By Alec Marchant
Staff Writer
While having a slender athletic body seems to be the norm at Mira Costa, that hasn’t always held true for senior Vincent Giacalone. Since the summer after his sophomore year, Vincent has been dedicated to losing weight and living a healthier lifestyle by eating right and maintaining a strict workout regime day in and day out.
After failing to pass the California State Physical Fitness Test, an examination of physical fitness based on cardiovascular and muscular abilities during his sophomore physical education class, Giacalone decided to take upon himself the task of getting his body back into a healthy state, no matter the time nor difficulty that would be involved.
“The first step to becoming healthier was a change in my diet,” Giacalone said. “I needed to stop eating so much junk and start eating healthier. Once I got that down I knew I needed to get into exercising.”
Closing the doors on his prior eating habits and establishing a day-to-day workout routine, Giacalone began to accomplish his goal, pound by pound with a more body-friendly diet. Junk food would not cut it any longer.
“All I knew was that if somebody wanted to lose weight, they need to do cardio, so that’s pretty much all I did for several months,” Giacolone said.
With the loyal support of his friends and family, Giacalone began his quest for a better-quality life. Little did Giacalone know, he would not only go through a physical alteration, but a mental one too.
“His determination to be healthy is really inspiring,” senior Christina Buckley said.
Within the first month, Giacalone had lost 15 pounds. Happier than ever and more confident than usual, Giacalone was aware that the most difficult component of his transformation had yet to come. Maintaining a strong state of mind and sticking to a diet were just a few of Giacalone’s newfound problems.
“Mentally, I had a better outlook on life with a huge confidence boost,” Giacalone said. “I just felt more social and happy.”
Newly comfortable in front of the class and in the halls, Giacalone’s transformation did not come without its negatives. Opting out of social and family events, he chose to stay on track with his workouts, keeping his goal clear on his horizon.
“There have been a few times where I have beat myself up when I missed a workout or overeaten,” Giacalone said. “I knew that this just hurts me in the long run. It’s hard, but you need to learn to forgive yourself sometimes.”
At home and at school, Giacalone works on his cardio and credits it with being the main cause of his weight-loss. Giacalone has been a part of the Mira Costa weight training program for two years now and uses it as an opportunity to further his progress. His usual schedule, a various weight lifting exercises, is a fantastic example of his self determination.
“Vincent has gone through such a great transition,” Buckley said.
Giacalone did not just lose weight; he gained confidence, health and happiness. His strength of mind and susceptibility to change has altered his every-day life in a way that the majority of the population at Mira Costa would not understand. He is an example of how to lose weight with finesse and has also proved that hard work and self determination was the true key to his success.
Perseverance has been Giacalone’s strong suit in his journey. On top of dropping the weight, he has gotten a job at Hermosa Cyclery and preserved a proficient grade point average.
“You can really accomplish anything you set your mind to,” Giacalone said.
With a starting weight of 240 pounds, Giacalone lost 80 pounds making him a healthy weight at 155 pounds. His goal was to be healthy, and now only time will tell if he can keep the trick up.
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