3 Executives Who Lost Weight and How They Did It

With the added responsibility of running a business, these executives prove that there is no excuse for not taking control of one’s health. Find out how they took their lives into their own hands and made a change to get fitter.

“You have to live the lifestyle if you want to lead that type of brand with credibility." 

As the CEO of Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, a health and wellness-based business, Todd Leff wanted to set an example for his company by getting healthy and leading a more active life.

Over the last several years, Leff has lost around 40 pounds and has substantially lowered his blood pressure and body fat percentage. He used triathlon training as an extra source of motivation to achieve his fitness results.

“I had always worked out but one of my executives came in after a weekend and said he had just done a Sprint Triathlon,” Leff said. “He almost drowned but he loved it and he challenged me to get involved. I started training and did a couple of Sprint Triathlons the first year.

“I changed my diet to eat healthier and eat out less. I quickly got hooked on the lifestyle and that progressed to Olympic distance triathlons, half marathons and now several full marathons. There is training about six days a week of some type of swimming, biking, or running. It’s now been five years and I’m thrilled with the progress over the years.”

Leff stresses that in order to successfully achieve health and fitness goals, they must be a priority.

“Schedule your training as ‘me time’ just as you would schedule a meeting,” Leff said. “Make it a firm commitment. The benefits in your health, mental resolve, and confidence you will build are well worth the effort.”

Leff sets aside his daily lunch hour, several evenings a week and a few hours throughout the weekend to dedicate to his health goals.

“I really like the peace and quiet of the training; it’s almost like meditation,” Leff said. “It’s the only time to escape email, phone calls and questions—you’re totally focused on the task at hand.”

“People want to follow someone that appears to have it together.”

After returning to work after having her third child, Jamie Bhairoo, Founder and COO of Chicago Fat Doctor & Dr. Sugimoto Med Spa, decided it was time to make a lifestyle change.

“In business, I began to feel managers, leaders and executives who took care of themselves were often more respected than those that didn’t,” said Bhairoo. “Health and wellness is a window to that image.”

Bhairoo also felt that she hadn’t felt quite like her real self in a long while; that’s when she decided to make a change. As of today, she has lost over 100 pounds and is working to shed 20 more.

“I remained focused and fantasized about reaching my end point every single day,” said Bhairoo.

To reach her goals, Bhairoo began by drinking five medical weight loss shakes every day, providing her with 100-percent nutrition. After losing the first 60 pounds, she started walking five miles a day during lunch breaks. Bhairoo talked with her doctor every week to track her progress toward achieving her weight loss goals.

This journey towards a healthier state of being inspired Bhairoo to start her own business.

“It made it easy to design the business around what people actually needed to achieve their weight loss goals,” said Bhairoo. “I knew if it was something I could do, it would be something anyone could do as long as I provided them with that proper guidance that would lead them to success.”

Bhairoo said that losing weight as a busy professional begins with diet.

“You don’t always have the time to make wise choices or to prepare your meals,” said Bhairoo. “I often work 12 to 14 hour days, and having a nutritious shake took the thinking out of the scenario for me, which made it super easy for me to follow. I could spend my day focusing on work and business – not on what I was going to have for my next meal.”

“I was tired of feeling unhealthy and lethargic.”

After shattering his goal of losing 25 pounds in a year, Todd Bingham, President of FranNet, is now down 60 pounds and is on his way to losing 20 more. Changing his diet motivated Bingham to get active and start reaching higher goals.

“I was tired of feeling unhealthy and lethargic,” said Bingham. “I didn’t have energy and the desire to get active. Part of that was because of my eating habits. I realized that if I changed my eating habits, my desire to get active would follow—and it did.”

Bingham first took action by taming his sweet tooth. He credits cutting out sugary foods and drinks as a pivotal move that jumpstarted his healthy eating habits. His diet has evolved into a low carb, no sugar and high-protein regimen, with room for occasional indulgences.

In addition to changing his diet, Bingham also cites exercise as a factor in his weight loss.

“I started exercising three times per week and it was simply walking and jogging on my treadmill; now I am more of a runner,” said Bingham. “I have sprinkled in some of the commercial workout routines like P90X and Insanity over the past year as well as yoga. “

Bingham’s best advice for those who are trying to lose weight is to cut out sugary drinks.

“I have only had three or four sodas in a year and a half. While it’s hard, that has been key for me,” said Bingham.