Mose Petaia

Meet a man who's helping to inspire men all over New Zealand to get in shape. At Real Nutrition we have the unique opportunity of sharing amazing success's with all sorts of people. Over the last four months we have been working with Mose, Steve and Jonno. Three men with massive goals and determination. I think when they first decided to have a go at getting up on stage in a bodybuilding contest, they didnt really believe they could do it, even I wasn't sure if they were fully committed. When you set a goal, no matter how small and you experience the feeling of success, it spurs you on to do more than you could ever imagine. Mose is an inspiration!

Read his interview below and feel inspired.

There must have been a reason, a trigger or a turning point in you deciding to change, what was it?

The death of my parents to heart disease and diabetes was a major trigger
point. My Dad passed away at 42 years with heart disease and my mum passed away
with diabetes. Approaching 40 yrs old, it really scared me and weighing at 135kg on 01/01/07, I was living in denial with the fact that I was actually heavily obese. My sisters and my wife inspired me when they took part in a 12 week challenge and lost a large amount of weight. It was on the 01/01/07 that I made a resolution to lose the weight in order to keep diabetes and heart disease away and prolong my life for my family. 


How did you motivate yourself to keep going?

Just a burning desire to live longer and get myself healthy so I can enjoy life. I was tired of being obese and it was starting to have a negative impact on all facets of my life.

Can you give us a few tips on training, did you have to train for hours?

I had no issue with training. Just an issue with the nutrition and having a burning desire to motivate me off the couch. I spent the majority of my time in the gym but I also mixed training up with walks, volleyball and games of touch. At the same time you need to
allow the body time to rest, so when I trained (max of an hour), I really trained and gave it everything I had.

Why did you see a nutritionist? Can’t you just train hard and take supplements?

 
Nutrition would have to be about 80% of your training regime, seriously you can't under estimate nutrition. if your serious about weight loss, you need to view food as a source of fuel. You need to get the right mix of carbs, protein and fats in order to sustain the energy levels to burn fat but also to maintain or grow muscle.

I used the following formula

"Motivation/desire + Vehicle (Gym, Nutritionist) + Work (training, self discipline) = success in prolonged life'. Therefore Nutrition is an integral part of the success formula. You could train hard have the best intentions but if you fuel your body with junk food, you'll never see any signs of weight loss.

How has your life changed?
Just quietly, the ladies look at me a lot. The changes have been huge. I have more energy, more tolerant, I sleep a lot better, can handle stress better, Have a better handle on my emotions and physical body. You claw back the years on your face and body and people often get my age wrong by as much as 10 years.

My self esteem sky rockets but not to the extent that you become arrogant.

How did you lose so much weight so fast?
During the 12 week challenge I lost 12 kg but from 01/01/07 to when i competed at the Club Physical Body building Champs 02/08/08, I losted a total of 42kgs. People struggle to comprehend the difference between my "before" and "after" photos. 16 weeks before the body building comp I lost 22kgs of fat and gained muscle. I went from 18% body fat to 7% come show time. For the record, I won the Novice mens over 85kg.

It was through focus with food and training that helped me achieve the
huge weight loss.


What have you learned that you can share with others who are keen to do the same?
Admit that you're over-weight and find a deep burning sustainable desire that will motivate you into a complete lifestyle change. Getting into a dress or trousers for Aunt Martha's wedding is a start but is it a burning desire that would sustain prolonged weight loss? Also view the weight loss as a long term goal with many short term milestones along the way so you can celebrate the achievements along the way. Find a vehicle (gym, weight loss programme) or someone that has gone down the beaten path to help you. Don't have to go it alone. there's plenty of people willing to help. All the above will sustain a lifestyle change as opposed to a yo-yo weight changes that also leads to your emotions and motivation to also yo-yo.

Were there any setbacks or failures
There were heaps of set backs, hence the reason for having a deep burning desire to loss weight. I had injuries, decouragement from friends who waited for me to fail and falling off the menu plans. However you learn from these set backs and it helps you to be more determined and mentally stronger.

What did you do to get over the setbacks
I looked hard as to reasons why I wanted to lose weight and it got me back on track. Also a good cry helps to get rid of the negative emotions. Also built a good relationship with a physiotherapist when I got injured.

What was your diet like over the 16 weeks did it change?
The magical words from Jacquie still ring in my ears.. " Are you
prepared to starve...". When you prepare for a body building comp you need to be strict with the diet because standing on stage in your undies, you can't really hide,
all is revealed. The first 2 weeks were difficult but once the body and the mind became
accustomed to the diet it became easier.

How on earth did you change your body so much
It was through a lot of hard work, rest and self discipline to keep to
the diet and training regime. Also the endless encouragement from family and my 2 training partners helped me through.

How has your eating habits changed now
After the competition I relaxed for a week and ate anything. However I went back to Jacquie to get my meal plan as part of muscle growth programme for the next 12 months. I'm definately more aware of what I'm feeding my body and the work
required to burn the fuel source.

Could you go back to the old you?
Never, my family love the new me including the ladies (last part about the ladies was a joke... but really!)

What are you going to do to ensure you stay in shape?
Setting new goals, like competiting at the 2009 Nationals bodybuilding champs as a novice. Working hard over the next 10 months to qualify for the National Championships and ensuring that I put together the best body package on stage. I can only do that with the correct meal plans and sheer hard work at the gym.

Who would you like to inspire?
Anyone who is ready to change their lives for the better. You hear all these stories of how great people have done but it's only when you are truely ready that you'll take in all the information and actually do something constructive to change your life.

Did you take supplements, why?
I take protein 6 times a day in the form of powders, food (chicken, tuna, meat) or bars.I use this to assist with muscle growth which in turn helps with fat burning.

Can you give us 3 nutrition tips and 3 training tips?

-Never skip on breakfast.
-Educate yourself with getting the right protion sizes and the correct
 mix between carbs, protein and fats.
-View seeing an qualified Nutritionist as an investment in your future
 rather than an expense. Its amazing what we'd spend our money on
 rather than spending it on our well being.

Training
Get a qualified trainer and ensure the trainer listens to what you
want to achieve. A personalised training programme works wonders.
Shop around for a trainer and have a look at the results they've
achieved for their other clients.

 
Sacrifice- Find the time to get the training done and don't miss on
the training. When you train make you sure you give it your best,
none of this half hearted effort because you'll soon find a reason
not to work out.
Find a training partner with similar goals. You'll be amazed at what
can be achieved when your accountable to someone else.

Where to from here?
Living the changed lifestyle and training towards a National
Bodybuilding title and hopefuly inspiring others along the way with
my "Before" and "After" story.

Do you still get to eat nice food?
Jacquie's given some options to cover me in between the monthly visits.
However I've learnt a lot about how to combine the carbs, proteins
and fats, as well as what works well with my body.

Do I still have cheat meals... Yes but don't tell Jacquie.. what do I have.... usually cakes, peanut butter and jam. I no longer eat bread, scones, pasta and butter which use to be my favourite. I would
honestly eat half a loaf of bread and about 1/4 cake of butter for breakfast, not anymore.

Thanks Guys, Mose.