In 2004 shortly after the birth of my daughter, I found myself in the worst shape of my life at 246 lbs. I was grossly obese and needed to change fast! I remember being so upset with myself for getting to the point. I felt hopeless- like I was destined to be fat and could not change but wanted to so badly. My wife wanted to begin the Atkins Diet to lose weight after the pregnancy. Desperate times called for desperate measures so I thought, “why not?” I decided diet and exercise was needed so I completely changed what I ate (following the diet to the T), and immediately began a walking regimen. The weight came off fast! I know the objections about the Atkins Diet, and believe me I have them too! It is not a long term plan. You cannot eat like that forever and when you lose the weight it can be unhealthy. However, from somebody who ate bacon, egg, and cheeses for breakfast, hamburgers for lunch, and dinner consisted of steaks, pork, buffalo wings, and all sorts of protein rich fatty goodness… dropping the carbs that go along with it and adding green veggies was a step in the right direction! Something drastic like this, or a vegan diet was called for to break my sugar addiction (soda, iced tea mix, baked goods).
As time went on, I found myself craving more. I wasn’t happy just being “fat skinny," (You know- skinny and flabby). So I decided to do some push ups, pull ups, and running to get myself on track and “cut." This helped initially and got me to my “goal weight” of 146! Way too skinny at six feet tall! I figured once I got to my goal weight, I could decide whether or not it was doable to stay at that weight long term and whether or not it looked good… it wasn’t and it didn’t. So I gained back a little bit of weight to “even out." After dealing with some back problems, I got serious about my fitness and ordered the P90X program from BeachBody that you see all over TV. I started doing this diet and added more healthy carbs to give my muscles the glucose it needed to complete these rigorous workouts and heal from them. I loved P90X and the results I got after the first ninety days SO much, I stuck with it for 2.5 years! I took a week off after every round of it and dropped weight and reps whenever I got elbow tendonitis (I believe in working around a injury instead of stopping completely- unless of course it’s serious and you have to). The P90X program give me strength, power, speed and flexibility. I felt and looked 1000 times better! I decided to pursue my dream of studying the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a grappling art much like wrestling but, with the objective of employing a choke or joint manipulation to win the match instead of pinning your opponent to the mat as you would in wrestling. After Jiu Jitsu came into my life, I made the transition to Tony Horton One on One workouts and then taking what I learned to the gym and combining that with Jiu Jitsu conditioning and previous weightlifting experience and developed a hybrid workout to confuse my muscles for even more change! Those physical and mental changes inspired me to help others get fit, and motivated me to get my Personal Training and P90X Fitness Professional (for group classes) Certifications. To further my dream of Ending the Trend of Obesity in America, my wife Jen and I partnered with BeachBody (makers of such brands as P90X and Insanity), in starting our own business promoting health + nutrition + support + rewards as a means for you and I to achieve optimal health and well being. I am taking the Insanity challenge now and plan on continuing my pursuit of lifetime fitness through BeachBody with short detours at the gym to train clients and teach P90X and Insanity classes. I am ready to help you get into the best shape of your life! Are you ready? Stay tuned for more advice on exercise, nutrition and overall well being from the Fitness Guinea Pigs!
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