How one man found his fitness routine and lost 70 pounds at Fitness Together

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Quitting the Quitting Game: How one man found his fitness routine and got it to stick.

"I had tried everything," said Andy Ringle, who was 307 pounds when he walked into a Fitness Together franchise studio in Temecula, Calif., last year.

TEMECULA, Calif. -- "I had tried everything," said Andy Ringle, who was 307 pounds when he walked into a Fitness Together franchise studio in Temecula, Calif., last year.

Today, more than 70 pounds lighter, many people don't even recognize him.

Ringle credits Fitness Together owner Ed Ferrell, his certified personal trainer.

"Before joining Fitness Together, I did it all," Ringle says. "I did Power 90 and Power 90X (the home boot camps). I had all the home fitness gear. I bought the treadmill. I bought the exercise bike. I would be gung-ho for a month. Two months. Three months. And then I would go back to my old ways. It was a cycle."

What used to be a quick fix for Ringle in his younger days no longer did the trick.

"Here I am 44, and I keep thinking I'm 25. I'll just whip into shape," Ringle said. But that's never how it worked out. There was always an excuse.

"I've got three kids. We work hard. And the whole balancing act takes over," he admits. "Eventually, something would kick in and the first thing to go would be exercise."

Then he met Ferrell.

Ringle Googled personal trainers and Ferrell's name came up. But he still waited three months before setting foot in the Fitness Together studio. It was a commitment, financially and emotionally, to sign up and be accountable to a person whose sole business is helping him exercise. If the client quits, the trainer knows! For Ringle, that meant no more excuses.

"The whole procrastination thing -- saying ‘tomorrow I'll hit it harder' -- I would play those games," Ringle confesses. "But at Fitness Together, you have to bring it every day. It's on."

He started working out at the studio three times a week, and it showed.

"It was very humbling in the beginning," he said. "I was bursting at a 42-inch waist. I was more than 50 percent body fat."

Yet, each and every workout was rewarding. So were the results.

"One of the best things about Fitness Together is the expertise," Ringle shared. "You start a fitness program, you do it and you do it, and then you get into an area where you need an adjustment. Ed is able to correct it right away. Sometimes I think he sees me coming and changes my workout when I walk in the door. There's just something about when you have someone who knows what they're doing that makes a difference."

After more than 100 sessions at Fitness Together, the biggest difference for Ringle is his passion for not quitting.

"The clothes fit nicer," Ringle said. "I'm looking in the mirror and I say ‘wow, I'm not the fat guy anymore.' I've got a bit of spring in my step."

And his routine has changed along with his attitude.

"In the past it would be: It's Friday's night, let's go out and eat dinner," he remembers. "Now, it's let's go get a salad."

Ringle is a changed man. And he's not alone. His wife, Vicki, and their son, Aaron, also joined Fitness Together.

They've lost a combined weight of 130 pounds. And they're not done yet.

About Fitness Together Holdings, Inc.:

Based in Highlands Ranch, Colo., Fitness Together Holdings, Inc., is one of the world's largest wellness organizations. The parent company oversees Fitness Together Franchise Corporation, http://corp.fitnesstogether.com, a one-on-one personal training fitness franchise established in 1983 that began franchising in 1996. In 2010, Fitness Together launched Nutrition Together, a nutrition and weight loss counseling program for their clients. Fitness Together Franchise Corporations also oversees Elements Therapeutic Massage, Inc., http://corp.touchofelements.com, a massage therapy franchise that began franchising in 2006. Today, the combined franchise network has hundreds of franchises sold across the United States, Costa Rica, Brazil, Israel, Ireland, and Canada.