At 56 years old, Dave Cathcart is the epitome of a healthy and fit lifestyle. With a physique that defies his age, he captivates attention wherever he goes, however, what many people don’t know is that just two years ago, he was lying in a hospital bed, uncertain of his future.
Today, Dave is on a mission to empower fellow truckers to prioritize their health and well-being. As a fitness trainer and experienced driver himself, he understands the unique challenges faced on the road. Through his own transformation, he has become a living testament to the power of clean living and exercise.
“I came home on a week off, and I was having heart palpitations,” he said, describing the events that led to his hospital stay.
“My wife is a nurse. One of the things about me and my wife is that we never lie to each other about each other’s health. If I’m feeling bad or she’s feeling bad, we don’t lie,” he said. “So, I told her exactly how I was feeling, and she goes, ‘I don’t like it. If it happens again, we’re going to the hospital.’”
The palpitations eased, so Cathcart carried on with life as usual; however, it wasn’t long before the issue came back with a vengeance.
“About two weeks later, I came home, went to the gym and got on a treadmill. I got dizzy and my heart started palpitating,” he said. “I got back in the car, and I called my wife. She goes, ‘We’re going to the hospital.’ That’s when the change started.”
This experience was a shocking health wakeup call for the former athlete and physical trainer. Neglecting his fitness habits had dire consequences as he found himself on the brink of type two diabetes and grappling with dangerously high blood pressure. Medical professionals even suspected he had suffered a heart attack.
“I wanted to see my grandkids again. It scared me, and I’d never been scared about my health,” he said. “When I got out of the hospital, I decided I was going to change my life.”
By adopting a strict carnivore diet, intermittent fasting, and dedicated gym time, Cathcart achieved remarkable results in a short period. He lost a staggering 40 pounds in just three months, surprising his doctors by no longer needing prescribed medications. What’s even more impressive is that he was able to maintain this incredible transformation while working as an over-the-road truck driver.
But Cathcart’s personal journey is just the beginning. His true passion lies in helping others achieve their own personal best, especially among his fellow truckers.
“What really motivates me is if I can help somebody else,” he said. “I believe that if I help enough people, karma always wins.”
Cathcart is determined to help others achieve their fitness goals. He has created a line of supplements and written a book called “From Fat to Fit” to share his personal journey. What sets Cathcart apart is his dedication to spreading his message in a hands-on way. He freely gives advice and pointers to anyone who will listen. Cathcart has a strong presence on social media, especially TikTok, where he has 15,000 followers who tune in for his motivational messages.
It’s his one-on-one interactions with drivers, however, that have the most significant impact. As he travels across the country, Cathcart engages with fellow drivers at truck stops and even records videos of himself doing quick workouts during breaks. This challenges the idea that it’s impossible to maintain a fitness routine while working behind the wheel.
“Here’s something I ask every driver: ‘How many times do you get out of the truck?’ And they’ll say, ‘Well, I get out to fuel up, and I have to walk around the truck,’” he said.
“OK, you’re driving a 53-footer; if you walk 41 times around that truck, that’s a mile. The DOT requires us to do a 15-minute pre-trip and a 15-minute post-trip,” he continued. “So, if you get your ass out of that truck and you do a pre-trip, which does not take 15 minutes, if you just walk 10 times around that truck in the morning, that’s a quarter mile. If you walk 20 times around that truck in the morning, that’s a half mile. Then at night walk another 10 to 20 times around.”
Cathcart debunks the common excuse drivers make for their poor health – that it’s impossible to eat healthily on the road. Here are some straightforward tips to keep in mind.
“If you cut out three things — sugar, processed foods and carbohydrates — any diet will work, whether you want to be a vegan, a vegetarian or a carnivore,” he said, noting that sugar is a particularly insidious food foe.
“In 1940, we were eating only 50 or 60 pounds of sugar; in 2023, we’re eating upwards of 175 to 225 pounds of sugar per person per year,” he explained. “Sugar is almost as addictive as cocaine. When I went off of sugar, I went through withdrawals for about a week and a half.”
In order to overcome this challenge, Cathcart emphasizes the significance of starting small and taking “baby steps” when discussing it with people. He believes that by breaking down a major task, such as changing eating habits, into smaller accomplishments, it becomes more manageable and achievable.
“There’s 46 grams of sugar in a Big Gulp,” he said. “The national average says that a male is supposed to have 34 to 40 grams of sugar in a day; a woman between 28 and 34. If 46 grams of sugar is in a Big Gulp, I’m asking you to do one thing; replace one Big Gulp with water. Then after that, let’s cut out two Big Gulps.”
The one thing Cathcart warns against most is looking to health and fitness products as some sort of “magic bullet” solution to your health woes – including his own.
“The people I get to see know I care about them. I’m not trying to sell them anything,” he said. “In fact, I give them my card and I tell them, ‘If you’re going to buy my supplements and think it’s a magic bullet, you’re an idiot.’”
“That approach has opened a lot of doors and minds, because who tells people not to buy their own product?” he continued. “I’m honest with people, and I teach people to use what they have and be where they’re at, and not get down on themselves. You can always change your life if you are alive. That’s pretty much my message.”
Source: The Trucker
Photo: Dave Cathcart
