There are a number of reasons why I’m doing what I’m doing. First and foremost, I am doing it for myself. I think that anyone that embarks on a lifestyle change through fitness training and nutrition absolutely MUST do it for themselves FIRST, then what would commonly be seen as the “normal” reasons — your children, family, mother, brother, aunt, uncle, etc. I will elaborate on this and why it is important to put yourself first in a future posting.
I’m dedicating my training to a number of people. Here they are, in chronological order of what happened to them:
Ricky Latte: Ricky was my cousin on my mother’s side. He was the family bully. He was 12 years older than me and on the weekends when we used to visit the family, we used to play a “game” called “The Blind Man vs. The Karate Man.” He was the Blind Man and I was the Karate Man. Only thing, the Blind Man used to open his eyes and would see, which, in addition to his large physical size advantage, gave him the competitive edge. He’d routinely put me under my aunt Sadie’s bean bag (this was the 70s) and smother me under it. He’d also tie my shoelaces together so I couldn’t run away. Ricky tortured everyone. That was his way of showing you how he loved you. Sadly, Ricky lived a life that was tormented by the grip of drug addiction. In what was what I believe to be an attempt to straighten out his life, he joined the Navy when he was in his early 20s and from what I remember, he did well for a while. When he was 24 and I was 12, he had a really nice girlfriend, Denise, that gave him a bunch of nice presents for his birthday that year. I remember it pretty distinctly. He dated her for a while, but then I don’t know what happened with her.
In 1995, Ricky was just released from prison (he was caught dealing drugs) and was in a halfway house somewhere in NY State. Apparently, he got a hold of some “bad dope” and overdosed. They found him a few days later in his room. He was only 37 years old. At the funeral, I remember his sister, Lisa, delivering a really moving eulogy. At the reception, I remember Lisa telling us that while she was preparing the eulogy, she had thoughts of Ricky saying to her, “Lisa, see just how many people you could make cry!” and then, she said he would say about the eulogy, “Lisa, that was beyootiful!!” Apparently, Ricky had a way of embellishing the word beautiful with inflection only he could do. So, even at his time of death, Ricky “tortured” us.
And so, Ricky Latte, I offer my fitness transformation for you.
Peter Farricker: I worked at Golf Digest Magazine as the Macintosh Support Specialist from mid-1997 until mid-2000. Peter was the equipment editor for Golf Digest. He was one of the people I supported and, unlike most people, never had a problem with his computer. Also unlike most people, Peter was a perpetually jovial man, was always smiling and brightened everyone’s day. He was a tall, lanky, red-haired man in his early 40s. When I turned 30, I remember Peter telling me that life doesn’t begin until age 40. He was married and had a young son, Jack. In the year 2000, he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) and sadly passed away shortly after I left Golf Digest. I believe he was only 44 or so years old, maybe a bit younger.
Before he died, but after I left Golf Digest, I called Peter and asked him to “sponsor” me with my weight loss efforts. I have been a longtime follower of Bill Phillips’ Body for Life program, and was embarking on yet another attempt at doing BFL. He called me back, and said he’d sponsor me. (All I wanted was someone to whom I could be accountable. He understood that.) I remember that on the phone, his speech was quite slurred, and it was evident that the ALS was progressing quickly. I never did complete my transformation at that time, and shortly thereafter Peter passed away.
Peter was right, life truly does begin at 40.
And so, Peter Farricker, I offer my fitness transformation for you.
Danny Fallone: I did not know Danny that well. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I ever did meet him, but I knew of him. He was a close friend of my wife’s family. He grew up in NY State and then moved to South Carolina to build his construction business. He was even featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition as he was one of the contractors that helped build two of the homes.
Danny had been somewhat overweight and began exercising. From what I understand, he made some significant progress and was looking and feeling really good. Then, one night in March 2008, he came up from his basement after exercising and told his wife to call his father. Apparently he wasn’t feeling right and knew something was really wrong. He died of a heart attack suddenly, and there was no apparent warning or history of heart disease. He was 39 and just a few weeks shy of his 40th birthday.
Danny’s passing hit me pretty hard because he was only two years older than me. It still didn’t shock me into action, at least not for very long, and not really until a year later, in June of 2009 when I really committed myself to my fitness transformation. Still, it is because of the proximity in age and the fact that he was a close family friend that I mention him here.
And so, Danny Fallone, I offer my fitness transformation for you.
Gary Remling: Gary was another one of my cousins on my mother’s side. My mother’s side of the family is quite large, and being that we are Italian, every event (and even non-event) is accompanied by mass quantities of food. Gary was career firefighter and everyone who knew him absolutely loved him. Like all the men in our family, he was loud & creatively used expletives at any opportunity that presented itself. Though his father was German, hence the obviously non-Italian last name, he was most assuredly Italian. He loved to cook (firefighters cook like no one else’s business) eat, entertain, and have a great time. As a matter of fact, the men in the family (most of which were firefighters) did most of the cooking on Thanksgiving and Christmas, which meant we ate well and the food was absolutely delicious.
Gary, being my mother’s first cousin and my second, was a bit older than me. In 1973, when I was 3 years old, I wanted a fire truck for my birthday. Gary and his fellow firemen drove a real fire truck from Stamford CT, to Brookfield CT (where I lived and grew up) and I got my birthday wish. I remember the kids playing on the truck and they even took us for a spin around the neighborhood. No one but Gary would have done that.
Throughout his life, Gary did battle with the bulge. He was “stocky” when he was younger, then got pretty heavy in his late 20s and 30s, and then had some success with getting the weight off for a time. As I got older and stopped visiting the family in Stamford so regularly, I didn’t see Gary that often. He got progressively heavier as the years went by and then was clinically obese for the last several years.
In January 2008, Gary retired from his 30+ year storied career as a firefighter, and we had a huge surprise party at the firehouse. In April 2008, just a few months after his retirement, he was going out to get permits for an above-ground pool they were installing in the backyard. While in his car on his way home, he wasn’t feeling right and pulled over into someone’s driveway. He was found by the paramedics (many of which he knew, as he had been so involved in emergency response over the years) hunched over the wheel, with the car still in gear and his foot on the brake. He died instantly of a massive heart attack. He was only 56 years old, too soon to go.
And so, Gary Remling, I offer my fitness transformation for you.
Steven Galderisi: Steven was my wife’s cousin. The oldest of five boys, he was an enterprising man that built a successful pool & spa business from a very young age. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when he was in his early 20s and successfully beat the disease. He continued to build his business and brought his brothers and son, Steven “Junior” into the business with him. Steven’s father, Ernie, lost his own battle to cancer in the late 90s, somewhere between 1996 and 1998, and Steven became the patriarch for his 4 younger brothers.
Steven loved people and loved to entertain. In the summers of the mid-2000s, he hosted the grandest of cookouts I have ever attended. They were called Galderisifest and were MUCH more than your typical backyard barbecue. The Galderisi’s spared no expense and the party was complete with a DJ, bartender, Mr. Big Belly that roasted a whole pig and grilled burgers, dogs, chicken and other food all day long. There was also a walk-in cooler full of soft drinks, water, and a beer tap as well as wine and anything else you could possibly want. There was a tent with tables setup and at night when it got dark, we even had our own fireworks display. Guys riding Harley’s would arrive and it was more like a rock concert than just a family gathering. Steven and his brothers did it big and with style unprecedented by anyone. At the last Galderisifest I attended, they even hired a band (yes, in addition to, not in place of the DJ) called The Big Smoothies and they entertained us with some excellent cover tunes.
Perhaps the best part of the party for me was that when you thought all the food was done, they would bring out two 6-foot party subs, one Italian combo, the other an American combo. The bread on which the subs were made was nothing short of delicious and the meats were imported Italian cold cuts. Now, I may be biased, but no one cooks/prepares food like the Italians do.
This past Spring, Steven was in the process of opening a new retail store for his brothers, Dennis & Gary so they could run it and expand the family business. One day in May 2009, the brothers were at the store putting the finishing touches on the new store and Steven had lunch with his brothers. That afternoon, Steven was on the phone, said he didn’t feel good, and then collapsed on the floor. Ronnie, his longtime companion, was with him at the time and she promptly called 911.
My mother-in-law received the call later that day that he had died of a massive heart attack and we promptly went to the hospital to be with the family. At one point after we arrived at the emergency room, I went in to see Steven. I was ok for a while, and then my own mortality hit me like a ton of bricks. Steven was only 44 years old. It was only a couple weeks before my 39th birthday. Perhaps that’s why it hit me so hard, because we were so close in age. I hadn’t been happy with my weight and general health, and in fact started becoming worried about it with the passings of three people I knew (Danny, Gary, and now Steven) in the last year.
Steven’s character and love of people was evident to everyone that knew him. Steven’s passing was the impetus that made me recommit myself to fitness, and on June 8, 2009, I joined the gym again. For the last time. In a twist of irony, it could be said that Steven sacrificed his heart to save mine (and countless others).
And so, Steven Galderisi, I offer my fitness transformation for you.
Everyone Else
In addition to the people mentioned above, I am doing this for my family, friends, and even people I do not know. The obesity epidemic in this country is very real, and it’s affecting our youth as well. It lays heavy on my heart. Parents, teachers, politicians, and children of America, this is your Call to Action. My mission in life is to travel the country and educate people on the virtues and necessity of healthy living through fitness and proper nutrition. It is my destiny, and with God’s Will I’m determined to do so.
It may sound cliche but if I can do it, so can you. I struggled for many years and I had the knowledge, yet could not seem to apply it in a lasting manner. Before you pick up a single weight or forkful of Romaine lettuce to your mouth, you MUST make a conscious decision to change. That’s it. Simply DECIDE. Once you have done that, it actually becomes easy. Yes, you must train with intensity, and resist the urge to eat “the bad stuff” but I guarantee you, that if you truly commit to yourself, living healthy and fit tastes far better than that cupcake, cookie, doughnut, bacon double cheeseburger, or whatever your vice is.
As I write this, I’m 35 lbs. lighter than I was on 6/8/09 when I started my transformation and I must report, that I feel better than I have in years. When you take care of yourself, something truly magical happens. Everything else is better.
And so, I offer my fitness transformation for YOU.
My time is now. Is yours?
Posted by Steve 
