FAMILY
FIRST
Chiropractor, husband, father, First In Family: Jay Villani
I changed in almost every aspect you can imagine. Mentally things started to clear up and make more sense in every aspect of my life. Physically I felt much better and people could see the dramatic transformation that was taking place.”
Tell us a little bit about yourself...
I’m a chiropractor and have been a chiropractor for 22 years and I own Verona Spine & Wellness Center. It’s a center that offers physical therapy, acupuncture, massage and of course the backbone of the practice centers all around chiropractic.
I do not have any ties to a military service or background. I wish I had gone to the Marines in 1988 and was signed sealed and delivered until I got a partial scholarship for college at the last second and enrolled at West Chester University in Pennsylvania.
I am married to my lovely wife Marisa for the past 20 years and have been together for 30. We have two children Sophia age 17, and Michael who is 15 as well as our 3rd “child” our 3 year old black pug Leo.
What brought you to the First In Family initially?
John lives in my town and we’ve known each other for a bit for our kids are all around the same age. We also go to the same gym.
It was at this gym where I saw John and could see a very visible change or transformation from what I had known him to look like. From there we sat on the stationary bikes and he told me about the program and he said “doc, this is soooooo you”.
Tell us a little bit about your background and history with food.
The problem was finding that balance and getting off of the hamster wheel of being good for 2, 3, or 4 weeks only to fall backwards into that comfortable rut that every one of us knows too well about.
I don’t know if I was struggling to make progress or struggling to sustain progress. What helped for me was eliminating alcohol as a personal decision/choice in February 2016.
What was the turning point in your life when you realized you needed to make a change?
An example I’ve always held dear was….. would you go to a Cardiologist that smoked? No! Correct? So I thought a physically fit chiropractic doctor of wellness is what the public would like to see and how I felt that I needed to look and feel like.
What was the journey like and what changes did you make?
It was an easy transition FOR ME. I’ve always said if you give me 1,2,3, directions to get 1,2,3 results, and I mean 100% life changing results, I’m going to follow that plan.
To be honest I never changed the way I ate outside of portion size. The plan is to pick the foods you want to eat or incorporate into your daily plan. As the adage says EAT WHATEVER YOU WANT BUT HIT YOUR NUMBERS!
My training during all this time never had to be altered or weaned in any bit.
How do you feel after making those changes?
I changed in almost every aspect you can imagine.
Mentally things started to clear up and make more sense in every aspect of my life.
Physically I felt much better and people could see the dramatic transformation that was taking place.
What did your friends/family think of your transformation?
Starting this process during that period and being 100% on point was very pivotal in establishing a very firm/mental base and toughness. During the early period my family/and friends were for the most part very supportive, but at the same time very stand-off ish. They did not understand the whole “weighing” and bringing my scale everywhere.
It was mostly met with “you look great why are you punishing yourself or why don’t you live a little”. Now with that, we all know that’s an insecurity in them… your family or your friends.
Two years later I’d say most people know and are used to the scale/weighing/process. If they don’t, I’m happy to have a conversation and explain the process.
Were you active or did you workout during your journey?
What does being First In mean to you?
I try every day to be 100% on point and while it’s difficult at times and I’ve fallen off of the wagon, I’ve gotten right back on.
Being First In also means being honest when you need help to get back into the right frame of mind by our awesome coaches.
What was the biggest challenge or change when you started with First In and how did you overcome it?
Other than that I found tracking to be extremely easy for me to do anywhere mostly because of MyFitness Pal.
What’s next for you and where do you see this journey taking you in the future?
What are your top 5 "secrets" for success?
2- Establish a support group. In my opinion, the opposition to this from people you know, love and have been around your whole life is going to be the most difficult part of the whole journey. Surround yourself with people who support you and your goals.
3- Don’t beat yourself up if you fall out of line, miss your numbers, or fall off the wagon. I tell people if you signed up with First In you’ve made a commitment. That in itself speaks volumes to what you want to accomplish and since signing up is progress, you are 200% a better person than when you weren’t holding yourself accountable.
5- Communicate with members and coaches. I tell people this program can be for every single person on earth but isn’t for everyone…… as you know a HUGE majority of people won’t even consider the program because of weighing/tracking and that’s just the way it is. It can be a very rough and difficult journey at times, do not hold that in. Communicate and ask for help, it can really help you get over the hump and continue/prosper.
any advice for someone thinking about getting started?
Testimonials were given freely and service members did not receive any preferential treatment, discount, or other benefit due to the nature of their service, rank, or position and in no way are the views or beliefs of any branch of the armed forces or uniformed services.