Live An Extreme Life

Bob Brenner

Description

Growing up in small-town Wisconsin, Bob Brenner fed his addictions to food and football, becoming the biggest guy in his family of six siblings and on the defensive lines of winning team after winning team. Bob's size was an asset that he wanted to continue growing. Football carried Bob to the status of hometown hero on a college football team that he eventually coached. However, his education was all about pursuing his lifelong dream of being a police officer. Going into the dark underground of drug trafficking, Bob's size was an asset once again. He used it to thwart gun and knife-wielding murderers and took them down. But the life was taking Bob down, too. His addictions to alcohol and food were out of control, leaving Bob in a morbidly obese 448 lb. body that couldn't even fit into his bulletproof vest. His marriage was falling victim to the double life. His finances were a wreck as Bob kept up an image worthy of a narcotics heavy hitter. His faith was nonexistent and he wouldn't be around long enough to clean up any of it. Life on the edge pushed Bob's weight and his well-being over it. The adrenaline-infused tales of Bob's youth and his portentous career as a narcotics officer ultimately gave way to the spiritual journey and commitment to changing his physical appearance and l8ifestyle that transformed Bob into a man on the edge of Commitment, Love, Integrity, and Faith... life at the edge of the C.L.I.F.Bob Brenner's weight loss journey aired nationally during Season 3 of ABC's Extreme Weight Loss on September 3, 2013 and was picked up for a second viewing later in 2013. He was the most-viewed, most-talked-about cast member of any year and he lost a record 56% of his weight.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• motivation
• Assertiveness

Informations

• Publié par: Ascend Books
• Date de parution: 15 septembre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780989309592
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

L IVE AN E XTREME L IFE !
Losing the Weight and Gaining My Purpose
“With Bob, this transformation is for good. Now, not to say he won’t ever struggle, because we are all human, and life is a series of struggles and opportunities for growth. But Bob knows the secret behind transformation now. He can’t un-know it. He grasped onto the secrets of true transformation—not just the numbers game on the scale. Simply put, Bob gets it.”
~H EIDI P OWELL , Transformation Specialist, Extreme Weight Loss
“Bob’s story has stuck with me ever since watching it on Season 3 of Extreme Weight Loss . Yes, his physical transformation was simply beyond words, but knowing how he would inspire countless others who can relate to his past struggles is the best part. The way he has embraced this lifestyle change with his C.L.I.F. mentality will speak to so many others who will find the motivation and inspiration to follow in his footsteps.”
~D REW M ANNING , Fitness Celebrity/Health and Wellness Coach
“Bob was going to be a force to be reckoned with. Bob ended up tearing his ACL during camp but continued to work harder than anyone on the show. This, of course, inspired all of us to push ourselves and work to our maximum potential. I told myself, ‘If I have two good knees and he is down one, I have zero excuses.’ I still couldn’t keep up with him. He is such an amazing athlete and person, and the perfect person to have by your side when you’re going through the hardest year of your life. Bob is always positive and honest, and he is the brother I never had. I’m so proud of what he was able to accomplish and even prouder of the person he has become. I look up to Bob and love him and his family dearly.”
~M EHRBOD M OHAMMADI , Season 3, Extreme Weight Loss
“Bob is a person with a true positive character. We bonded on the show due to us having knee issues, going to physical therapy, and working out together. During that time, I learned how truly amazing Bob is. He is not only an athlete, but he is a man with an extraordinary heart. His character speaks for itself. He is genuine, honest, loyal, dedicated, hardworking, and straightforward. Bob is a tell-it-as-it-is person.”
~C ASSANDRA D UMAS , Season 3, Extreme Weight Loss
“I was so encouraged by the message Bob Brenner recently delivered at my church, Legacy Christian in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. The week he delivered his message, I was right in the middle of leading a women’s Bible Study, ‘Made to Crave,’ about craving God more than food. His message paralleled so much of what we were learning, and I know my fellow ‘Jesus Girls’ felt the same encouragement and empowerment as I did in hearing Bob’s message. The transformation Bob shared with us was so much more than just a weight loss journey. It is a complete transformation of becoming the man God created him to be.”
~F ELICIA F ROSCHMAYER , Christian Women’s Leader
“Bob’s true integrity shone, as I had expected from my previous encounter, when he presented his life journey, specifically, the poor choices he had made because of his overcommitment to meaningless activity. He discussed thresholds he had passed, where he believed the point of no return had been crossed, as well as monumental challenges he overcame by finally making the correct commitments in life. He shared his true loves in life and how he held these people close to him during his trials while on a weight loss challenge. Faith and integrity were crucial in his quest as he faced his abyss. In all, our students learned to climb their own C.L.I.F. (Commitment, Love, Integrity, and Faith).”
~S TACY R OZMARYNOWSKI , Advisory Instructor, Kohler Public Schools
L IVE AN E XTREME L IFE !
Losing the Weight and Gaining My Purpose
B OB B RENNER
with Reji Laberje Foreword by Chris Powell
Copyright © 2014 by Bob Brenner
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher.
All names, logos, and symbols that appear in this book are trademarks of their individual organizations and institutions and have been reproduced with permission. This notice is for the protection of trademark rights only, and in no way represents the approval or disapproval of the text of this book by those organizations or institutions.
Requests for permission should be addressed to: Ascend Books, LLC, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, 12710 Pflumm Road, Suite 200, Olathe, KS. 66062
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN: print book 978-0-9893095-8-5 ISBN: e-book 978-0-9893095-9-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publications Data Available Upon Request Publisher: Bob Snodgrass Editor: Katie Hoffman Publication Coordinator: Christine Drummond Sales and Marketing: Lenny Cohen and Dylan Tucker Dust Jacket and Book Design: Rob Peters
All photos courtesy of the Brenner family unless otherwise indicated.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Every reasonable attempt has been made to determine the ownership of copyright. Please notify the publisher of any erroneous credits or omissions, and corrections will be made to subsequent editions/future printings. The goal of Ascend Books is to publish quality works. With that goal in mind, we are proud to offer this book to our readers. Please note however, that the story, the experiences and the words are those of the authors alone.
Printed in the United States of America

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Table of Contents
Dedication
The World Needs More People Like Bob Brenner Foreword by Transformation Specialist, Chris Powell
Tackling the C.L.I.F .
PART I: Growing Up
C.ommitment to Excellence
L.ove of the Game
Athletic I.ntegrity
F.aith in the Future
C.L.I.F. Notes
PART II: Growing Me
C.ommitment to the Job
L.ove Lost and Found
I.ntegrity Off-Duty
F.aith in the Force
Kelly’s Perspective
C.L.I.F. Notes
PART III: Transformation — Growing My World
Transformation: What They Said
C.ommitment to Good
Transformation: Sweet!
Being L.oved
Kelly’s Letter
Transformation: Sweat!
I.ntegrity in Everything
Transformation: Strength!
F.aith in God
Transformation: Stretch!
C.L.I.F. Notes
Applying the C.L.I.F.
Get Extreme: Tips to Transform YOUR Life!
Unstoppable Transformation: Dropping the Fail from Your C.L.I.F .
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
About the Authors
Dedication
For me, and foremost, I want to dedicate this project to a God who transformed my life and who loved me at all stages of my life. This book is a testament to Him. It is also dedicated to my parents who raised me in a tough but loving environment. They shaped me into the man I am today, and I’m so thankful for that. Ultimately, though, I am blessed to have the most incredible wife in the world, who stood with me through times when I was selfish, demanding, and unloving. Kelly has stayed with me through the good and the bad and has shown me love that I didn’t deserve. This book is for those whom I love most.
~B OB B RENNER
I have been blessed beyond words to be the collaborator for Bob’s story and to help tell God’s story as it plays out through Bob. I’ve prayed over each written word in the hopes that it moves people to hope of their own. There is nothing like faith to be an agent of deeprooted, genuine, whole-soul change, and because it is my desire that this book will encourage just that, I dedicate it to God.
~R EJI L ABERJE
The World Needs More People Like Bob Brenner
Foreword by Transformation Specialist, Chris Powell
I will never forget meeting Bob for the first time. As I addressed the group of 35 possible candidates for the journey of transformation, talking about the true secrets—the foundation—of transformation, he sat just to my left at the front of the group. He looked so uncomfortable sitting there, like an overinflated balloon, too large for the chair and shifting every couple of seconds to try to ease the pain of his weight. However, as I began to share the intricate details of the journey, he stopped moving altogether and began to absorb every word I was saying. Even though I was talking to each and every person in the room, I couldn’t help but catch him nodding out of the corner of my eye with each and every word I said.

Photo courtesy of Rob Sims Studios
Chris Powell is the trainer and transformation specialist on ABC’s Extreme Weight Loss .
Ultimately, only 15 or so individuals are chosen for the journey since we simply don’t have the time or resources for any more. So many people try desperately to sell their “readiness” to me during this time. It can be difficult to decipher who is truly ready and who is not.
As I spoke openly and honestly about the journey of transformation, it was clear to me that the secrets I was sharing resonated with him. A few times, I even caught him trying to hold back a chuckle or two as his new perspective on transformation “clicked,” and he realized how simple and powerful it really is.
When I looked into his eyes, I could see the hope. He was ready to grow, not physically, but spiritually. He smiled back with his eyes, with gratitude and appreciation. I thought to myself, “He gets it. He’s going to be unstoppable.” And he was.
While it was such a privilege having a front row seat to Bob’s incredible spiritual and physical transformation, the best part of the whole experience (for me) has been the amazing lifelong friend I made along the way. We had some awesome adventures over his year-long journey, and I’m looking forward to the adventures we have ahead!
Bob, I love you buddy. Keep sharing your powerful messa