Lee Claypoole Shares the Secrets that Helped Him Shed 100 lbs--And Keep It Off for 3 Years and Counting!
With the hustle and bustle of daily life, many Americans have fallen
victim to poor eating habits and overall unhealthy living. In fact,
adult obesity rates have doubled since 1980, from 15% to 30%, and
two-thirds of U.S. adults are now considered overweight.
Being able to lose weight is one
thing, maintaining and keeping it off is totally another. Kentucky
native and minister Lee Claypoole has been able to achieve both of
these feats and then some. At age 40, Lee dropped over 100 pounds and
went from a size 44 waist to a size 30. Featured in a profile for
USA Today's Weight-Loss Challenge in the summer of 2007, Lee was commended for his complete lifestyle change and admired for his newly lean and sculpted body.
Now, almost a year and a half since that original USA Today profile, I
recently had the opportunity to catch up with Lee to check his weight
loss status and ask him some fitness related questions.
Q: Thank you
Lee for doing an interview with us. Your dramatic weight loss story was
featured in USA Today, on the 700 Club television show, and other media
outlets. For the people who haven't heard your name, can you please
tell us a little bit about yourself? What is your personal background,
as well as your background in relation to health, fitness?
A:
My name is Lee Claypoole and I'm a proud Kentuckian. I've spent most of
my life in Kentucky but moved to South Carolina in 1999. I've been in
fulltime ministry for the past 25 years. For the bigger part of my life
I've been pretty active; I played football and basketball in high
school and as a youth pastor continued for a period of time to play
various sports and activities on a regular basis. When I first started
in ministry, I maintained my health pretty well for the most part. But
at about my twelfth year in fulltime ministry, I began to busy myself
in the office with work and really broke away from a healthy meal plan,
and a consistent workout regimen. Ultimately I gained about 90 pounds
in a 6 ½ year span and I went from a 34 waist to a 44 waist.
My real wake-up call came in March
of 2005 when my family and I were on a cruise of St. Thomas Island. At
about 3 days into the cruise I was on the beach with my daughter and
she wanted to ride one of those 2 person excursion boats. Well, to make
a long story short, the guy I was trying to rent the boat from told me
it wasn't safe for me take my daughter out on the water because I was
too heavy. "I thought to myself: 'This is ridiculous that I can't do
things with my daughter because I'm not taking care of myself.' And so
standing there on the beach that day, I made the decision that I was
going to totally change my lifestyle and change it for the good.
So I went back to the ship and
weighed in at 284lbs' at 6 feet tall with a size 44 waist. I was 39 at
the time, and I made up my mind that I would not be 40 and overweight.
I immediately started going to the gym and lifting weights, long
distance running and eating right. By the time the big 40 rolled around
I weighed 184 pounds and had a 30-inch waist. It will be three years in
March since the cruise and I'm happy to say that I've been able to
maintain.
Q: At what age did you really start packing on the pounds?
A:
I really starting picking up weight around the age of 30 and once I
started down that slope of not working out and eating fast food etc.,
it was just really hard to break out of.
Q: Do health issues run in your family? If so, did that have any effect on you changing your lifestyle?
A:
Yes, my mother, father and two of my brothers are all diabetic. My
mother actually passed away 11 weeks ago due to complications stemming
from her diabetes. My dad has and my late mother had severe heart
issues as well. Basically the doctor told me that if I didn't get a
handle on my weight that I was a strong candidate for everything my
parents had. So yes, potential health issues were definately a major
factor in me becoming determined to turn my life around.
Q: What did you pattern your diet/workout routine on? Diet, books etc?
A:
The Abs Diet is a nutrition routine of better eating habits that I've
stuck pretty close to. It's basically six small meals a day, high in
protein with snacks like almonds and walnuts. I can honestly say that
in the 3 years I've been doing this, I can't think of any time that
I've ever been hungry. It's not that I stopped eating, it's just I
started eating more nutritious foods. I have also stopped eating so
much late at night by just making sure I get an optimal amount of
nourishment throughout the day.
Q:
Your physical transformation hasn't just consisted of you losing fat,
you've actually gotten lean and added a fair amount of muscle. What has
your fitness / exercise plan consisted of?
A: Its funny, actually a lot of trainers at the gym I've worked out at
throughout my transformation have been there and seen me since the very
beginning. They frequently ask me for fitness tips and advice on how I
did what I did. I do a mixture of cardio (3.5 mile run 5 days a week)
with moderate strength training and some circuit training. I don't
really lift massive amounts of weight, but I do a full body regimen
every single week and it's worked really well for me.
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Workout
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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Biceps/Triceps
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X
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Chest/Legs
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X
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Shoulders/Back
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X
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Cardio/Running
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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Circuit Training
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X
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Rest
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X
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Q: Have you used supplements in the past and are you taking any currently?
A:
Really nothing other than protein bars and protein shakes. I decided
from day one to make my physical transformation 100% natural. One
particular product that I do take on a regular basis is the Supreme Protein® bar. Honestly, I've never been a huge fan of protein bars, but these are different. Supreme Protein® bars
have 30 grams of high quality protein and they taste great ... which is
a combination I rarely if ever see in a protein bar.
Q: What is it about the Supreme Protein® bars that you like best?
A:
They're just an outstanding product! There's really nothing else like
them on the market that I know of. Not only are the bars a great energy
boost before, during or after an intense workout, but again they taste
fantastic!
Q: What was your meal plan before the transformation?
A:
Let's just say that for about an eight year span, I probably ate at
McDonald's or some other fast food joint almost every single day, every
single weekend. In the last 3 years however, I maybe have eaten fast
food 3 times total. I just don't crave that type of food anymore.
Q: Making a
life change as drastic as you did can have an effect on your family and
friends. Did they start making smarter eating choices as well?
A:
Well my wife has always been able to manage her weight well. She was
103 pounds 25 years ago when I first met her, and she's stayed the same
throughout our marriage. My nephew actually became really inspired by
my story and he's now lost 111 pounds through his own dramatic fitness
journey. I'm also very happy to say that my father who's suffered from
heart issues and diabetes for many years, has changed his lifestyle and
lost about 45 pounds. Several of my friends and people in the church
congregation have turned around their lives and lost substantial
amounts of weight as well.
So my health and fitness journey
has impacted far more than just my own life, it's really had an
impacted and has inspired numerous people from all over. I guess you
could say my transformation has had a snow ball effect in that it has
affected a lot of people for the good.
Q: With you being the pastor of a church, how has your remarkable transformation affected your congregation?
A:
It has been unbelievable! According to the local gym I've been a member
at since the very beginning of my journey, I am personally responsible
for influencing about 40 people or so to join the gym and become
members who work out regularly. It encouraged so many people,
especially when the USA Today story broke, and then the 700 Club
interview. I've received emails from not just America, but also from
Europe and all over the world, from people just wanting encouragement
and help. A lot of these people were actually individuals, who like me,
work in fulltime ministry and whose health has just gotten out of
control.
Q: How did the whole USA Today profile come to fruition?
A:
I read a small profile in USA Today about somebody who lost 25 pounds
and had been successful keeping the weight off. At the end of the
article it said: "If you've lost 25 pounds or more and have been able
to keep it off, please contact us with your story." So I just sent in a
3-line paragraph about my weight loss story and at that time I had lost
about 90 pounds. So a few weeks later, I received an email response
back saying that out of several thousand personal stories received,
they had selected me and twelve others to profile in the USA Today
Weight Loss Challenge.
Since the first article was
released, they've run another follow up article last year and I
actually just received an email this morning about doing another follow
up interview in two weeks. They'll basically maintain doing continual
follow up pieces every year on my life to track my progress and to see
if I've been able to maintain.
Q: You mentioned
earlier that you received letters and feedback from all over the world
after your story was featured in USA Today. Can you give me any
examples of some of the feedback you've received?
A:
Well about a week after my profile was featured, I received a phone
call from a Hollywood image consultant who works with various A list
movie stars like Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks and others.
Basically he initially called me to get some diet and fitness tips for
himself and to share with his clients. Since that initial phone call,
we've actually really become pretty good friends and speak quite
frequently. In fact, he was on set this week with Brad Pitt whose
filming a new Quentin Tarantino movie called
Inglorious Bastards. He was just calling to check in and ask some fitness related questions.
Q: What was the experience like going on the 700 Club?
A:
It was a very cool experience. Everyone had been telling me prior to
the interview that Pat Robertson, who's 78 years old, wakes up every
morning at 6am to work out and run for an hour or so in his fitness
center in his house. Sure enough, when 6 am rolled around the morning I
did the interview, I looked out the window of my hotel and noticed the
light was on in that part of his house.
In regard to the actual interview,
it was just an honor to speak to a guy who's not only made a major
impact in ministry circles around the world but also a guy who again,
at 78, is huge into health and fitness.
Q: I understand you recently spoke at a youth conference on fitness. Is this a topic you speak on regularly now?
I think the conference you're referring to in your question was the
National Youth Workers Convention I spoke at last month in Nashville, TN.
A:
Yes, actually I do. This whole experience has really opened up a lot of
new doors for me. I've been fairly successful in youth ministry for
some time now, and I've had the opportunity over the years to speak at
seminars and conferences on student ministry and various other ministry
related topics. But now I've kind of come full circle in a sense that
now there's more interest in me speaking on health and fitness.
Q: Being such
a busy individual, how do you find the time to eat right and workout?
With your heavy work load and extensive travel, how do you stick to a
consistent fitness routine?
A:
Well three years ago I decided to make health and fitness a top
priority in my life, so I work extremely hard to stay committed. When I
travel (and you're right, I travel quite a bit) I make sure to arrange
to stay at a hotel with a good fitness center so I'm not too far
removed from my routine. I've worked and will continue to work
tremendously hard to keep my routine in place when at home or on the
road.
Q: What do your wife and kids think of your transformation?
A:
They're all extremely happy. Again my wife has always been extremely
health conscious and she's maintained the same weight for as long as
I've known her. So now that I'm on the same page, we enjoy eating
healthy meals together like baked chicken or fish with veggies and
other variations.
Q: How much do you weigh now?
A:
I've maintained my weight at 184 pounds with a 30 inch waist and let me just say, it feels great!
Q: Do you ever struggle at times now with eating the right foods, and staying active on a regular basis?
A:
Well let me tell you, this year has been a real test. I've recently
changed occupations from Student Pastor of a church in South Carolina
to Lead Pastor of a church I'm starting in Kentucky. My wife was
diagnosed with breast cancer this year and had to undergo a double
mastectomy. Though she's doing well now, that was a real scare to say
the least. Also my mother's passing about 11 weeks ago. So the
emotional things I've dealt with this year have really put me to the
test. But you know, I've still been able to maintain my weight, I'm
still wearing size 30 pants and I'm still doing what I do.
Q: What does your diet / nutrition plan consist of now?
A:
I try to spread my meals out a bit, optimally eating about six small
meals a day. Again, I stick pretty close to what the Abs Diet
instructs: 1,800 to 1,900 calories a day, high-protein, high-fiber,
with several small meals a day and not eating so much late at night.
It's not that I'm eating less than what I did before, I'm just eating
more nutritious food sources in a healthier meal pattern and portion
size.
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Example Daily Meal Plan
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Breakfast
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Oatmeal or Bran Cereal with almonds and banana slices/ skim milk
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Mid-Morning
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Almonds, apples
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Lunch
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Turkey sub with vegetable soup or fruit
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Mid-Afternoon
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Peanut butter and crackers
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Dinner
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Baked chicken or fish with mixed vegetables or salad
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Early-Evening
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Apple slices and or almonds
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Q: Is your workout routine and diet the same now that it was when you lost all of the weight two years or so ago?
A:
For the most part yes. I mean it's evolved some over time as I've
discovered new exercises and learned what works and doesn't work for
me.
Related Links:
USA Today's Weight-Loss Challenge
National Youth Workers Convention
