How I've Lost 100lbs in the last year & my advice for anyone starting out

I've received a lot of messages asking me how I've managed to lose weight this past year so I figured I'd create a post about it.  

My first piece of advice is that this has got to start with your mind before you even think about going to a gym, working out , trying a diet or whatever you are deciding to do.

My message to anyone in the same position I was a year ago and afraid to go to the gym.  I was very self-conscious at the time, if I heard anyone laughing I’d think “Oh my God they’re talking about me and laughing about your size”  This is blunt but you need to not give a damn about anyone thinks and realize you are there to better yourself and get healthy. 

Food & Diet :

First of all I used to eat horribly and a lot.   Before I got married I ate even worse but my wife and I did eat out a lot so we've cut that down to once a month we'll have a treat night.  I used to drink two XL Tim Hortons 3/3s a day and a lot of pop.  At work I would frequently snack on chips (my kryptonite) and the occasional Kit Kat Bar.

For breakfast every day I have a bowl of cereal and a piece of fruit.

Lunch usually consists of whatever we had for dinner the night before.

Dinner : Hasn't changed however I cut my portion size of the potatoes and rice and doubled up the veggies.  Since starting this I have received a lot of people on fancy diets and if that works for you great but it's not my thing.  I always have a fear starting something like that if I stop I'll gain all the weight back so I've just been working hard.

GYM & Workouts :

When I first started I started light.  I would go to the gym one day a week and this is my routine:

15 min warm up on bike I do four sets of ten on all the circuit training machines at my gym.  I started with light weights and have worked my way up to heavier weights but I made sure that the lower weights I had been using were not a challenge for me anymore.  I finish with 20 min on treadmill

After a month I bumped this up to two days a week however at my work I started doing little things differently.  I take the stairs instead of elevator and if I have a question for someone I walk to their desk instead of emailing them.  The biggest difference maker is I have a 1.2 liter water bottle I drink every day.

I work a pretty weird schedule and also lucky enough to have a gym at my work so in the past few months on my days off I do my two hours at the gym.   On the days that I work I get up one hour earlier and just get on a treadmill on full incline for 40 minutes before I start my work day.

Also as I failed numerous times in the past and needed a way to stay motivated I made a personal pledge online that I would be donating $1 per lb lost to my favourite charities which on many days in the past year fueled my fire to keep on going.   The two military charities I chose were Canpraxis and VETS Canada.

SouthPaw Boxing on Facebook 

Last week I had posted online about two guys who were at the first gym I ever tried out who were mocking me from the machines behind me.  That at the time really messed with my head but eventually I was able to use it for motivation.   Warren Grenier & Jonathan Weal from  South Paw Gym in Calgary saw my story  and were inspired by it and reached out

They graciously offered me a membership for the next year and boxing classes to help me achieve my end goals.   They’ve also provided me with a full meal plan which I’ll be starting soon

This place is like nothing I’ve ever seen the amount of people that came up to me and saw my story and gave me words of encouragement was incredible.  I posted on their Facebook page after my first day and the amount of messages I’ve received also from other members there is like nothing I’ve ever seen.  They are a family and I can already sense that only being there a week.

For more updates you can follow my journey on Instagram @DaveMuryyc 

Stay Tuned

Losing For A Purpose

In 1994 I was involved in an incident outside Bayshore shopping Mall in Ottawa, Ontario.  I was stabbed 13+ times including two in my left leg that I had to have emergency surgery on and as a result I was laid up on a couch for three months.  I had to learn how to walk again and due to having my muscle severed in my leg it affected me ever since. That night my life was saved by Ottawa first responders and to show my gratitude for several years after I would randomly bring coffee to fire halls and buy coffee every time I crossed path with a first responder at Tim Hortons.

For almost fifteen years I struggled with PTSD from this incident in Ottawa and I wrote about it for Bell Let's Talk day a few years ago.  CLICK HERE

In 2007 a close friend of mine serving in Afghanistan emailed me that they were getting a Timmies over there so at the time Tim Hortons had paper certificates (instead of gift cards) and I thought it would be amazing to send over a few with messages on the back with support. I decided to start a FB page to see if anyone wanted to join me and within a few days it had over 1000 members.  It kept growing and growing so much in the first year thanks to the Military Family Resource Center in Toronto giving me an address to send to we had sent over 100,000 in free coffeee all with messages to troops on the back of them.

Over the years we did various projects through the new "Thank A Soldier" page including The Gratitude Project in which we received enough "Thank You" photos to make ten YouTube videos.  Many celebs also joined in such as Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed.  Fast forward to 2014 and the best thing ever happened to me.  My wife and I were blessed with a daughter.  About a year ago we were at the playground and she asked me to race her home.  I said "I'm sorry sweetie dad can't run because of my leg" she was quite upset.

I decided I had enough of being overweight and needed a plan to get healthy. I needed a plan to keep me motivated so I decided my first goal would be to lose 100lbs.  I made a pledge to myself that I would donated $1 for every lb lost to a charity called VETS CANADA.  They help get homeless Veterans off the streets all across Canada and also help Veterans who are struggling and on the verge of becoming homeless.

I met the founders of Vets Canada several years ago and have always respected their organization.  I had approached them about a month ago about a close friend of mine who was a Veteran and had to move due to unforeseen circumstances.  He was stressed about how he was going to come up with his damage deposit so I put him in contact with VETS Canada.  A week later his worries were gone as VC came through and cleared it for him taking so much stress and worry from him.  He could have asked for more but no he only asked for the exact amount he needed as he said they could use other money to help more Veterans. I still have 50lbs I want to lose so I decided for round two I wanted to help out another amazing military charity called Canpraxis.


If you would like to match my donation of any amount to either of these two charities feel free do so directly to their website and I've posted more information about them below.

Can Praxis is a national mental health provider and registered Canadian charity. We offer intensive treatment programs for Canadian Veterans and First Responders (serving and retired) living with an Operational Stress Injury (OSI), such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We include the injured person’s spouse/partner/family member in our programs because OSIs have a profound impact on the family as a whole.

Our team of facilitators and clinicians teach lasting skills and strategies through experiential learning and dialogue, using a combination of psycho-education, counselling, peer-support, and Equine-Assisted Therapy. Founded in 2013 by a Canadian Military Veteran and a Trauma-focused clinician, Can Praxis is the leading Equine-Assisted Therapy provider for the Veteran and First Responder community.


We take care of all the logistics and cover the costs for participants (flights, hotels, transportation, childcare) to remove cumbersome barriers that can prevent people from getting the help they need. We restore hope and save lives through our programs, made possible by the generous support of our donors.  Check out CAN PRAXIS HERE 

VETS Canada 
This movement has grown into a federally registered non-profit charity that has a network of 135,000 and hundreds of dedicated volunteers across the country, most of who are ex-military/RCMP. They work within the community to identify homeless veterans and quickly re-establish the bond of trust that exists between soldiers.

Working within the community, VETS Canada members attempt to move veterans from the streets or shelters into affordable housing (if available). They also connect the veterans with needed health care, help them access benefits and services from other organizations, and support them in finding suitable employment. The volunteers stick with these veterans every step of the way and do everything possible to help them re-establish themselves. To do this, VETS Canada has a national Board of Directors composed of volunteers and has outreach across the country.  In 2014, VETS Canada was awarded a contract by Veterans Affairs Canada whereby they are now approved Veterans Affairs Service Providers in the field of homeless and in-crisis veteran outreach.

VETS Canada has evolved from just assisting homeless veterans to also providing support to those who are not necessarily homeless but who are “in crisis”. Whether that crisis is not being able to afford groceries or a hydro bill, or it’s an emotional/mental health crisis, VETS Canada is available to provide support.  In 2015, VETS Canada launched it’s Guitars for Vets program which offers peer support through guitar lessons.   Donate to VETS Canada HERE 

On December 4th I had posted on the Calgary Roast & Toast Facebook page giving a thank you to the two guys who were mocking me the first time I tried to go to a gym in Calgary.  The owners of Southpaw Boxing gym messaged me telling me how their gym was like a family.  They invited me to check it out and offered me a membership and training for the year to accomplish my goals.  I have only been a few times to far but this place is like nothing I've ever seen.  There is so much support there from other members and the staff are amazing.  I have some BIG news coming in January but I'll post more about that later.

I've also received a lot of messages asking me how I've lost weight and posted an article here.

Little C's Remembrance Day Painting

Having run this page since 2007 my proudest moment came in November of 2017.  We went to pick our daughter who was three years old up from preschool the day before Remembrance Day and her teacher informed us they had done poppy paintings.

When my daughter brought out hers I was brought to tears with pride as our Veterans and men and women who currently serve is something very close to my heart.

I had the print copied and sent to some family and friends and posted online.  Within a few days I had many requests for a copy of the print.  We even ended up sending one to London, England as we hat gotten a request from a Legion over there that wanted to display it.

Two years later and we are still so proud of it.

This Remembrance Day 2019 I plan on bringing a copy and giving one to a Veteran.  My daughter and I have attended a ceremony every year and I plan on continuing this tradition as long as we can.

If you would like to do the same are welcome to download a copy and print if off or if you'd like to put one in your home. 

Thank You and Lest We Forget













To Download photo RIGHT CLICK and choose save as.  All that we ask is that you leave a comment stating where you are from and why you downloaded it.

Taffie's Journey

Last night at the age of eleven years old our little Shih Tzu had to be put down due to developing cancer.  This little dog brought our family so many great memories and I thought I would share her story.

December 2012 I had been dating a gal (my now wife) for several months and went over to her place for a visit.  As I walked in her door I was approached by a very fuzzy Shih Tzu who took one look at me and took off to her dog bed.  She just stared at me for most the night and would occasionally let out a little woof under her breathe and then go off to sleep.  By the end of the night she did come over and say hi and that was where it all began.

As time went on and we eventually moved in together this little dog became my best friend.  She would follow me everywhere when i got up in the morning.  She would wait patiently behind me while I made breakfast waiting for a piece of food to drop and then we'd hang out on the couch together and watch TSN Sportscenter every morning for the next four years.

As someone that had suffered from PTSD from an incident that happened to me in Ottawa in 1994 where I came very close to dying.  I often would have severe anxiety attacks and Taffie would quickly come over and snuggle into me.  There were many nights when I was alone thinking about what happened still where Taffie would climb on the back of the couch and lick away the tears.  This little dog for me was a God send.  She brought me so much comfort and happiness.

Fast forward to July 2014 and my wife and I were given the greatest gift ever.  A beautiful baby girl

To prepare Taffie for her homecoming we brought home a article of clothing she had worn at the hospital so she could get used to her scent.



  

Taffie was very curious about our little girl as you can see in the video above and was her little guard dog and very protective over her.  Whenever someone would visit us to see her she would sit in front and make sure no one was harming her.  At the age of six months old we were visiting a family member who was dog sitting for someone.  A big German sheppard came over and got too close to her and little Taffie came and sat down in front of her and showed her teeth and growled.  She was not afraid to stand up to this big dog and sent a message that no one messes with her little sister.

Our daughter and Taffie became best friends and for the next three years they shared a lot together, mostly it was our daughter dressing her up in her princess outfits, brushing her hair, putting beads on her ect. but she took it all.  She was so good and patient with her.

A year and a half ago our family had to make a very difficult decision.  We had to move out of our house into a cheaper apartment building and they did not allow pets.  We sadly had to give Taffie a new home with someone.  A friend from work told me about his mother who was alone and could use a good friend.  So with a heavy heart we sent little Taffie off to British Columbia to send someone some much needed comfort.

For the last year Taffie went for monthly massages, pedicures, day spas you name it, she was being spoiled rotten.  She frequently sent us texts of Taffie which made it a little easier but also harder at the same time.

Last night I received a call from my coworker.

My heart came up in my thought as anything he has to tell me it's usually by text I knew this wasn't good news.

He told me that Taffie had been to the Vet a few times this week for some tests and found out she had cancer.  The Vet said she wouldn't live more than a month so they decided instead of her suffering they had to put her down.

My heart is broken as I type this as our little best friend is gone but she will live in our hearts forever.

We Love you Taffie, and we will miss you.

32 Years of Rock & Rebellion - My Motley Crue story

So last night after a eleven hour day of work and after our four year old went to bed I could not wait to watch The Dirt Movie.  I'll post my thoughts on the movie below this write up but first this is why my review of this movie is going to be slightly bias.  I've been a fan for thirty two years, have seen them over ten times in concert and their music got me through a lot of tough times with being in a severe accident in 1994 and surviving.

In May of 1987 I was turned on Much Music's show The Power Hour and was watching an interview with a band called Mötley Crüe.  I was instantly drawn in to it and awaited the premiere of their new video Girls, Girls, Girls.   I was drawn to the rebellious nature of this band as I grew up in a very religious home being raised by two amazing parents who were Christian ministers and every Sunday whether I liked it or not I was sitting in a church for several hours.

I saved up a few weeks allowance and went in to our local record store in Bonavista, Newfoundland and bought "Girls, Girls, Girls" on cassette.  I spent so many hours when the leaflet unfolded learning all the lyrics and banging my head.  So up came the next Sunday and having the usual argument with my parents about having to wake up for church went a little different this day.  I decided to bring my Sony Walkman with me, run the wire up the back of my shirt and sat up in the balcony listening to this cassette over and over.  While the folks in this church were singing "Take a walk with Jesus" I was rocking out to "Take a walk on the Wild Side" without anyone knowing.  (In fact I've told my parents who were ministers about this)

Fast Forward to 1989 and Crue released Dr. Feelgood.  I remember the video also premiered on The Power 30 (Yeah they cut the show to 30 minutes for whatever reason) and with my birthday coming up I asked my parents for a guitar. 

It took me about two weeks to learn the opening sequence to the song Dr. Feelgood but when I did it was all I played for a good two months and must have drove my parents crazy but I didn't careI felt like Mick Mars.

At the age of 14 for my school English project we had to do a speech on a popular subject. I decided to pick "Why Heavy Metal Is Not The Devils Music" as my topic of choice. I thought the speech was great but I went in to detail about how Metal was a scapegoat for people wanting to blame the worlds problems on it ended up with a call to my parents from my teacher who was concerned about my mental state.  Someone had also reported me to her because of the Crue posters and Shout At The Devil album cover I had pinned up in my locker but hey I turned out alright.

We had a friend of the family stay with us that was a pastor at another church and he took over my room for the weekend.  On the back of my door I had a giant Crue flag with the Shout At The Devil pentagram album cover on it and he told my parents they were satanists and I should not be listening to their music.  My dad took my cassette collection from me and I was pissed.  So I went to the garage plugged in my guitar and played the opening bars from SATD for a good two hours straight on my 50 watt Peavey amplifier and it felt damn good.  After the gentleman left I got my Crue tapes back and all was normal. I continued to listen to Crue and often had stereo battles with my brother who was blaring his Stryper cassettes in the next room over so on many nights it was Shout At The Devil Vs. To Hell With The Devil.

In 1994 I was involved in an incident where I was attacked by three males and stabbed thirteen times. (Twice in my leg and nine on my back) I came very close to dying and spent quite a bit of time in the hospital and it took me months of recovery learning how to walk again.  A family member asked what I wanted from home at the hospital and without hesitating I wanted my Motley Crue music.  I guess the song "On With The Show" had a deeper meaning to me at this time as I just moved on and went on with my own show but this incident made me look at life completely different and take nothing for granted.  I was laid up on a couch for almost six months and there was no such thing as Social media at the time or Netflix to binge watch something, so all I had was live TV, my stereo and my metal and rock collection on cassettes.  Most of the time when I'd get upset I'd put on Crue and blast it in my headphones and it would take me away, ease my mind and make me for get everything I had just experienced.

Fast Forward to 2006 and I was now living in Toronto, Ontario with my family.  The Carnival Of Sins tour was coming to Toronto and this was it I was about to see my favourite band of all time live in concert.  Growing up in Newfoundland we didn't get many concerts come to town aside from Our Lady Peace & Trooper so this was a very big deal for me.

When they first came out my jaw hit the floor, I could not believe I was seeing these guys live for the first time.   Song after song I was screaming my face off and singing along.  This was by far the greatest night of my life and still felt like a dream.

In 2007 I started a online group for sending coffee to Canadian soldiers serving our country in Afghanistan and I had no idea what this would eventually lead to but that will come later.

In 2007 after moving to Calgary I hosted a Support Our Troops night at Cowboys Night Club here in Calgary, Alberta and the bar bused in military men and women from all over Alberta.  They had a silent auction to raise money for military charities and there was one item I was not losing.

It was box seats to an upcoming Motley Crue show and I won't say how much I paid for it but it was for a good cause and it was another amazing night of seeing my favourite band live.

April 2013 would be my greatest Crue moment in my 30 years of being a fan.  Through my Thank A Soldier page a lady from their management team reached out to me about their upcoming Calgary show and said they wanted to give me some tickets to bring some Canadian Forces members to their show.  Ofcourse I agreed and myself and seven veterans arrived at the stadium to find we had been seated in ROW ONE Center stage.   For about thirty minutes before the show started I just sat there in disbelief looking at the stage setup and reflecting on my 14 year old self learning how to their play their songs I was about to get my ass kicked in the front row.

Just when I thought this couldn't get any more amazing they were singing "Home Sweet Home" and Vince was going along the front row putting his microphone in front of people on the chorus.  It got to me and I belted out harmonies with him and he looked surprised.  He gave me a thumbs up and said "F**k Yeah" away from the mic and threw a guitar pick at me.

I didn't think this night could ever be topped but I was wrong.

In November of 2014 Motley Crue announced their final tour and there was no way I was missing this one.  I bought a couple of tickets and was supposed to go with my brother in law.  The night before the show he informed he that he wasn't able to attend but introduced me to a family friend who was a diehard Crue fan and has always wanted to see them live.  This guy had terminal cancer and didn't have much time to live.   After the show ended he looks at me and says "Dave I can now die a happy man this was the greatest night of my life"  Watching him sing along with every song knowing this would probably be his last concert was very surreal and inspiring.

So here I was in 2016 and the new best thing in my life my daughter was very a very excited three year old as she was about to attend her first concert.  No it wasn't Motley Crue but it was The Wiggles.  Here I am a guy that's been to over 200 metal concerts waiting for The Wiggles to hit the stage with a very excited three year old girl.  When they came on the stage she had the same look in her eyes that I did the first time I saw Crue

My daughter had another moment the first time she saw Splash N Boots live in concert and said to me "Dad how did they get from the TV to here"

She kept saying over and over "This is so amazing, so amazing and great thank you"

The best words I've ever heard.




So I guess that pastor that stayed with us back in the 80s was wrong, I didn't turn out to be devil worshiping demon or a biker from listening to Motley Crue.  I think I turned out alright

The Dirt Movie - My thoughts.

It was a wild ride from start to finish.  Was the acting Oscar worthy probably not according to whatever standards they use to judge them on these days I have no idea as I don't watch the show.  If you watch this movie expecting to see anything less than filth that made Motley Crue what they were you will be sadly disappointed.  If you're easily offended I would stay far away from this film .  This movie is the kick in the nuts 2019 needs and a reminder that sometimes we take things way too seriously.  I'm sure in the next few weeks there will be some group that will protest it or request Netflix to remove it or some sort of online petition.  If you read the book you won't be disappointed.  if you've followed Motley Crue along the way as I have you'll enjoy this movie.

Rock On!