Greg Fontaine Loses 50 pounds at PEAC Health & Fitness!
December 8th, 2011
Greg Fontaine has been a PEAC member for a number of years. Only recently has he made a lifestyle commitment to fitness that has forever changed his life.
A retired Air Force Flight Engineer who fought in Desert Storm and now the president of A&E Construction in Pennington, he moved to the Hopewell/Pennington area nineteen years ago with his wife Karen and has two daughters, Anna (14) and Emily (11). Greg recalls an active youth and young adult life, playing football, exercising and generally staying fit. Later, his demanding work schedule and busy family lifestyle left little time to “put himself first and worry about his health.”
After a recent physical, Greg discovered his blood pressure was high and his doctor advised him to lose weight. Greg knew he was not putting much thought into his food choices and was basically eating on the run. He recalls visiting prospective client’s homes for an estimate and being literally out of breath simply walking from one floor to the next, leaving him uncomfortable when it came time to discuss the estimate. He knew a change was needed and got serious in September, when he and his wife decided to join PEAC’s ‘I Lost it at PEAC’ weight loss challenge.
Greg was immediately hooked when he met his PEAC weight loss coach, Eileen Mannix. “Eileen made each of us feel welcome and gave us personal attention,” said Greg. In addition to morning meetings and workouts, Eileen encouraged each of her weight loss team members to chart their daily food intake. This chart gave them a needed tool, providing awareness to change their eating habits and pursue a healthier lifestyle. “Knowing Eileen was going to be at the club, waiting for us – knowing we couldn’t let her down, helped me meet my goals,” added Greg. Eileen introduced and encouraged each of her team members to participate in an online calorie counter, diet & exercise journal. “I am not good at counting calories or tracking my exercise, but the journal did all the work for me” says Greg. Another motivator was, I put ten of my favorite songs on my iPod, and before I knew it, my workout was over!” He also expressed, “Coming in to workout at 5:30 am is so convenient, I am not even missed at home! My girls are asleep when I leave and still asleep when I return home and there are no distractions at PEAC, my time to be focused.”
“My wife, Karen, was a huge inspiration as well, working with me both at PEAC and on our meals at home. My teammate, Janet Manfre, placed second female overall in the PEAC weight loss challenge—so, I had even more inspiration and we achieved our goal as a team.” Greg plans to continue his workouts and healthy eating habits, vowing not to return to his old ways. “Eating without thinking was my biggest issue, and I feel prepared to move forward armed with all the knowledge I’ve gained at PEAC. I have energy again! I am a whole new person and my pants fit!”
Eileen also reveled in her team’s success, stating that Greg would be an inspiration for her next team in I Lost it at PEAC starting in January. She knows that getting yourself here to the club is the hardest part. The reward is how you feel afterwards: collectively, Eileen’s team of four participants lost a total of 92 pounds, with Greg contributing his personal weight loss of 50 pounds!
For more information, about PEAC or the I Lost it at PEAC program, contact Valerie Lopenzina, Program Coordinator at PEAC Health & Fitness at 609-883-2000, by email. PEAC is located at 1440 Lower Ferry Road, Ewing, NJ.
