“The world watched him lose over 200 pounds. Now he’s helping thousands of V Shred clients do the same.”
When you are assigned a one-on-one coach to work with here at V Shred, you can rest assured you are in good hands!
We only hire the best fitness professionals in the world. Each has their own unique list of credentials and areas of expertise, but what you may not know is that many of our trainers can relate to your weight struggles first hand.
That is certainly the case with the V Shred trainer we want to introduce you to today.
This is Vinny …
If his face looks familiar, it might be because you watched his weight-loss transformation happen before your eyes on Season 12 of The Biggest Loser.
Or maybe, you know him from his successful music career as the bubbly singer in the popular country band Trailer Choir.
Whether you know him from his high-profile singing career, his time wowing us all with his weight-loss on national tv, or have never seen him before now, we are excited to share Vinny’s story from near-death to becoming one of our top trainers!
We know his story is going to inspire you!
V Shred Trainer Spotlight: Meet Vinny
10 years ago, Vinny didn’t know how much he weighed because the scale wouldn’t go high enough.
“I didn’t really have a scale that could weigh me. I just knew it was well over 450 because it went to 450 and just bottomed out at the doctor’s office,” says the now fit and healthy 38 year old.
That was his heaviest.
Before we tell you how he lost hundreds of pounds, has maintained a healthy weight for almost 10 years, and has become one of our top trainers here at V Shred, let’s rewind.
Growing up, Vinny was always overweight. He was even given the nickname “Big Vinny,” which didn’t bother him one bit. In fact, he says he wore it as a badge of honor.
“I always had excuses for my weight because I was really good at football, and I was really good at powerlifting and things like that. So I always said it was “okay” for me to be bigger because I was great at all those things. I kind of used it as my crutch and my excuse.”
“Big Vinny’s” weight gain continued to escalate during adulthood, and his nickname became even more of a crutch when his musical talents were discovered by country legend Toby Keith and handed a record deal at only 22.
“He saw me playing in a bar in Nashville one night and signed me and my band. We went on world tours with him, were in his movies, and doing all this stuff. I was living my dream, but it was also piling on more accolades that made me think it was okay to be so big. In my mind, I was like – you’ve done all of this even though you’re not supposed to fit the mold.”
Fast forward 5 years. Big Vinny found himself with big problems. He was lying in a hospital bed with cellulitis and close to losing his leg from diabetes.
“I didn’t even know I had diabetes. I probably should’ve known. I was 500 pounds, Everything in my body was ready to go.”
His doctor told him if he didn’t make some major changes, he wasn’t going to live to see 30. But it wasn’t his doctor’s words, the diabetes diagnosis, or even the fact he could have lost a leg that pushed him to make a change. It was a phone call from his ex-girlfriend Dana DeSilvia, who also struggled with her weight and was on day one of her season on The Biggest Loser.
“She thought I needed to audition. Originally, I was like, no. That show’s stupid. I’ll never do it. It’s just making fun of fat people.”
Vinny was also afraid if he did the show, the bubbly persona he had put on his entire life would be exposed.
“I went through a really hard childhood. I had a very abusive stepfather. I didn’t want those things to come out because everybody always knew me as this larger than life character who was fun and happy and bubbly all the time. I never really told people about the demons that I fought and the things that I went through as a kid. So I was scared of that coming out. But thank God I went on the show because it changed my life forever.”
Not only changed his life. It saved his life.
Vinny lost 200 pounds on The Biggest Loser, but what he learned on the show was only a starting point.
“Don’t think that it’s over just because you lost the 50 pounds. That’s where the journey really begins. You have to realize that you are what you consistently do.”
About 5 years post-show, as Vinny continued to experiment with more sustainable ways to keep the weight off, he ran across the V Shred BODY TYPE QUIZ and decided to purchase one of our plans.
That’s right… Vinny was once a V Shred customer just like you.
At the time, he was focused on his music career. While he enjoyed inspiring people with his story and would even write programs for his friends from time-to-time, he had no plans to become a trainer with V Shred or anywhere else.
Until one day, his wife, who is a veteran personal trainer of over 20 years and had recently become a V Shred trainer herself, kind of tricked him into getting involved.
“In January 2019, she bought me a new computer. I was like, that’s awesome, but what’s it for? Is it to make music? She said, no, you have a new job. You’re gonna work with me on V Shred stuff. I told her that I was only going to help until everything died down.”
But things didn’t die down. Clients kept pouring in.
“I think I’ve done around 13,000 meal plans in just two years, and I can’t tell you how many transformations.”
Vinny still dabbles in music, but working with V Shred is now his full-time career because he knows his purpose is to use his weight-loss story and first-hand experience to help as many people as possible.
“People tell me It’s more than weight-loss. They are adding years to their life. That’s what I love about the V Shred programs and what I get to do every day.”
Vinny understands that you may be on the fence about hiring an online trainer to help you reach your weight-loss goals. He knows you are probably making excuses and wondering if it’s worth the money or if you will really see results when every other plan has failed.
His advice?
“Think about what you spend on your Starbucks, cable bills, and the things that you spend where you could make room. Then jump off the fence onto this greener pasture over here! If you listen to me, your life can be like mine. But you gotta stop making excuses and just do it. Then listen to the trainer, don’t argue, and get in there and get results! When you start seeing them, I promise your life is gonna light up on fire.”
Vinny often has people ask him, with all of his fame, why he doesn’t just go out on his own as a trainer?
His answer is simple …. “I love this company, what it stands for, and what we do. I’m just going to keep sending people to V Shred.”
Thank you, Vinny, for being an inspiration to so many! We are lucky to have you on our team!
If you are ready to start your fitness journey and to work one on one with one of our incredible trainers like, Vinny click here.
