We are into a new month and I have the pleasure yet again to introduce you to this month’s new “Evolving Wellness in Action” inspirational story.

February’s featured story comes from Dali Bataneat of DalTechComputers.com.

I am so happy to share with you Dali’s story for many reasons, but one of the first is that his story can inspire not only anyone interested in weight loss and eating healthy, but can also more specifically talk to the guys out there, who are interested in getting healthier.

Men so often neglect their health, and especially men who are into any kind of gym fitness or bodybuilding. They feel that going to the gym and being healthy is all about huge amounts of protein, whether from meat or synthetic powders and other sources. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Dali’s, is a story of healthy changes, a story of goals and a story of dreams coming true!

I am also so personally touched to share Dali’s story, as I witnessed many of his personal transformations first hand, as Dali is a good friend. I have seen Dali literally transform his life where diet is concerned in just about 1 month to start on a journey of health and wellness. He will always be a shining example for me, and many others too, of how fast change is possible, if you simply put all the excuses aside and choose it to be. I have to add too that it has been a pleasure and honor being part of his journey into health and wellness.

And so here is Dali, sharing with you his experiences, and inviting you to take a closer look at you, your life and how much you love and value both:

What area(s) of your health and wellness have you decided to change and why?

The area’s of health and wellness that I have decided to change and focus on are nutrition and weight loss.  Ever since I was a young child I have been fighting the battle of weight loss as I’m sure many other individuals in this world have as well.  I’m 27 years old and still have my entire life ahead of me and I would love to live a long and healthy life.

While on vacation this past summer with my girlfriend I managed to read a book called “Skinny Bastard“.  Little did I know this book would change my life forever.  After reading that book, I began to realize why I weigh as much as I do and why I felt the way I did.  The book covered every little detail that I needed to know in regards to becoming a vegan.  The fact that I ate poorly as a child and did very little in the form of physical activity has contributed to where I’m at today and this is why I’ve decided enough was enough, it’s time for a lifestyle change.

What strategies have you implemented to change, and how have they been working out for you, i.e. are you able to stick to your goals?

After reading “Skinny Bastard” and doing my own extensive research in regards to nutrition and weight loss I have decided to become a vegan, especially now that I have the knowledge behind it.  A major chunk of my research was conducted on this website alone. To date, I constantly recommend family and friends to check out this site for great tips, recipes and articles, which cover various areas that involve wellness and living a healthy life.

Now since my vacation in the summer, my girlfriend and I both eat mostly raw and vegan and have been doing so for quite sometime now, my girlfriend longer than me.  In addition to eating very healthy now I also go to the gym on a regular basis and am very much into weight lifting.

With the combination of eating healthy and working out on a regular basis, I’ve managed to drop from 320lbs to my current weight of 280lbs in just over 5 months. Keep in mind everybody’s body will lose weight at a different rate.

As far as sticking to my goals goes, I think I’m well on my way of achieving my goal of 220lbs.  At this point only time will tell, but I will finish off saying that I’ve never felt so good in my life. I am full of energy and loving life.

How have the changes benefited your overall health and wellness up to this point?

The changes have definitely benefited me in various areas. I wake up in the morning full of energy and ready for my day of work and exercise.   In the past I would hear my alarm clock going off in the morning and I wouldn’t even want to roll out of bed.  All I ever wanted to do was sleep or watch television.  That has obviously changed now.

Prior to this lifestyle change I used to play soccer once a week and I found I was out of shape and couldn’t keep up with others.  Now I play soccer twice a week with 2 different teams and I find others cant keep up with me! I find at the age of 27, I’m playing my best soccer that I have ever played.

One of the largest things I can honestly take away from this whole new lifestyle change is the fact that now I have confidence, where in the past I never did.  I’m confident now that I will reach my goal weight of 220lbs. I’m confident that I will live a long and healthy life, and I’m confident that my girlfriend and I will continue to be vegan and live our lives to the fullest, continuing what we love doing.

What are the next steps or goals in your health and wellness evolving journey?

Well,  growing up I have always been a dreamer and the one dream I think I would like to fulfill is to participate in one bodybuilding show.  I’d love to set an example that an individual can go from being over weight or obese according to the BMI, to becoming a bodybuilder through hard work, exercise, the right mind set and of course the right diet.

I’m determined to prove to all my colleagues at the gym that I don’t need meat as a source of protein or steroids to produce the final results that I would need to compete at an amateur level. I suppose having a nice set of abs would go hand in hand with the whole bodybuilding dream.  This dream will definitely take some time to fulfill, but now I have definitely taken quite a few steps in the right direction.  One day I will be on stage and will be posing for the judges.

Aside from competing in a bodybuilding show, I’d love to participate in and complete a full marathon as well.  My girlfriend has already completed one so far and I would love to be able to as well.  This is definitely another dream that will take time but you need to work in small increments at a time.  I plan to start off by competing in a few 5km races, then go on to 10Km races and from there perhaps a half marathon.  Once I’ve accomplished all of that I would definitely love to run a marathon or at least give it my best shot.

If we as individuals don’t set goals for ourselves we would never have anything to look forward to, so you can write the date and time down now and who knows perhaps this time next year I might be doing my first body building show or running my first half marathon. Only time will tell, but the one thing that is for certain – I will never stop chasing my dreams.

What message do you have for others who are struggling or embarking on a similar journey, where their health and wellness is concerned?

YOU HAVE TO STAY POSITIVE AND MOTIVATED, AND BE OPEN TO NEW IDEAS!!!

“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” – La Rochefoucauld

We as human beings live only once, so why not live our lives to the fullest.  To live long and healthy is every one’s dream but how many people actually believe that this will happen?

Eating healthy foods is one of the greatest ways you can live healthy and overcome developing diseases. Some diseases are genetic and there’s not much you can do about that. But others like Diabetes 2, Lung Cancer, and Heart Disease can be prevented with the proper diet.  Eating healthy is the first step you need to take in order to stay healthy and well.   I finish this interview off by asking you this:

“How precious is your life to you?“