and at the end of every workout my muscles are sore and pumped. The movements we do are never just simple up/down up/down. Instead he often uses multiple moves in one set. Like a squat with shoulder press or a lunge with an arm curl. This gets my heart pumping and my muscles working so I’m burning calories at a fast pace.

On the other three days I do cardio. If you’ve read my blogs you know I love to run on the treadmill but I also spin, play tennis, football, softball and whatever pick up sports friends invite me to. On my very regimented weeks I run and play tennis on Tuesdays, bike on Thursdays and do a long run on Sundays. I watch TV on my computer for most of my runs and I need to make a special shout out to the instant player on Netflix. I have become an avid fan of the Dillon Panthers on the NBC show Friday Night Lights. That show is a guilty pleasure and like so many I have fallen under the spell of Taylor Kitsch.

Like I’ve said before, working out is the easy part for me. The true test in making this challenge work is in what I eat. Most people I know that want to lose weight say they need to start working out. Take it from me if you struggle with weight, you can workout and do cardio all you want but until you change your diet you will not lose that fat. The simple way of putting it is if you put more calories into your body than you burn you will not loose weight. Most people don’t have the time or discipline to workout long enough to keep up a diet of coffee, muffins, snacks from a vendor, sandwiches and chips, soda and a dinner out with co-workers or family. Christy does not have me on a diet. She hates that word! Over the course of the challenge we have added good foods into my life and slowly the bad foods are being replaced. So now I’m simple eating healthy and having foods that keep my energy up and not feeling stuffed anymore. Do I still indulge in sweets or better yet cookies from time to time? Sure, but they come from restaurants, stores and other places that use all organic ingredients and natural sweeteners. Trust me, for a guy who lived on cookies, I have found the best organic and “better for you cookies” out there (as well as other yummy sweets).

With food, most days consist of five meals that are broken up into the usual breakfast, lunch and dinner with two snacks. I have found that quinoa in the morning with a little Tamari, almonds and raisins is awesome, I love my post workout shakes and home made salads are a man’s best friend.

That’s my quick overview of what I’ve been doing so far. Keep reading as I go into the home stretch of the Sky Fit Challenge. I’m all ready starting to make some long term goals after the challenge is over. I would love to do an olympic distance triathlon and maybe tackle a marathon in 2010. Those should keep me motivated for the future.

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Blog 11: One Month Left of The Sky Fit Challenge. I’ve Lost 15 Pounds!

by Rob on September 30, 2009

We are officially two thirds done with The Sky Fit Challenge with just one month to go! At the moment my weight is 186 pounds, down 15 pounds from the start. My body fat is 13.8% down 5%. Feels really good and I cant wait to see where I’m at when this is over.

I had something really exciting happen this past weekend. I was coming home from playing football for almost 3 hours with my buddies and I had forgotten to eat dinner. In the past I would have been so excited. That feeling of working out then being super hungry was something I was addicted to. I would rush to my favorite takeout restaurants or the food bar at Whole Foods and stuff myself when I got home. At this point it would be late at night and with a stomach full of food I wouldn’t go to bed till 2 or 3 in the morning. But not this time. As I drove away from football and thought about what I was going to eat the feeling never came, that love for food and dessert that comes over me like a high school kid seeing the girl he likes walking down the halls just didn’t happen. Swear to god, that is how much I love food and want it when I’m hungry. But that feeling didn’t come this time! I’m not saying that because of this challenge I’ve lost my love of food, far from it. What I’m saying is the addiction is going away, I’m starting to see food for what it is: fuel for the body not the way I used to see it as a sport or a hobby.

After working out on my own for almost 2 weeks it was great to be back with Rob. We got back to our old schedule of 3 days a week with him and 3 days a week on my own. Generally I take off Saturday and do my long run on Sunday. Everyone who runs has there favorite way. There is the outside runners, the treadmills runners, the road runners, the trail runners and so on. Then you have people who use Ipods, others who need TV’s or just plain old nothin’ but your thoughts, those people are machines in my opinion. Me? I like the combo of treadmill and TV. Specifically my computer and Netflix instant player. I can watch more crap movies and TV shown while running to the end of the earth (of course, in reality, I’m running in place in the corner of my living room). But with those movies I’m lost in a world of Mad Max and Rambo or lately season 2 of Friday night lights. That show is like crack.

So, on to the final month! Wish me luck.

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Blog 9: 8 Weeks Down. Good Bye Vienna, Hello Sky Fit Challenge!

by Rob on September 28, 2009

I’ve been gone for a while! After a week long job in San Diego I was asked to work the next week in Vienna, Austria. So I went from daily workouts and healthy food to long days of work and eating out. It took a little toll on the love handles but nothing to keep me from my overall goal.

There is a lot of obstacles while traveling and trying to staying fit. Both while working and on vacation. Number one is you’re out of your daily routine, whatever that may be. For me I had Christy to help me with food each day and I knew no matter what, I would see Rob 3 days a week. Though they cant do everything for me, it is easier when they are both right here. On the road, I have to eat out and try to make the best of what’s around and hope the hotel I’m put up in has a gym of some kind.
Thankfully all the hotels did have a gym but let me tell you in Europe they work in kilometers and on the treadmill it threw me for a loop. Maybe I’m not the smartest kid in the class but I’m just used to miles and running 10 kilometers per hour is not as fast as it seems.

The big solution with working out while away was “the bands.” Rob insisted that I buy SPRI workout bands, the ones we use in the park. They can be bought at almost any sports store and the cost isn’t bad. Having the 3 different bands, lets call them light, medium and hard, was awesome. Rob sent me 3 workouts that I did on Monday, Wednesday and friday of each week and I could do the workout anywhere, even if they didn’t have a gym. Somehow it never feels quite as hard as when you do them with your personal trainer but it was much better than having nothing at all. I also brought a jump rope. All four pieces took up little space in my bag and weighed no more than a pound or two.

What time to workout out when traveling is something I had to set. Because If you think you can play it by ear inevitable something comes up and the day gets past you. Someone wants to take you out for drinks, sightseeing, family, you’re tired, surprise meeting, etc. Something will come up. I say do it first thing in the morning, just get it out of the way. It’s hard but no one will give you crap, you can just get up before everyone else and just do it. Your body will be sore during the workout but always seems to feel better during the day and that crap food you eat wherever you are wont make you feel quite as guilty. Mind you, thats me. I also saw coworkers workout between the end of work and before dinner. Those are usual the ones who drink a little heavier and need those few extra minutes in the morning.

So, I’m back! About 5 weeks left in the sky fit challenge. I’ll do a weigh in tomorrow to see the damage and get this body working hard again. Just a little detour in the road, no worries. In the past I might have just forgotten but not now, this is the new me. After all, there are pictures of me with my shirt off on the internet.

Week 1

Week 8

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Blog 8: I Lost 12 Pounds Doing The Sky Fit Challenge!

by Rob on September 7, 2009

How about that! Down in the 180’s for the first time since….. lets call it forever. 189 to be exact. The first thing that comes to mind is that I feel like I look better in clothes now. I always complained of clothes not fitting well but now I see it was me who didn’t fit well in clothes. Another thing I’m noticing is that I don’t fuss with myself as much. Being self conscience of my body I touch my belly a lot, pull my shirt out, etc. So that’s two positive signs and overall I’m feeling and looking better.

Week 1

Week 6

After being back in LA for a week and doing 3 solid workouts with Rob I am back on track. I’m noticing my abs and core are feeling much stronger. That same place I used to touch on my tummy might still have some fat on it but right below is some strong muscles. Feels good!! As for the cardio, that is where I’m feeling a huge difference. It is taking harder and longer runs to give a good workout and that is great for me cause one of my long term goals is to run a marathon. As for biking/spinning and swimming I’m still not doing them enough cause getting to the gym is more work than hoping on the treadmill at home. That is about discipline for me and it is still a weak spot I can improve on.

Unfortunately, I’m going out of town again on Sunday for a week of work. The good news is I’ll be at a nice hotel with a gym and good food. This will be a whole different challenge for me. I’ll be with colleagues who can drink and party a lot. I’ll be interested to see how that affects my workouts and sleeping. Will I workout on hungover days? On days with a ton of work will I still find time for the gym? We’ll see and I will report.

As for eating, it is just so much easier when you’re home. The routine is easier, I don’t crave as much crap food and my wife is right there to help out. So, again, it is about discipline and I’m working at it.

So, this is life. I’m a actor and my jobs come up at the last second and I have to learn to adapt to stay in the shape I want. It’s a challenge that I’m ready for.

I've Got Abs!

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Blog 7: Jeff Is Seeing Major Results, Let’s See The Numbers

by Rob on September 1, 2009

It has been six weeks and we are half way through the Sky Fit Challenge.

Rob has created a six day workout regimen for Jeff. Three days out of the week Jeff trains with Rob doing a combination of circuit training and plyometrics. The remaining three days Jeff has been performing a high intensity cardio program on his own. What type of cardio? Well, because Jeff has a treadmill at home this seemed the easy solution, but to mix it up he has also been swimming, cycling and playing tennis.

Jeff has seen some major results in the last six weeks. From his weight to his waist line. If he’s had this much success so far, how much will he achieve by the end of these 12 weeks? Check out his results so far:

Results Chart

Jeff has lost a total of 12 pounds in 6 weeks and decreased his body fat by 4 percent. That is an amazing accomplishment. He has also lost an inch in his waist and legs, but everything else has pretty much stayed the same. Why? Well, Jeff is converting his fat to muscle mass. We may not see it clearly with the circumference measurements, but we have to remember muscle is denser then fat. So, as Jeff works out his body my get bigger where he’s building muscle, but it will shred fat in other places. Let’s see a progression of Jeff from week one to week six.

Week 1 Week 6

As you can see Jeff has had significant fat loss throughout his midsection. In the first week there were no signs of oblique muscles along the rib cage, but now we are starting to see some real definition there. And he has obviously lost quite a bit of that tire around the waist line.

Way to go Jeff, you’re looking great! Keep up the good work!

Jeff Doing A Long Jump

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Blog 6: Let’s Keep On Track On Vacation

by Rob on August 26, 2009

I’m lying on my dad’s floor in Hebron, CT watching the Red Sox vs Yankees which means the family vacation officially begins. My first challenge: Don’t raid the fridge, Second: Try to find time to workout, Third: Stick to the plan.

Before I left on Thursday night Christy and I sat down and made a food plan for the next 4 days. One little Christy secret she gave me was if you can’t find something in small town USA, bring it with you. In my suitcase she put a zip-lock bag of Quinoa that should last the whole time I’m here, a bag a dried organic mango to snack on and some Lara Bars that taste so good.

As for my workouts, technically I’m only missing my Monday with Rob but it feels like a long time. So, I took Friday off after a killer leg workout on Thursday…those dam stairs. Oh, by the way, where there are stairs there is also a hill. Don’t get me started on the hill. So, Friday off, cardio on Saturday and Sunday, then Rob will email me a workout I can do with bands on Monday. As with the food Christy gave me, Rob sent me with 2 bands, all of which takes up very little room in my suitcase.

We all know when you’re with your family food can be a little rough. The chip dips seem to line the fridge walls. Your step Mom asks you if you want homemade blueberry or apple pie and the local diner makes some sweet ass pancakes. At least in small town Connecticut they do. So, my challenge is to limit those foods, workout and as some dead English guy said, “stay the course.”

All in all, 5 weeks are down in the Sky Fit Challenge. I’ve lost almost 10 pounds, I’m down about 3% body fat and I really feel good.

Week 1

After Week 4

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Blog 5: One Month and I Feel Great!!

by Rob on August 18, 2009

One month is done, two months to go. 12 total workouts with Rob and a month of healthier eating with Christy.

Here is what I have learned so far: The workouts are a lot easier for me than the eating. I show up to my training with Rob, do what he says and an hour later I’m sweating, fatigued and done. But the food part is everyday, all day. Christy can’t force feed me and watch every move I make like Rob can for the most part. So much of eating is instinctual. I’m hungry, I eat. But what I put in my body is the rub. So over the course of the month Christy and I have made foods at home on Sunday that will last all week. Go to my food blog on Christy’s website to see what those foods are. Keeping prepared food in the house keeps me away from going out to get unhealthy meals or bingeing. When we do go out together we share one dish instead of ordering two ( I can’t tell you how much that has helped with overeating). And the big thing is saving money! We all know organic food can be expensive at times but this way helps with saving.

One Month Bicep Pose

On to the workouts! First off, what do you think of the shaved chest? Hair or no hair, that is the question. Personally, I like my hairy chest but not when it gets so long I look like a wookie from Star Wars. This is my vein side talking. After all, I’m doing the Sky Fit challenge for many reason but on a shallow level I want to look good with my shirt off so a little landscaping is needed. Workouts Jeff! Talk workouts.

Rob and I trained on Monday, Wednesday and Friday this past week and I have to say that formula is feeling like it works the best. To sum up what we do on those days is strength training and plyometric work (including those dam stairs) and on Tues and Thurs I do cardio (run, swim, bike). I feel like a good rhythm to the week is forming and I think that can stick for a long time. Cause that’s my long term goal. Use Sky Fit as a launching point for the rest of my life. Strength training and cardio throughout the week set to a great schedule that isn’t to much but keeps me in shape.

But we are not just doing this workout for me. Were also doing this for you folks out there. We all have different schedules and for some of you my schedule doesn’t work. Maybe you get to work to early or the best time for you is in the afternoon or evenings. What does that do to the body different from morning workouts? How does your eating change? In a few weeks Rob, Christy and I will try that out and blog to you lovely readers about what I learn. But first another obstacle.

Tuck Jumps

In the next few weeks I’m going out of town for work and pleasure and were going to really focus on what needs to happen during those times to keep me on the path. What do you tell your parents when your with them? Family has a tendency to make you fall back into bad habits. What do you do when you’re at a hotel and only eating out? What if there is no gym around? I will have to face all these challenges but Rob and Christy are up for it! After all, it’s what they do.

Week 5 on the other hand will stay right here in sunny LA, sticking to the same formula. My weigh in with Rob is Monday morning and I expect to be in the low 190’s. If that’s the case it’s been a long time since I weighed that much.

Also, remember this is a blog so if you have an questions or comments feel free to write back to me. I’m very interested in what you have to say! Thanks all.

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Blog 4: Three Weeks In and People Notice a Change!!!

by Rob on August 14, 2009

Three weeks in and I’m feeling good. One thing that’s nice is people are starting to notice. Friends here and there have said some nice things about how I look. Tell you what, when you’ve spent the better part of your life looking a little thick, that’s nice to here.

Funny, while I write this my wife is reading over my shoulder and it makes me insecure. Which makes me wonder if I am being totally honest with you? Lets see. Yes, I have been working hard with Rob. Yes, my eating has changed so much in the last 3 weeks but my past struggles still haunt me and I worry. Will this all be for not in 6 months? After this is over will I go back to overeating and feeling like I should “loose a few pounds”? Tell you one thing, at the moment, I really don’t want it to. I like this. No, I love this. Mainly cause it’s not that hard. I’m still eating good food and having fun. When you think about it, it’s just 3 hours a week with Rob, playing tennis, running, eating healthier foods and being conscience of how much I eat. My demons tell me to eat a bag off chips with a large sandwich and a cookie but when I get home making a yummy salad with peanut dressing and tuna is just as good.

Sorry, If I sound a little sappy but I just saw Julie & Julia (total chick flick) and it made me think about my blog and what it really means to me.

Single Arm Medicine Ball Chest Pass

So, on to the workouts. My legs! Holy god, my legs have been feeling it and I love it. Totally had one of those mornings were sitting on a chair kinda hurt. The quads are the biggest and strongest muscles in the body & they let you know when they’re sore. But it gets better a few days later and they feel stronger all ready. If you don’t know Rob uses bands not weights to do arm workouts. You big muscle jocks might think that’s lame but it’s not. They are just as tough if not harder on the muscles. For some reason it’s really hard to cheat with bands.

As for my eating, Christy has been introducing more raw foods into my diet. Instead of pasta with sauce, she served shredded zucchini with raw Alfredo sauce made from nuts. And just tonight we had veggie burgers topped with a raw cheese sauce (no actual dairy in it). Pretty cool. I’ve never ate food like this before and I dig it. It’s like she’s fooling me with foods I used to like. Tastes like pasta and sauce but it’s made with veggies and nuts. As usual if you want to know more about my eating lately, check out my food blog on her website www.howtochow.com.
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