Member Spotlight: Jim Dooley

by Sasha Reddy

Having already made some significant commitments to improve his lifestyle before the Lifestyle Challenge began, Jim Dooley was already well on his way to success by January. But he didn’t enter the challenge with a big head; he entered it with a lot of motivation and a killer growth mindset, one that would ultimately be key to the results he’d achieve in the end.

I didn’t hold back from anything; I just did it in moderation.

“Between several surgeries, a very stressful work environment, and medication I was on, I had put on a ton of weight,” Jim says. “Then, COVID hit, my mother-in-law died, our dog died – a bunch of stuff just hit the fan.” After a series of stressors over a few short years, he found himself at an all-time health low. In 2021, he gained the determination to do something about it. “I finally said, ‘You know what? Enough is enough. This is not good.'”

Jim went to great lengths to turn things around. He retired from his teaching gig and filled his new free time with regular trips to the gym. He also started working with a personal trainer to keep him accountable and provide some structure to his fitness regimen.

From there, Jim’s motivation only grew. After getting into a comfortable groove with his workouts, he cut his training sessions back to once a week and added cycling classes two days per week, then increased to three. He entered the 2021 Project Zero Challenge, completed it, and even won a free massage.

Though Jim has successfully developed a consistent routine, there was still plenty of room to fine-tune it. By 2023, he’d lost a couple of pounds, put a few back on, and decided to double down on his efforts. That November, he started using Noom, a psychology-driven nutrition tracking platform that can help users select a new healthy habit to work on each week and progressively improve their diet and relationship to food. He registered again for Project Zero and completed the “Holiday Hundred” challenge, which asked participants to log 100 miles of cycling over the holiday season. “I think I had that done in like two weeks,” Jim says, smiling. He was aiming for 200 miles but fell short after contracting COVID-19.

It was around this time that Jim heard about the Lifestyle Challenge. Immediately, he felt it would complement many of the changes he’d made in the last several years. “I said to my wife, ‘Why don’t I just give this a try? I’m already doing some of this stuff, but I think the motivational factor would help.'”

So he did. When the Lifestyle Challenge began in January, Jim was already dedicated to his fitness regimen, attending HAC five to six days a week. Noom’s mindful eating approach dovetailed perfectly with the challenge’s goals, and Jim’s thorough logging of his meals made his sessions with dietitian Jeannie Versagli incredibly effective. “She just modified the Noom diet, and I just took it from there,” he says.

Monitoring his workouts with his new Myzone belt and tracking his body composition changes also helped Jim optimize his exercise intensity and dietary needs. “I was tracking [my Myzone] as much as I was tracking my food intake. It was interesting to just see the connections, and how it changed your body composition, even within a week, was kind of cool.” Knowing the effort value of each workout and studying how those numbers impacted how he felt each week was incredible for Jim. Comparing his Myzone belt readings to his weekly weigh-in results actually led Jim to cut back on his cycling in favor of more steady-state cardio walks and early morning SGPT classes with instructor Liz Watkins.

The biggest threat to Jim’s success during the challenge would be a week-long, mid-challenge trip to Punta Cana. Jim and a group of friends had planned the getaway to celebrate their 60th birthdays this year. Despite some nerves about backsliding while he was away, Jim mostly stuck to his routine. “I didn’t hold back from anything; I just did it in moderation. I made sure that I got up every morning – no matter how late we were out, I got up every morning and went to the gym.” Every day, he and another friend on the trip would take turns planning their workout for that day. “She had me doing a lot more of the aerobic interval kind of stuff, and I had her doing a lot more of the resistance training.” By the end of the week, a few more members of their group started joining in. They also took advantage of some of the more adventurous fitness options at the resort, including beach yoga and aqua cycling in the pool.

It was interesting to just see the connections, and how it changed your body composition, even within a week, was kind of cool.

By the end of the challenge this past April, Jim’s efforts had paid off. Over those 12 weeks, he lost around 15 pounds while gaining 4 pounds of lean muscle.

In addition to positive body composition changes, the challenge has afforded Jim another big win. Between his hip replacement and a long history of knee issues, Jim has always had trouble getting up and down. He and his trainer, Andrea Bradley, agreed early on that increasing leg strength and mobility would be a priority during their 12 weeks of training, and they’d add in TRX lunges and other supported lower-body movements to do so. “I’m still really tentative on it because the last thing I need is another surgery. But, you know, being able to lunge and squat and expanding what I’m able to do, it’s been nice.”

I’m just doing it to feel healthy. And I find that my energy level’s through the roof now!

“I’m just doing it to feel healthy,” Jim says. “And I find that my energy level’s through the roof now.” The information and habits he’s gained have made maintaining his weight loss achievable. “It’s not like I’m starving myself – I’m just eating good food.” The trainers and instructors he’s worked with, particularly his trainer, Andrea, and SGPT instructor, Liz, have also been invaluable. “They’ve been hugely helpful with providing modifications,” he says gratefully. “It was just great to get all that support along the way from all of them.”

Winning the Lifestyle Challenge has been a milestone for Jim, but the real victory lies in the knowledge and habits he’s acquired. Despite having already started his own weight loss journey before the Lifestyle Challenge began, he took every opportunity the challenge offered to tweak and improve. “I’m glad I did it,” he concludes. “Not just because I won, but just the learning.”

Jim and his personal trainer Andrea Bradley