LiveWorld Transcripts

Body For Life presents

Rory Palazzo
Champions Chat Series

March 21, 2001

Learn how Body-for-LIFE Grand Master Champion Rory Palazzo overcame adversity to lose 21 pounds of fat, gain nine pounds of lean muscle and drop his insulin dosages in half in only 12 weeks!

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Body-For-LIFE: Welcome to Body-for-LIFE.com's Chats with Champions. Tonight's guest is 2000 Grand Master Champion Rory Palazzo from Highlands Ranch, Colorado. This Body-for-LIFE Champion overcame adversity to lose 21 lbs. of fat, gain 9 lbs. of muscle, and change his life forever. Hello Rory. Thank you for joining us and spending time with us tonight.

Rory Palazzo: Hello, everyone! I'm anxious to answer questions and help out, so let's get started!

Lisa: Who/What inspired you to take the Challenge?

Rory Palazzo: That's a good question, Lisa. My brother Bob took it in 1999 and had good results. My brother Royce had subscribed to Muscle Media, and had been involved with Bill Phillips for a number of years. And through my association with them, I was inspired, both by Bob's transformation and the images I had seen in the magazine. I was just inspired by the desire to change my life. I wanted to be healthier. I was at a low point in my health, and I wanted to change that.

Phat 2 Fit: How do you fit in six meals a day?

Rory Palazzo: Another good question. Three of my six meals are Myoplex shakes, conveniently packaged, properly portioned quick meals to give you the nutrition you need without having to cook chicken breast six times a day. I have a traditional breakfast of egg whites and oatmeal, with chicken breast and baked potato, with dinner one of the authorized dinners from Muscle Media. Planning your meals ahead of time, the night before, is essential.

Mark Owens: At any point during your 12 weeks, did you want to give up?

Rory Palazzo: I never wanted to give up. I was challenged at times by my diabetes, which made me want to throw my hands up. But I never wanted to stop; I just wanted to get over the obstacles I faced. Once you see the changes, you don't want to stop.

Ronda: Hi Rory, congratulations! What supplements did you find most useful?

Rory Palazzo: Hi, Rhonda! I only took two supplements--Myoplex as a meal replacement to help me get my six meals per day, and BetaGen, which I found extremely helpful. It limits the muscle breakdown after exercise, and helps build muscle. It contains phosphagen and HMB. Those were the only two I took.

Jason: Rory, congratulations on your success! Describe what a 'typical' free day was like for you and how often you changed the types of exercises performed for each body part.

Rory Palazzo: Thank you, Jason. A typical free day was once a week, usually on Sunday. Well, I am a sweets fanatic. It would involve some kind of dessert--chocolate chip cookies or ice cream. I would still try to get nutrition throughout the day, but would satisfy any urges for sweets. I would change the exercises every two weeks at least, but when planning my exercises the night before, I would just adjust accordingly. I would also change to an alternate one if I felt I wasn't getting results from the previous one.

Mark Owens: I have 10 days to go to complete my 12 weeks. What is the best advice you can give me?

Rory Palazzo: Congratulations, first of all, on your progress so far--74 days of something that hopefully has benefited you. I would plan on your after photos, and go through a cutting phase (reducing your caloric intake in a day) at the end of your challenge. Cut back carbs at night, and just continue what you've been doing as you finish these last 10 days.

Phat 2 Fit: How did you obtain the 6-pack?

Rory Palazzo: A lot of people ask how you get your abdominals to show up (those long lost ones) and the answer is that abdominal muscles are something we all have, but with fat over the top of them. It was true in my case. A common misunderstanding is that you can do 5000 sit-ups a day, and get your six-pack, but that ultimately is not true. As your body fat decreases, your abs will appear. And doing more repetitions will just overtrain your abs. Your abdominals are a muscle, just like any other muscle in your body. Train them just like any other muscle.

J Young02: I have read how several of the past champions 'tweaked' their program to get their results. How close did you follow the BFL program, or what areas did you 'tweak' to get your results?

Rory Palazzo: I am the exception to 'tweaking' the program--I followed it as written. I started the program with the thought, "If it isn't broke, don't fix it." And when I got the results I was looking for, I continued on with the program with no adjustments. I would say you CAN tweak it, case by case, but I wouldn't recommend that you change it in big amounts at a time, or else you won't know what is working.

Cedar Rapids KS: I am focused on doing the challenge not only for myself but to motivate others to change. Any advice on how to make others follow in what I hope to be a successful campaign?

Rory Palazzo: Well, Cedar Rapids, one of the best parts of making the transformation is inspiring others. And you will be amazed how your transformation will rub off on those around you, without having to consciously trying to get others involved. When people see you making a positive change, they will want to know how you did it, and want to jump on board right along with you.

Mark Owens: At what point did you realize that no matter what happens, you are a champion?

Rory Palazzo: As soon as I started seeing the change. Ultimately, when I made the decision to change, I was headed in the right direction. But with results, you can't help but feel good about yourself, and feel like a champion.

Dork 4 Life: Could you please tell us about your supplementation? Did you only use Myoplex and BetaGen? What about your meals? On an average day, what was your meal plan like?

Rory Palazzo: As I mentioned, the only two supplements were Myoplex and BetaGen. My meal plan was just as it is laid out in the Body-For-LIFE book. I ate six balanced meals throughout the day, spaced 3-4 hours apart. Three were Myoplex, and the other three included a portion of protein, a portion of carbohydrates, and a portion of vegetables. A portion is the size of your clenched fist.

Chevy Tahoe77: How did you learn about Body-for-LIFE?

Rory Palazzo: As I mentioned, my brother Bob took the Challenge in 1999, and my brother Ryan took the Challenge in 2000 as well. So, with all of my family involved with it, I was quite familiar with it. Ryan and I did it at the same time. Ryan is in Houston, and it did help some to both talk about it at the same time, getting the positive attitude.

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