FUN-ctionally Fit

FUN-ctionally Fit with Dai Manuel

Dai Manuel is a super dad, dating his wife, with a lead by example way of living and a contagious personality, who is on a mission to positively impact one million role models around the globe to lead a FUN-ctionally fit life through education, encouragement, and community. 

He is an award-winning digital thought leader and author, Distinguished Toastmaster & keynote speaker, former partner and Chief Operating Officer of a multi-million dollar retail company, and a sought after lifestyle mentor and executive performance coach.

Dai knows the struggle of the juggle and keeping his health and happiness a priority. He models his work based on 5 F’s: Fitness, Family, Faith, and Finances with an overarching roof of FUN, built on a rock-solid foundation of Health. Nuggets of wisdom and inspiration to take action to be your best self are guaranteed when you connect with Dai!

www.daimanuel.com

www.feedingfatty.com

Full Transcript Below

Roy - Feeding Fatty (00:02):

Hello, and welcome to another episode of feeding fatty I'm Roy I'm Terry. So we are the podcasts that, uh, you know, we like to Chronicle my journey and Terry is my support mechanisms. So we'd like to bring you talk about our different challenges, successes, and things that we've learned along the way through getting healthy weight loss. And, uh, we also bring, uh, have guests that have awesome stories to tell professionals in the field that can give us some actionable items. So today, without further ado, let's introduce our guests.

Terry - Feeding Fatty (00:36):

Okay. We are very happy to have Dai Manuel. He is a super dad dating his wife and currently doing life with his family around the globe. He is also an award winning digital thought leader and author executive performance coach and certified lifestyle mentor who empowers people to lead a functional functionally fit life through education, encouragement, and community day. Welcome to the show.

Dai (01:08):

Well, thank you very much, Terry and Roy was a nice little introduction. I was like, wow. I think I might've almost [inaudible]. Yeah. Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to be with us. We appreciate that. Yeah. Oh man. Well, you know what, uh, I just keep thinking about the title of your podcast, right? Eating fatty and I, it's such a great name and, uh, it brings back lots of memories for me. I'll tell you that, because I think we can all relate to that. We've all had periods in life where we fall out of health. When we're in that space, it certainly feels like we're just feeling bad and I've lived in that space. So I know it very well.

Roy - Feeding Fatty (01:54):

You know, we kicked it around Terry when we started this, Terry's like, we really need to Chronicle this because there not only is it for our mock accountability, but there are other people out there with the struggle as well. And we were kicking around names and I just jokingly threw that out there. And she's like, that's it that's right.

Terry - Feeding Fatty (02:11):

Like healthy lifestyle fitness at for you. What works

Roy - Feeding Fatty (02:16):

Part of that? I think the is that, um, no matter how healthy I may get, hopefully to get in the future is that, you know, I always have to be careful because I think once you, you know, it's like being a diabetic, once you've been fat, you could get that way again, very easy if you don't watch yourself. And so that's, the other thing is too, is that, you know, we can do a lot of stuff to get healthy, but it's trying to do it in a manner that we can do it for a long time

Terry - Feeding Fatty (02:44):

Lifestyle. Yeah. Yeah.

Dai (02:48):

Well, you know, it's all about sustainability, right? Lifestyle. I mean, it's the lifestyle we're always looking for that thing where we just don't even have to think about it anymore. We just live into it. Yeah. I think that's the thing that we're all aiming. Right.

Terry - Feeding Fatty (03:00):

Right. So can you tell us a little bit about your history, where you, how you got to where you are now and what's going on?

Dai (03:09):

Sure. Well, I mean, thank you for asking that. I think we all have a, I'm a big Marvel fan or a comic book fan, and I always like the origin stories. Right, right. You know, just keeping to the theme of your podcast. Uh, I w even though I'm someone that's been, I've actually worked, I've had a career in the wellness and health industries now for 26 years, 26 years, my entire adult life, I've worked in the fitness and the wellness spaces in various capacities obviously. And, uh, I love it. It's a, it's a big part of, of what I just love to do. I love to empower people with change and I didn't come to that naturally though. You know, like I think a lot of people, especially in the fitness space, uh, a lot of people tend to be athletes where people that have a very natural lifestyle, that's embraced athleticism, you know, like they'd just been active their entire life.

Dai (03:59):

And I love that. I think it's inspiring, but I am not that person. I came from the opposite end. And this is where I find another contingency within the wellness industry where it's people that have are not working in it because they themselves have already had this massive shift or transformation and awakening where really they just prioritize their health and made some changes. And I'm from that camp, uh, I was morbidly obese as a teenager. So from the age of nine to 14, well, listen, it wasn't rocket science. Uh, you know, that got me there. In fact, it was just really simple. Uh, I ate a lot of foods that were very poor and nutrition value yet rich in calories. And I did that frequently. Uh, and also I, I had a lifestyle that was, well, let's just put it this way. The majority of my time free time was spent watching movies or playing video games, you know, and compound that day in day out for a period of about five years.

Dai (05:00):

Well, yeah, I didn't grow up. I grew out and I, I can laugh about it now, but to be honest and fully transparent with you, you know, at that age, I was battling depression, a lot of anxiety, a lot of just self doubt and, uh, you know, a lot of the, and I hate to use the word cliche because today, you know, when we hear obesity or even the term morbid obesity, it is like regular in our vernacular now. Right. Can't help it look on the feeds. And we see these words coming up, you look at the world health organization talking about this global pandemic outside of COVID, but I mean, it's an issue before COVID was this issue of just the rise in people's weight and, and the increase of health complications as it was then, you know, back then childhood obesity, wasn't even something that you would put together. I was one of two kids in my class that was in that state of unhealth, you know, and, and so it was very alienating and, uh, and to be fair, you know, I think I alienated myself more than others were alienating me if you know what I mean. I wasn't good in social settings. That's where it started. So, sorry, go ahead.

Roy - Feeding Fatty (06:15):

No, no, I was just going to say, you know, that is, uh, it's such a tough age and I, I gotta hand it to you that you overcame it even, uh, because that, uh, unfortunately those, um, the ridicule, the self down, everything kids go through at that time period, sometimes it leads to even worse troubles as adults. So I think, uh, congratulations that, you know, you were able to work yourself out of that. That's amazing because I I'm the opposite. I was skinny as a kid, like to the skinny, to the point of my grandparents would be like, Oh my God, you've got to eat something. You know, we need you to eat because I was just very thin, but, you know, I beefed up through high school and athletics and then, uh, you know, put my weight on as an adult. So I, luckily I've never been chastised too much. So I can't even imagine what you must have gone through, you know, as, as a, that age group.

Dai (07:09):

Yeah. I mean, children are mean most of the time, but I was gonna say, teens can be cruel, you know, like it's, it's really, uh, and, and so, you know, I had a few friends, um, but even then, you know, if we were hanging out, it wasn't like we were playing, we were playing video games or watching movies or eating junk in the races. I had that, that body type, because I'd been doing that for so long. I have a body type that it is fairly easy for me to put on weight. It just, it is, I can, but I mean, it works to my advantage as well, because as soon as the flip switched, you know, uh, yeah, right. I flipped the switch happened and I made that shift. Right. I, it, it worked my advantage because, uh, when I, especially when I got into weight training and more resistance type training, I, I saw myself develop much more musculature, you know, so developing muscle mass, uh, but it also changed how I fueled myself, you know, so I started eating different foods and foods that were more in alignment with the lifestyle that I wanted, the way I want it to feel.

Roy - Feeding Fatty (08:19):

Was there a catalyst for that change that something happened? Did it, how did that, how did that come about?

Dai (08:26):

Well, you know, up, up until the day that the catalyst, you know, like there, there was that moment where, and I think we hear about this often, you know, when people really reach that point where there really is no other option, but to embrace change and really become very proactive in our own lives to facilitate the change. You know, we realize that we've got to do something different than we've been doing to get different results. Otherwise, you know, Einstein said it best, right. You're doing the same thing, expecting

Speaker 4 (08:56):

Different results. Uh, so leading up to that, you know,

Dai (08:59):

My parents were great. Uh, they were very, very supportive. Um, my I, my parents separated when I was nine, which is interesting, you know, at that time and years later, you know, putting it all together with some supportive of, of a counselor and psychologist, you know, I, I went through a period about 11 years ago where I just needed to start focusing inward, you know, really focusing on my own mental health and my own issues and, uh, dealing with the old trauma. And what I realized, you know, is I had a lot of unsettled stuff okay. From, from that period of my life. And a lot of that I carried forward in later years. So it would always come up and I won't get into that so much right now, unless there's time. But what, back in those days, you know, I, uh, my parents were very supportive from the standpoint.

Dai (09:45):

They saw that I was hurting, you know, and they saw that I was in pain. They saw that was unhappy. They just wanted to make their son feel better. And they wanted them to happy, you know, healthy and happy. So they would often come and try to encourage me or invite me to try things like, how about we get your, or, you know, it's, uh, I mean, we seek out a nutritionist, we try to eat a little bit differently or, you know, can we get your gym membership? Like just little asides, you know? And, and I know they were coming from a place of love, but I'll tell you when you're in that place of hurt and you're already have a lot of self doubt. And, you know, if I ever saw my reflection, I would instantly, you know, just become very angry. Yeah. You know, upset at myself.

Dai (10:28):

And so here they are coming to try to help me, but I took it as an attack. Yeah. You know, and, and this is why I like to bring this up, because I think a lot of us can relate to this. We feel this at times in life, where those that love us and care for us, they come to us wanting to support. They make suggestions and make recommendations. They offer it up and they take it as if they're saying we're not enough. Right. You know, we're not good enough. We need to change. And that's how I took it then. So, you know, I would push back. I would act out and, uh, I could be mean at times, you know, just really not happy. And so over these years, you know, they, they basically just let me be, you know, try to support me as best they could.

Dai (11:12):

And, uh, but I had to come to grips with myself, you know, that, Oh my goodness, if I'm not happy where I am, I'm going to have to take ownership of this and make some changes, but it didn't come to that by accident. You know, I remember being at my father's place one weekend and, uh, I used to have this hack, you know, if I, if I got in the shower, cause I really had, didn't like seeing my reflection. I mean, there's very few pictures of me, of that period in my life because I would avoid social settings. I would avoid cameras. I just, no, you don't know. I mean, I used to forge my mom's signature on notes. I didn't have to do for Zen class. Cause that meant I'd have to change in the changing with a bunch of other kids, no way I'm taking shirt off.

Dai (11:54):

And so my life was highly compromised that way. And uh, I got really good at it. And one of my hacks was I'd have to get in the shower, turn on the water, really, really hot, get it super steamy in there, stay in there and actually long time. So when I get out here will be covered in condensation, all fogged up. I wouldn't have to look at myself toweling off this morning. My dad was rushing me cause he didn't have to get my brother and I somewhere and we could have been going bowling. I don't even know what it was, but it was mid morning. And he's just, he's like I was going to, I'm going to have a shower saying, okay, well you got hurry and you know, he's knocking on the door and it's like, come on, we gotta go. And uh, so I rushed it that you remember coming out of the shower and um, talent off and I can see my profile in the mirror and I turn and I lock eyes and I'm filled with anger with hate discussed and uh, I just lose it and uncontrollable sobbing, you know?

Dai (12:47):

And uh, I felt overwhelmed with emotions, just like, how is this me? Right. You know, like you're looking at yourself, but it's like, you don't know yourself, recognize you don't recognize who you've become. Wow. Yeah. And it's as, I mean I'm 14 at this time. And there was like, Oh my gosh, my limited scope in life at that period in time, my limited perspective on life, it felt really hard. Right. You know, it was really hard just acknowledging that this is me. And, uh, I started having thoughts and it, you know, at periods of time throughout those years, I mean, I would entertain the idea of like life would probably just easier for wasn't living. You know, it wouldn't be easier. My parents would be easier on me, like not having to deal with all this, but it never really felt like a true option.

Dai (13:31):

So as much as I entertain the idea, I never acted on it. And uh, this, that morning, it was like, that's not really an option, even though it was still there. You know, that idea just to be so much easier because it wasn't easy way around, but I didn't want to do that to my parents. And I didn't want to do myself. I didn't want him to live. And uh, but I wanted to like living. Right. And uh, so I've found myself realizing I was at a fork in the road. You know, it was like, because you know, after 14 I had had five years and I was like, man, things weren't trending in a good direction. So I was aware enough to realize that, you know, for the next five years I keep doing what I'm doing. I don't think it's gonna be better than it is right now.

Dai (14:10):

In fact, I, I, I admit it will probably be worse. So that's to the right. Well, here's this path to the left. That is completely unknown to me. It's still scary because I don't know what to do or what to expect, but maybe if I do something that's a little bit differently, maybe I can change. Maybe I can get healthy because I want to be healthy. I want to be happy. I want to like who I am. So I came into that bathroom with this conviction, you know, eyes, all bloodshot from crying. And then I approached my dad after I got dressed and I'm like, I want to get healthy. Then I don't want to be this way. And he must've realized, you know, you got to strike the animal. It's

Speaker 4 (14:49):

Hot. Cause, cause

Dai (14:52):

He had the awareness and I'm so grateful for this. But you know, within a matter of days he took me to buy a mountain bike. I said, I want a bike. You know, I want a bike because that way I didn't have to be in a Republic to work out because that was not an option. I'm not going to a gym or any of that stuff, no way, but a bike I could manage, I could ride a bike. I used to like riding a bike as a kid. And so it was like, I couldn't get a bike and it took me to get a bike. And uh, that literally after that weekend I just started cycling every day I had, I borrowed my dad's am or, well, I guess it was an am FM. You remember the Sony wall in the yellow ones?

Dai (15:29):

I think many of us have had those, you know, I'm totally dating myself, but I, I, I borrowed it and it was great because it had the automatic flip on it. Right. We would always play one side and then flip the other side. So I had to, on one side I had one of my favorite Canadian bands, tragically hip. And then on the other side I had an Alison chains and I knew that I would just start writing when the hip stopped plan and it flipped over. And I started hearing Alison change time to turn around and go home.

Speaker 5 (15:55):

And

Dai (15:55):

So it wasn't a matter of a distance. I just did it based on the music. So it was, it was about an hour, you know, I'd be out cycling and, uh, and it was hard. I'll admit it, it was really hard because I was really ashamed. I mean, I'd gone up a flight of stairs. I had to be out of breath and get a little bit of a glow on because I'd start sweating and uh, you know, just everything was compounded, right. When you're unhealthy, when you're feeling, not fit. Right. Not healthy, not, well, it just makes the usual minor things in life feels so much more like major things in life, you know, like when more difficult, uh, that's definitely the place I was in. And so that was it. I just committed to that. And I went to the library and got books out on fitness nutrition, and my kids still laugh. They're like, why don't you just Google it then? And I'm like, I'm old, I'm older

Speaker 5 (16:41):

Page.

Dai (16:43):

Yeah. And it's funny. Right. And so I educated myself. Right. And I just trusted that, Hey, other people have done this and other people who've lost weight. My mom was a big fan of Richard Simmons and then was swept into the eighties. I remember her putting on the old VHS tapes and just giving her and, uh, I used to, and I feel bad, but it was, I used to make fun of her because I'd be like, well, you know, it's just so funny. Right. And, uh, but it was awesome because, you know, she was role modeling me that, you know, you could do something at home just basic and here's this guy, but he sent him to edit an inspiring story. And then he would always show the clips on his shows, right. Or the infomercials of the people that lost all this weight. And so it was like, people can lose weight, people can change.

Dai (17:23):

So why can't I? And so I just trusted the process and I was consistent and I want to take that away. You know, it's like I was consistent with how I fuel myself, nourish myself. I was also very consistent with how I moved my body. And I started to feel a difference, you know, feel a change within just a matter of a month. Things started to just get better. And, uh, I CA I maintain that for after 20 months. Uh, I realized, you know, without even really think that I, I just had this new lifestyle, but also I'd become quite fit and you can quite healthy. And a lot of the psychological and emotional benefits of that also started to manifest, you know, I had more confidence in myself. I all of a sudden started to hang out with certain people. And also one of the biggest extrinsic motivators for me was I just wanted a girlfriend.

Dai (18:14):

I'm being completely honest. I, I did. I wanted, like, I mean, the underlying thing was, I just wanted someone to want me. Right. Yeah. I mean, that really was it. And, uh, and so I had a girlfriend as well and mean, you know, so life just was like, wow, this is amazing. And, and, and just to close out on this, what was super interesting, and this is really what was my catalyst for, for committing to this path as a life, you know, not just the lifestyle, but this is what I do for life. You know, like for, for, not only my vocation, but it's just, I love doing it. I mean, if I didn't get paid to do it, I'd still do it. You know, because when I started, that's how it was, I wasn't getting paid. I was just doing it for fun and for free, because I just wanted to help people.

Dai (18:54):

But at 17 friends of my parents would come around the house, you know, and I often, I was just thinking to come and say hi to my mom, you know, or, or whatever. And they come in, they say, I don't know. And then they pulled me aside and be like, Hey Dan, can I ask you a few questions? And cause they'd seen this transformation, this change that I'd had. Right. And so they would come and pick my brain. They would ask about fitness, they'd ask about nutrition. They would say what they were doing, what they wanted to achieve. And I was like, you care what I have to say? Like, you're, you're asking, are you sure you want to ask me, you were asking me this. And that was a first time in my life, you know, 17 years of life where I felt like people actually cared about what I had to say, but I also felt I had value to offer. And it felt so good to help people. And, uh, and that's what got me excited about coaching and mentorship and just helping people with transformations and, you know, fast forward now, 44 years old, I'm still doing it, but that's sort of where it started, you know,

Terry - Feeding Fatty (19:48):

Incredible that you were able to, to, to act on that at that age. I mean, kudos to you, my goodness. What a, what a hard, hard road.

Dai (20:00):

Well, I want people to know it was not easy, but, but big changes rarely are easy. I mean, it's easy to get started and it's challenging to sustain it, but one thing for certain it's always worth it. Yeah. It's always worth it. You know? So it's like any challenge or obstacle we overcome when you look back on it. Yeah. When you're going through it, it's hard, right? Like you're, you're surrounded by it. You're engulfed in it. You, you can't see anything else, but the challenge and the obstacle, but as soon as you get through it on the other side and you turn around and look back and it's like, is that all it was, you know, it's amazing how our perspective changes so quickly, as soon as we get through that challenging bit. And, uh, and, uh, so I have to remind myself of that. And I have at number of periods of my life where other challenges popped up, it was a nice lesson to learn that early on life because I realize change is possible, you know? And I can be,

Roy - Feeding Fatty (20:52):

Yeah, I'll just say again, it goes along what we were talking about. Uh, you know, pre-show about the, um, that, that coin I have, that the obstacle is the way that sometimes, you know, and the other thing that's kind of important about that is that, uh, know there's a place here called the great sand dunes. And if you climb up to the top of the first one, you can see like, then there's another and another and another. And I think that's another important thing to remember, you know, in, in not only in wellness, but in life is that we never reached the top of the mountain. I mean, it's always, there's always another Hill and we always have to keep working and keep climbing. I think as long as we can resign ourselves to this fact that we're, we always need to grow reevaluate and, uh, you know, in order to make those positive changes. But another thing, what I was going to ask you about was on the nutrition side, you know, you talked about getting the bike and getting out there every day and exercising, but did you make some big, uh, nutritional changes as well?

Dai (21:53):

You know, the nutritional, well, I mean, they were big, but not insurmountable. I think there's a difference there, you know what I'm saying, big shift. It was because, you know, my mom and just to give you a little bit more context to how life was at that time, uh, you know, my parents separated and we'd see our dad every other weekend. He had a, a business that he was still building, you know, and, and, and he, he, he just had a wonderful work ethic as well. And, uh, and at that time, you know, I kind of resented his work schedule and the fact that he worked so much, um, but it was later on in life. I realized that I actually didn't hire at a ton. And, and I modeled a lot of his work ethic and my mom had a similar work ethic. And at that time, after my dad had left and got his own place, and my mum was looking after my brother and I, uh, full full-time, she's also working full time, as well as going back to school to get her master's and, and so her life.

Dai (22:49):

And then on top of that, she's trying to, to find a potential next mate, you know, next life partner. And so she was busy, you know, like really busy. And so my brother and I would tend to have a fair bit of time to ourselves, you know, especially as we got over the age of 10 and we'd have more autonomy. And, and it was just based on, uh, circumstances. And, uh, so my mum would often buy foods that were quick to produce quick to cook, you know, easy for my brother and I, and that that'd be like pizza pockets, a little, the little McCain, pizzas. I mean, Costco, uh, one of the things I used to eat a lot of was a, you know, those muffin trays at Costco, right? Those are not Moffitt's, I'm sorry. They're little cakes.

Dai (23:38):

Oh. And they were like 1500 calories. Like, I didn't understand what calories, but once I educated myself and understood how food works, like macronutrients, calories, just really foundational stuff. As it relates to nutrition, not super complicated stuff, like I'm not going to get into like the Krebs cycle and how creatine works and how our muscles produce lactic acid. And that all came later. I just wanted to understand the fundamentals. And as soon as I understood that, and I understood how to read labels, right. Everything started to change. And I started asking myself, okay, well, it's really hard to find foods without sugar. I was like, Holy smokes. Cause you know, sugar wasn't vilified back then, like it is now, right. I mean, back then it was really fat was vilified, right. That was during that whole time to remember during the eighties, and even during the nineties, they were like fads bad for you. Don't eat fat

Speaker 4 (24:27):

Heart attack. It's funny. Now what's one of the most

Dai (24:30):

Popular diets out there. The keto diet, we're just pretty much right.

Speaker 4 (24:34):

All fine,

Dai (24:37):

Which don't get me started. There's a whole nother conversation there, but, but with the basics, I just started eat more whole foods. I took an interest in actually starting to prepare meals for our family because my mom would come home. You don't want to be after six, by the time she got home, I have to work. And I'd already been home for a few hours. I had this new passion for getting healthy and I took it upon myself to take a lot of wrong ingredients and start making meals, you know, I didn't have a, a large breadth of meals, but I got really good at making a couple of studios. And Chili's, you know, especially, you know, Ontario in the winter, it's cold, you want warm food. So I got really good at making that kind of stuff and you know, less things out of boxes, more things that were whole food unprocessed. And that was really the gist of it. And I cut sugar out and started drinking lots of water. Like that's it, you know, that along with the fitness, you know, just moving my body every day with a little bit of purpose. And when I say with purpose, it's like, I'm moving my body to elicit a positive response, such as get a bit of a globe. You know, as my wife says, I don't sweat. I glisten,

Speaker 4 (25:42):

I sweat. Okay. I sweat a lot and I love it. And, uh,

Dai (25:49):

So that's what I would look for. Just sweat a little bit every day and, and watch what I eat. Good things are gonna happen. And to be honest though, at the start, it was really a big, big, big change, right? So you get the headaches, you get the, you know, there's a little lethargy, like there's your, body's like rebelling because five years of doing the thing a certain way and trying to change it overnight, obviously there's pushback. And just physically, especially, you know, also psychologically and emotionally, I mean, there's lots of stuff happening, but I trusted that it would get better. And the thing that really helped me shift, like go from, okay, this is a good idea. I think it might work. This may work. It might, it might work to the point where it's like, this is working and I'm doing this and I love it and I'm going to keep doing it. And that was about three and a half weeks in.

Speaker 4 (26:36):

You reminded

Dai (26:36):

Me of this. When you, you mentioned the dunes because this was concession street, uh, road, I would, which is sort of, it was the border of our town, right. There's always those little roads that are sort of at the very outskirt and it's sort of that barrier that everybody would refer to. And, and I live just off of it. So I I'd cycle up it in, and there was this Hill and I say it Hill because that's really what it is. But to me at that time, it was Everest. Okay. It was a big Hill and here I am, this obese kid on his bike riding up to this Hill and I'm like, Oh my God. I said, big Hill. You know, I don't know if I can do this. And, and I just remember trying and get into about a third of the way up.

Dai (27:14):

And it was just like, I'm not moving like floating right now. And all of a sudden, and inside, I was like, Oh, I should just turn angled, go back. I mean, I obviously can't do this. You know? Um, I just failed that very first till I came to you, can't do this. Like, what am I thinking? But then, you know, I'm getting off the bike. I know what's at the top of the Hill. I know it flattens out and I know where it goes. So I just walked my gut and I did. And then I got back to cycling again, you know, listening to my, my tape and just going about my day and every day I'd come back to that Hill. It was about three and a half weeks in. I ascended the top without getting off the bike to the top, you know, and three and a half weeks.

Dai (27:58):

And, and when I got to the top of that Hill, my mountain, you know, it was like, Oh my gosh, I did that. I did that. And because you know, the number on the scale, wasn't changing a lot, my belt size, wasn't changing a lot, like certain metrics numbers, like, you know, how the fitness industry works and that's, I got a love, hate relationship with it because we're so quick to quantify things, right. How much should we, you know, what's your dress size? How fast can you run a mile? How many pushups can you do? Like w w we quantify things so quickly, and I want to qualify things I want to look at, how do things actually affect our life? You know, the emotional connection to the things of why we do what we do, especially when it comes to lifestyle change. And so when I got to the top of that mountain, that Hill, I was like, I did this.

Dai (28:47):

And my belief in myself was like, highest it's ever, ever been. And at that moment, I knew like this is happening. This is working because I'm doing it, you know? And, uh, that was it. That was my turning point. I, in Canada, we have a network called TSM, which is these sports network. You know, it's like the ESPN in the States. And, uh, we have a TSN turning point. This is always the highlights where they showed the games. And in those show where, you know, it's that moment in a game where things just switch and you know, that the team that's losing all of a sudden, Whoa, they make a play, they score. And now the energy shifts and they ended up winning. Right. And I called that moment in my life at TSN turning point. That was it. So, so yeah, that's, that's sort of in a nutshell, you know,

Roy - Feeding Fatty (29:31):

Well, that's a couple of cool things, but number one is you, you unknowingly at the time, but you had a measure. So you, you know, you started the Hill third of the way, but you were able to work your way up, which kind of brings up a couple, uh, a couple math equations to think about. And one of the biggest for me was thinking about, okay, how fast does it take to eat a calorie, versus how quick does it take you to burn one off? And this is, you know, cause a lot of people like I'm gonna, I'm gonna continue to, um, I'm gonna continue eating this way, but I'm going to go out and walk or jog or do this or do that, but not make a nutritional change. And then they, they like, well, I can't make it. It's not nothing's happening for me.

Roy - Feeding Fatty (30:19):

And so I know the, the numbers that I've gotten is like 3,500 calories equals a pound. So basically if everything is an equilibrium and you're where you need to be, you're eating your 2000 calories and life is good. You're holding. If you eat 3,500 extra calories that week, you will gain one pound in, you know, somewhere in there. I'm sure it's approximate. But so if you think about how much like me, I think about my little package of m&ms and a package of chips, I don't even know what they are. Probably, you know, five, six, 700 extra calories right there that it took me about five minutes to consume. And then last night I walked 45 minutes on a treadmill, pretty decent pace, a little bit of incline. You know, I was like a hundred and I didn't put my weight in. So it was probably judging me off of a little slider built person. But anyway, I burned, you know, about 145 calories. So if we just stop and think for a minute, it's M you know, sometimes it's input and output. It's like, what are we putting in our mouth? And how are we burning that off through the day? It's a huge awakening or can be, it was for me anyway.

Dai (31:39):

Yeah. Well, that's, I mean, I think you're spot on with that realization because it's true, right? Like, it doesn't take much to, especially when we're looking at certain types of foods and there's a lot of content out in the world now that talks about not all calories are equal. Right. You know, and yes and no, uh, there's truth to that. And it's true. Like, you eat a calorie of sugar, you need a calorie of, of spinach, your body treats it very differently, very directly to get that calories. Spinach might be a cup of spinach in volume where we're talking about less than the Cuba sugar. Right? Exactly. It's very different. And also that composition in spinach, it's mainly fiber. Right. And we already know fiber doesn't get processed by your body. So, and this is the neat thing about the keto diet, right? Like they talk about different types of carbohydrates and you know, there's some that are basically net zero, you know, you could eat the calories, but you actually end up, it's like eating celery, right?

Dai (32:43):

Yeah. You burn more calories than what the calories are provided in celery, because mainly just water and fiber, your body doesn't process it, but we need fiber too. And, uh, but so that's a great realization though, because when you start putting in that perspective, it's like, okay, well I could have this, but that could be 300 burpees. I always tell people, you should do it in your car. If you'd make it. Burberry's he's not walking. You really look at it different. Cause I used to do that with some of my clients and I'll be like, it's okay. Treat every burpee, like one calorie. So you want an extra a hundred calories today. It's okay. Do it. But you got to do an extra, a hundred burpees when you work out and be like, okay, it ain't worth that.

Roy - Feeding Fatty (33:24):

There's a, there's another, another concept in finance, it's compounding, you know, which is kind of the Genesis for, you know, a lot of the financial calculations and how, you know, again, that was a huge awakening for me. Uh, you know, as a young person to figure all that out. But, uh, there's a good book called the slight edge and I think everybody should read it. And it basically it's this compounding factor is that had you gone out and re written your bike one day and threw it in the garage, you would never gotten up to the top of the Hill, or if you had to read it one day and then six months later taking it back out. And so it's that compounding effect of riding that bike every day or eating the right combination. And, you know, we always say, we're not doctors, please seek medical attention, you know, to get your diet straightened out, get a dietician, whatever you need to do.

Roy - Feeding Fatty (34:23):

But let's just say, you know, if you eat right multiple days in a row, the compounding effect is unbelievable versus, you know, like I go through those spells, like, Ooh, I'm really eating right today and I'm going to the gym. And then tomorrow is like, what's that pizza guys deliver? You know, what's that pizza number again, or we can call up. So I think that, you know, that consistency factor that you talked about compounding, however you want to talk about it. It's important. It's important in a lot of aspects of life, but also when we're talking about getting healthy.

Dai (34:58):

Yes. So about, you know, one of my favorite books complementary to that book is the compound effect. And that was one that really opened my eyes, Slack, the whole concept, right? Like as much as we all love compound interest compounding the negative in our life, not so good. Right.

Roy - Feeding Fatty (35:19):

Not looking at it that way too is, uh, you know, like last night, if I'm in the gym walking for 45 minutes, I'm not at home sitting on the couch eating for 45 minutes. So it's like a double, it's a double good too it's as well, but it's really smart. The other thing is motivation me. Uh, you know, we were talking, me and Terry were talking a little bit last night or this morning, like I have had a few days out of the gym, got back in it, you know? And I, it just, it lifts me so much in so many ways. I feel better physically, mentally. I mean, today I've been like so alert and, uh, you know, a lot of good creative thoughts, but it's not the part is the problem is not the gym. It's the distance between, you know, my chair at my desk and, and the gym front door, if I can ever, if I can conquer that distance. Um, yeah, I'm awesome. But it's, I just have to be honest and say, you know, I have trouble conquering that.

Dai (36:23):

Hmm. You're not alone at all. You know, I think we can all relate very much to what you just shared. And I often will say, you know, motivation's great, but it's, we're often looking for things outside of us to motivate us, to move where I like to kind of flip it a little bit and say, well, what would inspire you to move? You know, what would be that internal connection that would just get you fired up every time? So you go from like, I really need to go to the gym or I have to go to the gym today to, you know, what I get to go to the gym today. It was bring an awesome, you know, it now it's not easy if it was, I just give you like, Oh yeah, here's the formula, you know, that checks in the mail, you know?

Dai (37:12):

Uh, but it's, it's not so simple cause it's, it is a little bit of reflecting, but also taking some time to actually ask ourselves, well, what is the life I want to be living five years from now, 10 years from now, how about 20 years from now? You know, what is that lifestyle? What are the things I want to be able to do and do without thinking about it? Yeah. And often in some of the most basic things, like I remember a few years back, my mom going on a bus trip with my, or sorry, a bus tour in Scotland with my stepdad, you know? And, uh, my mom is battled with her weight, most of her life. And so, and she's also, now that's my arthritis in her knees and that's from a past car accident. So, you know, there's not much we can do with that.

Dai (38:02):

So there is certain things, but, you know, adding the extra weight on top of the arthritic knees or ankle, it compounds things in a very unhelpful way. And, but I remember thinking when she was talking about it, like there was a lot of times where they would get off the bus at various places and she'd have to be required to walk, but she wouldn't be able to. Yeah. And, and it is such a basic thing that we take for granted is just her ability to be mobile right now to move to care for ourselves. And so it's being that honest with oneself and recognizing, okay, well, this is how much I've changed in the last 10 years. You know, if you look back 10 years ago, where were you at health wise then? And where are you now? And now it's like forward setting. And he was like, okay, well on the 10, 20 years of the habits and the lifestyle that I'm living now, do I envision myself being able to continue to live the quality of life that I want to. Yeah.

Roy - Feeding Fatty (38:56):

Yeah. And I think that that's

Dai (38:58):

Always worked well for me, you know, I was getting very clear on that.

Roy - Feeding Fatty (39:01):

Yeah. And I think the compounding factor is something that I think about with that as well, is that, you know, getting to my age, it's like the, you know, poor behaviors going forward are going to be compounded to the point of, like you said, just, you know, is it shorten your life? Is it, uh, make you less mobile where you just can't enjoy it? And you know, like, uh, uh, do you have type two diabetes? So I'm always trying to keep that under control. And I was reading, um, some, um, you know, the top 10 causes of death came across the internet the other day. So diabetes is like number seven, but then, um, you know, like number nine is renal failure. And then, you know, the footnote that this is mostly caused by, uh, diabetes. So, you know, it's like, it's, uh, it, it basically ranks number seven and number on number nine on the top 10.

Roy - Feeding Fatty (39:57):

So, you know, these are important things because, uh, not only can they kill you, shorten your life, but I think that they can debilitate you into, uh, to a place that nobody really wants to go live. So, so many, so many important factors, especially the older we get, we just, and you know, it would have been awesome. Had I been thinking about this more 10, 20 years ago, but you know, we are where we are. So now I have to think about, um, I have to redouble that effort because I, you know, I want to, I don't want my, uh, I don't want my lifespan to outlive my health span.

Dai (40:37):

Yes. Right. Yeah. And very well said, you know, and I agree. I mean, I think it really comes down to just wanting to over simplify it, please. Like those that are listening. I know it's not always easy, but it'll always be worth it. I know that for a fact, after being through periods of unhealth in my own life, numerous times, and sometimes because of my own volition, sometimes not, you know, I was just, I mean, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune, like a chronic auto immune disease, a number, but eight years ago, and that rocked my world, you know, it did cause leading up to that, I mean, when they're doing all those tests and the bone marrow biopsies, I mean, they thought I had leukemia, you know, there's a lot of fear there. And I was like, how did that happen? How did that happen?

Dai (41:28):

And, and, you know, it came back eventually that was not immune diseases. It's still pretty serious. But fortunately for me, based on lifestyle choices, I can mitigate a lot of the sentence. I can lead a life that's very high in quality, you know? And I, I'm very optimistic that I'm going to get the quantity too, you know, in the years and, and the experiences, but I've definitely had to, to shift some of my lifestyle habits based on that appearing in my life. So sort of what you're sharing about type two diabetes, you know, when we have these, these health, everyone call them issues, but they're, there, there really are just these moments, right. Where we're presented with health challenges. And sometimes they come based on lifestyle choices and sometimes they just happen. Right. Yeah. We don't absolutely know what was the trigger. Like I like to think, man, I was living in a pretty healthy, active life. I eat really well, you know, like I manage stress. Okay. At least even not as well as I could have 10 years ago, but much better now. And, you know, so I, I'm very aware and I think it's that mindfulness that, that awareness that we have of just repercussions of some of our actions being present. Yeah. Knowing, knowing what's going on right at the moment. Yeah. Yeah. And I think we all are aware aren't we like did to some level we're aware of what we're doing, but yeah. It's really tough.

Roy - Feeding Fatty (43:00):

A good point about, you know, about getting sick. And, um, I think about like athletes is that, you know, you see these guys on the, uh, only American football field. Let's take those guys. You know, they get hit hard, a lot of fallen. Now, if I was out there and somebody hit me that hard or fell down, you know, that'd be the end of me, but because they're in such awesome shape, they are able to take a lot of that punishment. And so I think we can translate that to, into, uh, to our bodies. Our health is that if we have a healthy body, if we're eating right and we're doing everything we need to do, where we are able to fight some things off better, um, than if we were unhealthy. And then we were able to survive through some of those things that we really don't have a choice, you know, that may, uh, afflict us in some way, but we are much able to navigate through that if we are healthy and in good shape. So just something else. I think we, you know, always good to keep in mind.

Dai (44:04):

It's so true. And actually that reminded me, you know, the doctors, I remember my hematologist, especially like she figures I've had this probably most of my life. Um, it's just because of my lifestyle choices and the way I just live my life. It really masked any of the symptoms from ever appearing, you know, and even if they were there, but I started putting things two and two together because I would get sick or I would get a cut or a bruise and it would take a long time to heal, you know? And like, I get like the flu and I'd be out for almost two weeks sometimes. And it was just like, why don't I just take off? And when I do, Oh my do I get sick? And my wife used to bug me all the time. Right. Because before we knew about the condition and she'd be like, get in the bed, man, like just a man called [inaudible].

Dai (44:58):

But no, when she went and then, you know, it was funny after the diagnosis came down and she's like, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that this was going on. And, and, uh, but it was interesting, right? Like, I mean, being someone that also was in the fitness equipment industry for 17 years, uh, I used to deal with a lot of people that would come in to buy equipment for their homes or for their facilities, but specifically in the homes. And very often you get people coming in and be like, Oh, what brings you into today? You know, you look for some strengths and cardio what's up. And uh, well, my doctor sent me it's you could tell they didn't want to be there, not there because the doctor said, you got to go do this. You're going to die. Right. And they come in, they buy the equipment, they have the best of intentions to use it. And then they go, yup. I mean, this is the cliche, right. We go on like the Craigslist, the marketplaces, and look into equipment. And it's like, you're lucky if you find a picture of just the product without clothes on it. Right.

Roy - Feeding Fatty (46:00):

Yeah. I mean, I've had a few of those. Yeah. I've seen those background pictures of the, you know, take a Christmas picture. And then in the background, you see the, a treadmill with all the laundry hanging on the side of it. Yeah.

Dai (46:12):

Yes. And I used to hate that about the industry, you know, that, that, that cliche was even existing, you know, that we would, people joke about it. They come in and are like, Oh, I'm going to buy this, but I'll probably just end up as a coat hanger. I'm like, what are you talking about? You just told me that your doctor said you're going to die. Like what is going on here? And it just makes me wonder, you know, like that was something that used to really eat at me, you know? Cause I want to help people. I want them to feel empowered that they can make the changes that they want to make. And so it used to frustrate me. It made me feel sad and, and make me question a lot of time, what am I doing? You know? Cause I didn't feel I could really support them in the change.

Dai (46:58):

Right. Some new equipment. And then, you know, you do some follow ups here and there to see other doing, but often they wouldn't never reply because they feel guilty to reply because they did admit that they weren't using it. So it wasn't, it was rarely a pleasant followup where I'd get a message. Oh, we're loving it. It's great. Yeah. I've lost 20 pounds every once in a while we get that. But it wasn't the average, it wasn't the majority. Right. You know? And, and uh, so that led, that was also fueling me for making some big changes. Just my career, because I was like, I just didn't feel like I was really making a dent.

Terry - Feeding Fatty (47:35):

Yeah. That's what I was going to ask was how do you Tran how'd you transition out of selling the equipment to what you're doing now?

Dai (47:46):

Well, for me it was this, I wanted to help people by just giving them information, just really providing info and, and you know, people take it or leave it. It didn't matter to me. I just wanted to share. And it was fortunately for me, like when I started blogging about 13, 14 years ago, like I just started putting content up and I was sort of inspired because I had read Gary Vaynerchuks first printing of crush it. Do you guys remember crushing it? I didn't read that. Or if this is like back when he still had like wine library, right? Like his old YouTube channel and before Gary Vaynerchuk was, you know, dominated the internet. And uh, but I remember reading that because I used to do a lot of marketing for my past company. And, uh, I'd be responsible with helping with some of the purchases of our media buys and we're buying TV.

Dai (48:34):

We were buying print Brian radio and you know, we'd spend the same amount of money every year. And I was like, man, we're not getting the same return here. We'd be scratching around what is going on here. And it's like, wow, this thing called the internet and the Google. Maybe it's a good thing. We take a look at that. And, and, and so we did, and then I read Gary Vaynerchuks book and I was like, wow, this guy's onto something. This makes so much sense. So I started really embracing social media and I started blogging just to create content, to share it with people because I thought that would compliment what I was doing on the fitness equipment side. Yeah. You know, it was like, here's a, but I also got some great articles. I got some programs, I got some free information that will support you with this equipment that you're buying.

Dai (49:13):

And so that was started the intention behind it. But then I realized, you know, not everybody has access to equipment. Not everybody has the means to have equipment in their home. And so I started to just change some of my belief systems around, you know, I used to be a gym rat, you know, I had one in the gym. That was my main thing. I'd go to the gym. I work out and I was like, well, that's what everybody should do. You know, again, this is in my twenties, right. Approaching my thirties. I was still in that mindset. Like, this is the solution, this is the best option. And for everybody, they need this. And as they say, I drank the Kool-Aid and I drank a lot of it and I was trying to serve it to anybody that was thirsty. Right. And, uh, and so I started just talking about the body as a piece of equipment calisthenics, right.

Dai (49:58):

They just body weight based moons, because then there really is no excuse. I mean, you got enough room to put a towel on the floor. You will get amazing workout and that space, like you can get a park outside your door. That's a gym, you know, there's really no excuse you, you, you travel, you, you hang out in a hotel every once in a while because you're traveling lot. No problem. That room, you can do this between the two beds, you know, like, and I started creating a lot of content that really supported that for people. And, uh, w which created a major riff, uh, in my, uh, company, because, you know, I had a lot of staff at that time. I also had a partner that was the CEO and, uh, my personal brand started to, to grow the business. And, uh, he's like dying.

Dai (50:50):

I remember one of my articles went viral on Reddit and crashed my site a couple of times. Cause I wasn't prepared for that kind of a spike. And, uh, and it was like 99 workouts you can do without equipment got shared all over the place. And uh, I remember all the staff as well as like my partner at the time, he was like, you gotta put us out of business. What are you doing? You are a mean, yeah, we, we were one of the top fitness equipment retailers in North America, you know, and here we are, the main guy, he was like, I was just the face of the company. So I'd often do the media stuff and all that. And uh, there him saying you don't need equipment. But the funny thing was, it actually increases it increased sales because it increased our brand recognition, also increase trust in our marketplace.

Dai (51:40):

People realized I was more motivated to help people just get well than I was to sell money. Right. And, uh, so that sort of fed into my desire to eventually leave. Cause I was just like, you know, this, this isn't a fit anymore. And not feeling like I'm making a big enough shift in people's lives here. And, uh, you know, as operator opportunities started to grow based on some of the things I was doing outside of work realized we had the options. But more than that, my wife had a desire for us to be a full-time family to travel while the kids still thought we were cool.

Dai (52:14):

And you know, that Terry door closes pretty quick. Yeah. And, uh, so yeah, I, I left a career 17 years and sorta just embraced a little bit of the unknown and I trusted that we'll figure it out. And, uh, I had written a book at the same time, as I was saying, sign an art to that career. And, and so at the same time it was published me. I quit my job. My wife quit her as a month later, a couple months after that, we took the kids out of school and gave away all our stuff, packed up what we decided to keep in her SUV and just started traveling and started chasing the sun. We drove down to like California and all around the States and back up to Canada in the summer drive around there and back to the States and then eventually made our ways overseas. And then we ended up in Bali and we lived there for over two years coming back to Vancouver. And, uh, uh, just, just before COVID, uh, we came back because our kids wanted to finish high school here in Vancouver. How exciting. So the last six years have been a bit of a ride. I'll tell you that, you know,

Roy - Feeding Fatty (53:11):

Well, we thank you so much for taking time out of your day. You know, one question I always like to ask is, so do you have a tool? I mean, it could be an app program or ritual habit, uh, you know, whatever that you feel really adds value to your wellness journey and that, um, you just couldn't live without every day.

Dai (53:34):

Oh, well, there's a couple habits. I know I've been really, really powerful just in my life. Um, a couple of which is just moving my body everyday with purpose for a minimum of 15 minutes, right? Like just a minimum, just 15 minutes. I mean, it's not very much tiny, right? Everyone's got at least 15 minutes that they can just dedicate to just moving their body. Right. And, uh, and hopefully creating a little bit of a sway. So you get a little bit of a positive effect. Uh, also meditation. And I encourage people minimum five minutes a day, and also feeding our mind now minimum 10 minutes a day, feed your mind with something positive. Maybe it's a Ted talk. Maybe it's a great podcast, right. Maybe it's just reading a great book or listening to a book like, and if you put those three things together, that's 30 minutes.

Dai (54:26):

That's 2% of every 24 hours. Wow. And that's it. I mean, that's the minimum. I encourage people, I guess people will say, is that all I got to do? I go, it's the least you deserve. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like it's the least anybody just like, you deserve to love yourself enough to give yourself at least 30 minutes a day, right. For your body, your mind and your spirit. And then I say, and I say, if you start to see some, some good things happening and you want to do more things lean into that, don't fight that don't think I'm only going to do three, like lean into it, do what you feel inspired or drawn to do, because all it takes is a little bit of the positive momentum to start to kick in. And it's amazing how that can just pick up speed and it'll open your eyes to a lot of things. And, uh, uh, I do have a five day sugar detox. It's just a free program on my website as well as a 28 day program. That's also free it models. My book gives people, the workouts gives them the full program. No hidden agenda here. It's just, I just keep giving all that stuff back.

Dai (55:29):

Make sure we get that out there. No, let me just do this real quick. [inaudible] but uh, I give it away for free my publisher. Doesn't like, there's been a giveaway, the digital copy for free, uh, in the program basically for free on my website. So Hey, if you want to buy it on Amazon or, you know, at Barnes and noble or whatever, Hey, feel free to plug, but, uh, it is free on the website. So why don't you tell us, tell us

Roy - Feeding Fatty (55:58):

Website so people can go over there and we'll be sure and include all that in the show notes, but tell people how they can find you. And if they want to reach out and get ahold of you, how is the best way to do that?

Dai (56:09):

Oh, thanks. Right. Yeah. It's pretty simple. Actually. It's the one advantage, you know, as you were asking me, Terry at the beginning, you know, before we started this interview, my name is pretty unique. Uh, Dai Manuel Dai, and then Manuel, I mean, U E L a, it's a sh slash Portuguese name. So a bit of a mix, as I said, everybody I'm Canadian, but if you go to diamond, weil.com, you'll find all sorts of stuff. And, uh, I, I do say like for those that are listening to this, if it's spring 2021, you will be seeing a new website very soon, which is a lot more user friendly. Uh, but there's over 1500 articles and resources out there that are all accessible. They're geared to help people get more of the life and help them get out of their own way to really lean into being their happiest, healthiest self.

Dai (56:55):

And, uh, so I always invite people just, Hey, have at it. And if you want to have a conversation, reach out to me on Facebook or Instagram, cause that's the easiest way and I'm most active on those channels, but, uh, that's it, you know, like I just want to acknowledge you too though. I think is, is, uh, one very brave to, to just be vulnerable and share your journey, uh, as it relates to living healthier, more active and making these changes. And I think it's, it's very inspiring as well to, to see you sharing your story, but also highlighting other people's journeys there, their tips or tricks or strategies. And I just think it's really, really cool. And, uh, I also, I do like the name so fantastic. So I just wanted to acknowledge you too. It's been an honor to be here too.

Roy - Feeding Fatty (57:38):

Well, thanks so much. We appreciate it. And it's, you know, we get, we get to meet a lot of great people like yourself and we get to, you know, bless our listeners with, uh, you know, not only your personal story, but your profession as well. So thank you so much for, uh, sharing with us. We appreciate it. Yeah.

Terry - Feeding Fatty (57:55):

Yeah. You've been very inspiring. It's been an honor to listen to your story and I'm so glad that you were able to share that with us today.

Dai (58:04):

Thank you, Terry. And thank you, Ryan. It's very kind of you to say again, it's a, it's a bit of a love Fest happening, right? [inaudible] you guys are awesome though. And I really appreciate, I mean, of course, if I can be of any help, please know that I'm always here and that goes for anybody out there. And uh, I, I take that offer not lightly. It's very serious. And I would say like, I'm, I'm just here to help. So reach out anytime.

Terry - Feeding Fatty (58:27):

And it's more of that on your website. I recommend to everybody go and check them out. It's it's well worth it. Yeah.

Roy - Feeding Fatty (58:37):

All right guys. Well, that's going to do it for us on this episode. Again, we appreciate our listeners as well. Uh, you can find us of course, at www dot feeding, fatty.com. Uh, we will have the, um, the audio component and the video component up there as well. We are on all the major platforms, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and a lot more out there. Of course, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, always there, and we'll have the copy of the video will be up on YouTube as well. So go out there, take a look, take a listen. If you have a good story over your own, don't hesitate to reach out to either myself or Terry. We'd love to hear from you and hopefully we can get you on the show soon. So until next time that's going to be it for us. Thanks so much.

Terry - Feeding Fatty (59:27):

Thank you. Appreciate it.

www.feedingfatty.com