We have success stories in a variety of ways for example:
NaDerris Ward 17yrs old at McClymonds High school in Oakland CA. Was told by Colleges he could not play football because he was obese (290lbs). He joined the club and lost 37lbs and received his scholarship to the University of Georgia.
Kiera Brock 16 yrs old at Dorsey high school in Los Angeles CA wants to enter the Police Academy but was told she exceeded the weight requirements she joined the club and lost 28lbs.
Emile Pascale 15yrs old at Wilson high school in Washington DC was told due to breathing issues related due her obesity she could not play any sports she joined the club and lost 30lbs
WUSA Channel 9 Interview 4/12/06
Watch This Video - Press Play
First Person Singular: Greg Raleigh, 42, Washington, fitness center manager, the University Club; director, Food for Fuel
Article Last Updated: 01/31/2013 by The
Washington Post
I had a stroke when I was 20. I was trying to gain weight real fast for football, but I didn't know how to eat [right]. So I was taking this weight-gain product, a protein powder, three or four times a day - on top of a diet of potatoes and a lot of starchy foods. One day I just collapsed. When we got to the hospital, the level of salt in my body was over 10,000 milligrams - 2,300 is normal. So they IV'd me. But then the nurse said, "You can't stay here because you don't have any health insurance." I was like, Well, what do I do?
Knowing that I had a family history of high blood pressure and diabetes, knowing that I didn't have insurance, the economics of it kicked in. So I started reading, teaching myself how to eat healthy. As a trainer now, I hear from a lot of my clients: "It costs too much to eat healthy." No, it doesn't. It may cost you some more time, but it's not going to cost more money. When I do my nutrition programs, I tell the kids: "An apple is cheaper than a bag of chips." It's just a matter of knowing how to choose properly. There's tons of food traps all around us. I mean, I still have my own struggles. Being a person with high blood pressure, I have a craving for salt that's amazing. In college they called me "chicken man," because I had to have my three pieces and a biscuit every afternoon at KFC or Popeyes; I [didn't] know better. But now when I get that craving, I know what to reach for: Brown rice usually kills my cravings. But everybody's different. You have to learn your own body, know what it's craving, remember it, and then teach yourself from it. Killing a craving is like killing the head of a snake.
I tell clients: When you start eating healthy, your body becomes more efficient so you don't have to eat six times a day. But people want a quick fix. They just keep denying problems arising due to their food choices, hoping they're going to go away, hoping there's going to be some sort of pill. I have clients that say, "Greg, what can I buy over the counter to stop me from having these problems?" Or clients that only take care of their body because of a pending wedding. I tell them, "No, no, no. You want to get in shape because you want to enjoy your kids' weddings; you want to see your kids go to college." At the end of the day, everything is an individual choice. You have to be willing to step up and take care of yourself - there's no other motivation; you're not going to get your own reality show. You need to learn how to do it for you. And that's the best reward.
CORE-CA
Teams With IFD To Assist Inner City Youth Nutritionally
Posted on Nov 10, 2005 - by Blackvoice
By Rita Long
CORE-CA has teamed with the International
Fitness Diplomats (IFD) in order to bring
about healthier youth among minorities. “The program is to
help our young people,” said CORE-CA Chairman Adrian Dove.
“Minorities are susceptible to a lot of diseases if their
nutrition is not proper.”
When you travel to Dorsey High School in Los Angeles
you'll find the IFD club on campus. The purpose essentially
is to assist high school kids in making sure that they are
aware of what they intake nutritionally into their bodies.
With diabetes, obesity, and hypertension as a major factor
among blacks, hispanics, and other minorities; the club is
designed to be educational - assisting in prevention before
many youths acquire these unwanted diseases.
"Students go through a curriculum created by Food
for Fuel (F3)," said Greg Raleigh. "It covers
such things as reading labels, food economics, and scientific
information relating to medical illness that comes from improper
food choices."
At Dorsey, the head man is Doug Brown who is the Director
at Celes King swimming pool. The program reaches out to both
male and female students who meet once a week to discuss
nutritional needs and fitness. "It helps us be healthy and
be in shape," said Ramon Rodriguez a ninth grade IFD club
member who also runs track. "It makes me feel good."
Dorsey is having a recruitment drive and has 20 newly committed
students. Every Wednesday they have a school wide 'Fit tip
of the day'. Senior and club president, De'Borah Dunbar wrote
the constitution for the club. "This is something I want to
carry on not just for now but, for the rest of my life,"
said Dunbar. "I want to be a healthy woman."
The program currently is involved in four major cities in
the country, Los Angeles, Oakland, Philadelphia, and Washington
D.C. It also has help from many pro athletes including Courtney
Anderson and Nnamdi Asomugha both of the Oakland Raiders.
A frequent visitor to the Dorsey campus is Sam Cunningham,
former USC running back and an NFL veteran.
When you travel to Dorsey High School in Los Angeles
you'll find the IFD club on campus. The purpose essentially
is to assist high school kids in making sure that they are
aware of what they intake nutritionally into their bodies.
With diabetes, obesity, and hypertension as a major factor
among blacks, hispanics, and other minorities; the club is
designed to be educational - assisting in prevention before
many youths acquire these unwanted diseases.
