Daniel Miller

I have to give a huge shout out to Noah Defraties - as I reflect on that last 90 days I can't thank him enough for how great this program truly is and how my life and health has been transformed. Noah listened to my goals (improve my body without completely changing my busy life style) and pushed me to the place where I can be healthy and get stronger/leaner all while still going to happy hours, client dinners, dealing with travel, etc. I would tell anyone who was in my position - getting out of shape due to all the things that everyday life throws at you - that you HAVE to do this program so that you can maintain your body no matter what life throws at you. Thank you Noah!

Mike Pasciak

For my whole adult life I was told "there's nothing you can do about it, most likely your high cholesterol is genetic."  Every year, every blood test my total cholesterol and LDL has steadily increased no matter what I tried to do myself.  I tried cross fit, I tried straight cardio, and i tried just general lifting, all the while thinking because I was keeping active and burning calories I could continue to eat what I wanted.  WRONG!!!  

Fast forward to the beginning of 2018.  I had to have my heart scanned for plaque because I have a family history of widow makers, and it elevates my risk factor because of my higher cholesterol.  My doc told me we were getting in the cholesterol meds (STATIN) territory.  I told him I refuse to take STATIN drugs because I saw what it did to my dad who passed away from ALS.  Long story short there are a lot of studies suggesting STATIN drugs can cause neuro-muscular issues in some people.  So to recap, heart disease in my family history and the medicine I would need to take could exacerbate my possibility of getting ALS.  Sounds like a stretch, but you never know.

In the summer of 2019, I met Noah and I told him everything about myself, and my family history.  He said "No Worries."  I told him what I wanted to accomplish physically, and most importantly what I wanted to accomplish with my health.  I have lifted at weights I never thought possible, which is an achievement in itself.  The reason for this testimonial is the benefit I have achieved of the diet and having someone hold me accountable to that diet.  

Proof is in the numbers: 

2018 - Total Cholesterol (252),  LDL (180), HDL (38), Triglycerides (143)

2019 - Total Cholesterol (170),  LDL (123), HDL (35), Triglycerides (61)

Long story short, my doc said my numbers wouldn't have dropped this significantly with just meds.  He said whatever I'm doing to keep doing it!!  Stick to the diet, listen to what Noah is saying, HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT!!  THANKS, NOAH

Brian McNabb

Background: I had always been an athletic active person growing up and through college. I worked out 5-6 times a week and had a relatively healthy diet and was happy with the shape I was in. Post college and moving into the working world full time I told myself I would NEVER let myself go and working out and staying healthy would always be a priority. For the first two years I was actually able get in better shape than I was in college (less alcohol, which led to less late-night fast food pit stops before going to bed). However, year 3 had me working a demanding 80-100hr week schedule where I was moving every four months all over Europe and the US for specific consulting projects. This is when everything went south from a health and fitness perspective. I was eating out every meal, not getting enough sleep and forgot where the gym was located 😊. After living this lifestyle for over four years I had packed on over 30lbs and was in the worst shape of my life. Sure, professionally I had achieved more than I ever thought I would have at that point in my life, but I wasn’t happy, and I needed balance and change.

This is when I reached out to Noah. I had seen a lot of the things he was posting on how he works with busy professionals and finetunes a plan that lets them have the best of both worlds; kill it in the office and in health/fitness. To this day reaching out to Noah is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  Here’s a little glimpse into my journey so far:

Consultation

Noah set up a 1x1 to understand what my end goals and aspirations were. From there he dug into experience levels in terms of lifting, counting macros, etc. Then he built me out a tailored workout and Macro plan to meet my goals which were to get back to my weight in college (206lbs to 175lbs) and to be able to fit everything in without impacting work. Based on my goals he set up three workouts a week and a daily Calorie intake/Macro plan.

First Month

Just like any new adventure there’s going to be a lot of drive and energy behind it. I got off to a super-hot start. I had dropped 10lbs and was progressing every week on my workouts. I did this with absolutely NO CARDIO. The key was in nutrition (more on this later). I had never counted my macros, so this was foreign to me and took time to get used to. After doing tracking for a few weeks it becomes an ingrained habit (MyFitnessPal). Coming out of month 1 I was convinced I was going to reach my goal of 175lbs in no time. Boy was I wrong.

Month 2

I started the month off with all the confidence in the world. I was able to fit into clothes that I hadn’t in at least a year and I had a lot more energy which also helped me at work. I was still getting my workouts in, but had a vacation planned the last week of the month. Noah is always there to help strategize for these types of events and will flex your routine to get what YOU want to get out of it. It’s ok to have a couple days where you go over your calorie limit or have the dessert/meal that you really want. You just have to hop back on the horse right after. I wanted to maintain where I was at during the weeklong vacation, but also enjoy myself so we set up a no carb plan except for 1 meal where I could splurge. I was able to hold to that for a few days, but then decided I wanted to just enjoy the rest of the vacation and ate and drank what I wanted. I ended up gaining about 7lbs over that week and felt like I had erased all the hard work I had put in month 1. I was down. Noah was there to explain that there is nothing wrong with having weeks like this, and in fact we need them. The whole embodiment of the program is that it’s sustainable over a long period of time. I didn’t gain 30lbs in 1 week and surely wouldn’t lose 30lbs and be able to keep it off in a short period of time either. Things were starting to click.

Month 3

Post vacation I jumped back into my workout and nutrition routine and the first week I dropped 4 of the 7lbs I had gained over vacation. Noah was right. As long as you stay committed in the long run a bad day or week will wash out over time. Don’t give up!

This month was also during the most challenging time of the year to stay healthy …. The holidays. Noah again helped me build out a strategy that would allow me to enjoy the holidays with family and friends, but also keep me on the path to obtain my goal. Very similar to the vacation strategy I tried to not eat carbs before going to a family party, so I could enjoy myself. On top of that I set a drink limit. At the end of the day it’s all moderation. I was still able to eat and drink the things I wanted to and felt good about myself after because I was still progressing towards my goal. WIN-WIN!! I ended up getting through the holiday season down another 5lbs and came into the New Year right at 194lbs. It’s not where I thought I would be at this point, but I was still 12lbs down and got through the hardest part of the year. I came into the new year knocking on the 180’s for the first time in nearly 2 years! 

Last 3 months

At this point I had everything down. I was progressing in all my workouts and was able to get up weight that I hadn’t been able to lift since college. I had been tracking my macros for so long that I knew exactly what was going into my body but knew where I could slip in a meal or two a week that could satisfy my cravings without binging.

It’s like I was in autopilot losing about a 1.0-1.5lbs a week for about the next 2 months and I had broken into the 180’s! This was done doing the exact same workouts when I started the program plus adding in a couple light sessions of cardio for 20-30 min a week. Then I hit a plateau. Noah noticed I wasn’t getting enough protein, so we made it a priority to meet that macro and then to see how my body would react to that over the next couple weeks. Sure enough I blew past the plateau and was at 184lbs. Noah does a fantastic job of not messing with too many variables throughout the program. It’s very simple and he has the approach of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” and once a plateau is hit he’ll change up one or two things and, in my experience, it’s worked every time.

I could see the finish line … only 9 lbs to my goal! Then the COVID pandemic hit and threw everyone’s routine out the window. Noah didn’t miss a beat. He has been incredibly informative on both the information about the virus itself and how to flex our workout routines to come out of this thing better! He set up a new workout plan based on the equipment I had available, so I’ve still been able to get my workouts in. Admittedly, the adjustment wasn’t an easy one at first. I had been so used to my routine of going to my gym and doing the same workouts for months. However, after three weeks I’m starting to look forward to my at home workouts. On top of that working out through this has helped keep my mind off the crazy times we’re all going through right now. Since my gym closed and I was mandated to work from home I’ve lost another 3 lbs and currently sit at 181lb. This is the lowest weight I’ve been in nearly 5 years and I’m knocking on the door of my goal weight! Now it’s just a matter of time until I get there. Before I started this Journey in the Noah Fitness Academy I truly didn’t think I would get back here again. 

Conclusion

Like mentioned earlier, this program has absolutely changed my life. When I reached out to Noah I was at one of the lowest points I had ever been mentally and physically and nearly gave up the thought that I could get back into the shape I was 5-10 years ago. I thank myself everyday for having the courage to reach out to Noah to make a bet on myself. My original expectation when joining NFA was to lose weight and get back in shape. That goal has been met, but what I didn’t expect was how everything else around me started to change for the better throughout the journey both personally and professionally. I hope my story can help those of you that feel like you’re close to rock bottom and you’ll never get to where you want in health/fitness. YOU’RE WORTH IT!! Make a bet on yourself. It’s the best return you’ll ever have!! If I can do it you can do it and me and the rest of the NFA are here to support you throughout your journey!  I’ll leave you with the top 5 things I’ve gotten from the NFA:

1. You’re worth it and it’s NEVER too late to make a change

2. You’ll have setbacks throughout the process, but don’t give up. If you stay consistent in the long run, you’ll get to where you want to be. I can promise you that.

3. You’re not alone. There is a fantastic support group within the NFA and this is only my story. There are so many other inspiring transformations and people in the NFA that are there for you.

4. This is not a fad diet or quick fix. This program teaches you how to juggle a busy work schedule and still meet your health and fitness goals. It’s truly a lifestyle change where you CAN have it all!

5. Noah practices what he preaches and makes himself available for everyone. He really cares about helping people reach their goals. He used to be where we all were at too. 

Brian