Team Beachbody Guest

My weight problem began when I was young. Mom would cook wonderful meals from scratch till, one summer she got very sick. The migraines and vertigo from her illness left her out of commission for many years to come. Because of that she did not have the drive to cook homemade food anymore. That’s when we started eating out every night. In a short time I went from a 5 foot 110 lb kid to a 5’6 220lbs teen. Throughout High school I didn’t gain or lose any weight. Looking back on it,I was not as big as i felt.

It was after graduation in where I really packed on the pounds. An injury at work left me bed ridden and sedentary for six months. I did not feel comfortable in my own skin. I tried to hide my self. I would wear large clothing to hide my stomach and legs. I would not shave to hide my double chin. I would slump over all the time to hide my chest. I hopped on the scale randomly one day. I seriously thought the scale was broken. My weight had skyrocketed to 285. I was sent to a nutritionist. She told me I should just get use to it some people are destined to be overweight. I did not understand that statement. So she clarified by pointing to my mom and brother in the waiting room. “Your entire family is on the heavy side. It is in your genetics. There is nothing you or I, can do to change that I’m sorry.” That hurt more than I ever thought it would. I did not want to be overweight. Yet here was a professional telling me that’s how it has to be.

I went back to see my doctor. He said if I did not lose weight soon, I could develop diabetes or worse. Sleeping was difficult, so I watched a lot of late night TV. One night there was the Power90 infomercial. The stories were amazing; I took a chance and ordered. I was looking for a "quick fix” not a life style change. The DVDs were shelved for six months. During that time I tried every fad diet out there. I couldn’t stick to any of them, and returned to my old habits. I finally decided to give P90 a real shot. It was great until I hit 250 and became complacent. I started making a lot of excuses.

My weight continued to fluctuate, till one morning I woke up and took a looked at my life. I was unhappy and disgusted with what I had become and where my life was headed. That motivated me to go back to school. I enrolled at Kent State and joined the AFROTC. October 2007 I was given till end of the year to lose weight or undergo disenrollment from AFROTC. Being overweight made me a liability, which meant I was on my own. They needed me to lose 11% body fat or 54 lbs. Those numbers seemed like an impossible task. My heart sank and my anger flared. I spent day’s searching for a "Magic Pill" or some easy way out.

That feverish search brought me full circle to P90. I spent an afternoon reviewing the tapes and gathering the materials needed to succeed. I had heard somewhere you should never diet, that dieting is only temporary and if you want to live a healthy life you need to make a lifestyle change. I took that to heart when selecting food for my 90 day journey. I tried to find a balance between what I enjoy and what’s good for me. I started reading the forums and interacting with the community. That is where I ran into a group of people that helped me threw my first round. Had it not been for them holding me accountable I am not sure I would have made it. I watched success stories everyday to keep my motivation up. One of those in particular caught my attention; Scott Shoup’s images and story compelled me to send him an email. He took me under his wing and has been with me every step of the way. I got up every morning to push play. I watched as the pounds melted off. The looming deadline combined with motivation from my network of supporters kept me from becoming complacent and giving up again. In December of 2007 I went for my weigh-in. I knew I had lost a lot but it did not hit me till I was standing in the office looking at the body fat numbers. What had seemed impossible just 2 ½ months ago was now a reality. I had lost 11% body fat and just over 30lbs. I had finally earned my place in the unit. Everyone was excited to finally see me in uniform.

I thought at that point it was done, I had lost what was required and now I could relax… I had completely forgotten that I need to pass a physical fitness test as well. Although you only need to pass 2out of 4 sections, In Previous attempts I had failed all 4 sections of the test. This time was different; Tony Horton and Beachbody had given me the tools to be triumphant. I powered through and passed all 4 sections of the test. Thanks to Beachbody, Tony, Scott, and the community; I had the chance to live my dream and become an officer in the United States Air Force.

Update: Still pushing play every day. I have relaxed more into a maintaining phase for the winter. Setting up for a one more push to get rid of the last little bit of pudge I have, before summer arrives. Stay tuned because it’s going to be hell of a show.