March 28, 2024
The Liberty Lake Splash
PO Box 363
Liberty Lake, WA 99019
Phone: 509-242-7752
News Blog Business Community Opinion Sports
Submitted photos

Liberty Lake resident Tom Coffin said his health made a dramatic improvement a little over a year ago when he decided to take on the Insanity workout program, as pictured here before and after.

Search the News Archive Search the News Archive

Profiles: ‘Like I got in a time machine’
12/29/2014 2:56:40 PM

By Lauren Campbell
Splash Contributor

In the summer of 2013, Tom Coffin was on the cusp of 40 and weighed 267 pounds.

"I just thought, I better do something about this or I won't be around for long," he said.

Coffin, who played baseball in college, never paid much attention to fitness in the intervening years. The weight crept up on him, until the day he found himself running late for a meeting and had to catch his breath outside the room so he wouldn't embarrass himself in front of a client.

"It just all caught up with me," the Liberty Lake resident said. "I was probably on the path to diabetes, and my doctor told me I might need blood pressure medication."

Determined to get his health back, Coffin purchased Insanity, a 60-day workout program developed by Beachbody LLC. The program, which requires no special equipment and is done at home, includes workout videos and a nutrition plan.

"My wife said, 'I hope you didn't just waste $100.' So I guess that kept me motivated to stick with it," Coffin said.

When he started the program, his body was in shock. It was hard on his joints, he said, and he wanted to quit just about every day. 

"I used to be an athlete; there was plenty of physical challenge there," he said. "But it was nothing compared to this."

Transitioning from rare gym visits to exercising intensely for an hour six days a week meant that the results came fast. In two months, he lost 35 pounds and nine inches from his waist. Now, at 41, he's in better shape than he was as a college athlete.

Coffin expected to see results from the workout plan, but in retrospect says that the nutrition plan made an even bigger impact than the exercise.

"I used to be addicted to fast food and Mountain Dew - I would drink a 24 pack in a week," he said. "Now, I think I'd get sick if I ate fried food."

Coffin cut out soda, bread and most sugar. Now, he focuses on eating lean protein and keeping his metabolism high by eating five or six small meals in a day. 

His wife, who is a nurse, always hoped he would improve his health, especially his diet. 

"You can only say so much," Christy Coffin said. "At some point, they have to do it themselves."

The two-month program turned into a complete lifestyle change for Coffin. He doesn't crave sugary desserts anymore. He liked the results he got from Insanity so much that he did it again - and lost another ten pounds. He also did the follow-up program to Insanity, which is called Asylum, and Beachbody's other programs, Body Beast and P90x. Now, Coffin weighs 215 pounds and is working on building muscle.

For the first few weeks, nobody else seemed to really notice his weight loss, but it wasn't long before everyone was asking what he had been doing. Now, people are always asking him for advice, and he loans his programs to friends regularly. His advice to anyone looking to get back in shape is simple: just do it.

"Getting started is always the hardest part," he said. "Getting up and doing something for 30-60 minutes is."

The impact of the whole process on his life has been a lot bigger than toning up.

"Insanity completely revamped me as an individual," he said. "I feel like I got in a time machine, and I'm 20 years younger." 

He used to be tired all the time, and now always has enough energy. He's more efficient at work, a better husband, and a better father to his three daughters, ages 10, 7 and 3. 

"This transformation was amazing to watch," Christy Coffin said. "I was skeptical at first - I thought he'd do it for a month. I was surprised he stuck with it, and then in awe, and now I'm just so impressed he's stuck with it. He has way more energy - he's constantly doing something - and his whole demeanor is different."

Coffin is thrilled to have succeeded, and thrilled with his newfound vigor. He's more confident and has the energy to enjoy his life.

"I got in a rut of accepting that this was how my body was," he said. "But it didn't have to be."

• • • 

Profiles: Tom Coffin

Age
41

Day job
Financial advisor

Words of wisdom
Your life can be completely transformed just by putting in the effort.

Favorite hobby
Watching his daughters play sports and riding bikes as a family

Favorite healthy meal
Multi-grain tortilla pizza with turkey pepperoni and turkey sausage

He's inspired by
Shaun T, the creator of Insanity, and Tony Horton, the creator of P90x

Favorite place he's traveled
Cancun, Mexico



Advertisement

Copyright © 2024 The Liberty Lake Splash | Print Page