PUNCH LIFE IN THE FACE

” Hey Peto…your phone is ringing…it’s Ben sending you a text…let me read it to you:

” Man up Peto, let’s meet at crossfit at 4:15 am and do tire flips and run before the workout”  

Yep…..I love this guy….100% effort…with life obstacles everywhere. No other way to put it. Pure heart. And from where he started, makes his story even more valuable.

His name is Ben Dempsey and he is 1/2 the man he used to be.

Remeber the picture of Ben in 2009 ?  Well here it is just in case:

That was Ben at 360 lbs dating back to Juy 2009, until one day he said enough. Let’s change my life around and let’s be there for my family and friends for a much longer time.

Meet Ben now: FYI the picture below was taken a few months back at 5:00 am in the morning at crossfit. A total slap in the face to the phrase: ” I don’t have time to work out”.

And when I say he is 1/2 the man he used to be, I am not kidding:

Ben at work showing his pants from July 2009. Weight 360 lbs Waist 52 inches.

Today Ben is 190 lbs with a waist line of 34.

“On the morning of July 22,2009 I weighed in at 360 pounds at 27 years old. My heaviest weight of my entire life, but this day was different. Over the past few years I had tried extreme diets and lost some weight, but I would ultimately gain it all and plus some back because my heart wasn’t in it. But when I stood on the scale that day I knew something had to change if I was going to make it to 30 without having some serious medical issues arise and for once in my life I wanted to do it for myself and most importantly for my wife and son. So it all began with changing my diet and then I began to walk. I set yearly goals to keep me focused and to motivate me to stay on course. Over the last two and a half years I’ve lost 170 pounds, completed two Peachtree Road Races, my first marathon, started CrossFit and will be running my first marathon on March 18th. Losing the weight and really getting control of my health has given me a new outlook on life and a newfound energy. I love being able to do things with my wife and son that I couldn’t had done or wanted to do when I was at 360. But, for the first time in my life I have self confidence. My theme for this entire process is to simply defy the plateau, persevere to the end. It has made a better husband, father and man. 

- Ben Dempsey.

Life has been punching Ben really hard for many years. He will be the first one to tell you that money is not abundant, but he makes the best out of it. He doesn’t drive the nicest car, doesn’t run in the most expensive shoes, his beat up mountain bike was free. The more obstacles this guy has, the better he does. He is a daily reminder for us at crossfit of one of my favorite quotes: “ Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome”. 

Among the sadest things to happen in his life was the loss of his best friend, someone he dedicates a lot of his competitions to by raising funds for Cystic Fibrosis.

“This is Stephen Starnes, nearly a month after this photo was taken on 9/22/2006 he lost his battle with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of 22. I am running in my first marathon on 3/18/2012 in his memory”.

“Stephen was a guy that lived life to the fullest. He would never allow his illness to define who he was. You wouldn’t hear him taking about it and you would know he had it unless he told you. He inspired me on so many levels. His life was a precious one. I want to help others that has CF and want to help them one day be able to have the chance to do things that they cant because of the disease. He never gave up, he fought till the end. I want to do the same with my journey, it’s been a tough road. But it has been a remarkable one. I want seize every moment like he did. He punched CF in the face, I want to help knock it out”. 

- Ben Dempsey 

Ben is deffinetly punching life in the face. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here we go:

The one thing that Ben has not shrunk, it’s his heart. Before and after he remains the great person, but now much healthier we can all enjoy being around Ben for many more years to come.

Next is the story of Nick Westbrook. Another TRUE champion that I have crossed paths with. Amazing motivator, unreal Athlete.