My First Fitness Transformation Journey

A question I get from my online clients quite a bit was how I got started in my first transformation.

Here is some background. Growing up I watched my father lifting dumbbells in our basement and was always curious why he was doing that, and out of curiosity I would just go try to lift them, and I couldn’t, but always kept trying and anytime I heard the weights clanging in the basement I would run down and watch my dad lift.

Around the age of 12-13 years old my father purchased this old school universal cable machine that you could do all the lifts on, plus cable work and a weight stack, it was loud and creaky, I loved it! I kept the bench from this machine up until 3 years ago! I was blown away at how cool it was and that I could actually lift the first few plates on the machine’s cable stack. I then started to lift weights 2-3 times per week, with my own mixed tape I made just blaring. I even purchased workout tank tops and shorts with my mother’s help via the Sears Catalog, then waited patiently for them to come in the mail. (Yes I am old lol).

I was always told I was too small by friends, teachers, family and coaches my entire life and even today as a Natural Pro Bodybuilder! This has been something that has never left my life and has beaten me up over and over again, fueling my fire to keep going!

In my teenage years, I started to lift weights with a few close buddies in our school’s gym and a few places in our neighboring city, while still messing around at our home gym, I was hooked. My friends and I had no workout plan, just lifting because we wanted bigger muscles and challenging each other on how much we could lift. There was no progressive overload or yearly layout plans, there was just lifting for the love of lifting with friends and watching our muscle grow. We read all the latest muscle mags, that were packed with enhanced users giving their advice, but little did we know that advice was not for us at all! Many mistakes were made!

Then shit hit the fan in my life and I started to drink alcohol daily, do drugs and anything to hurt and not help myself. I now was a product of divorce and abandonment. I had zero help or coping mechanisms to fall back on. It was just BAM, no mother at home anymore, just go about your life now. I thought it was my fault, I was embarrassed to tell people I had no mother living with us anymore. I was pissed off my little brother got so hurt and cried daily. Locking himself in his room was the norm. I got tiresome of teachers making the mistake of saying, “bring this home to your mother or get your mom to sign this”, I would just lie and say “ok”, which just fueled more rage. I was very angry to the point of wanting to escape reality any way possible and the choice was alcohol and drugs. This went on for the rest of high school, with some clear spots here and there, like when I tried to just get out of school and graduate, but my persona was all fake, my happiness was fake, just a show to help move on and have people be happy around me. That was the only happiness and laughs I had, those came with alcohol and parties. I became that party guy and messed up my life all on my own. After high school things got worse, I just escaped reality, alcohol was the go to now, drugs did not do it for me, alcohol made me pass out, sleep and forget. I literally turned myself into someone totally different than I wanted to be, I always wanted to be fit and healthy, play sports and lift weights. The crazy part during this time, I would try and workout here and there. Those were the only bright spots I had.

The start of my transformation came with a huge breaking point, after a failed attempt at suicide, I made a decision that night to LIVE! I want to try to be the person I hear speaking to me in my thoughts and who I see in my minds eye as as fit and healthy.

The very next day I began that journey. I quit alcohol cold turkey and just began to walk every morning and night. That was all I could do, was walk, I had zero strength or cardio capacity. I did not have the confidence to go to a gym nor did I want to see people. I just walked for 1 month straight, that was all I could do! My first 30 days: 20-30min in the morning. This was my favorite time to walk because I had not seen a morning that early in years!!! 20-30min in the afternoon, if I was not sleeping, as I was going through withdrawals, I did not know it at the time or what those even were, I just though it was a part of getting fit. 20-30min at night. This was another nice time to walk. I was normally drinking during this time so I felt like I was conquering my past. That is what I did my first 30 days!

My next 30 days this was my plan:

I decided to do this Body for Life Challenge I read many times in my fitness magazine.

I followed the instructions on how to enter, took my before photos and began my 90-day journey.

My day started with a 45min morning cardio walk

I started back in the gym 2 times per week, just trying to lift weights while also trying not to make eye contact with anyone because I did not want to mess things up or talk to people just yet. The best time to go was the afternoon, the gym was normally empty. My night ended with a 45min night cardio walk I had no goals for weight loss. I had no goals for strength gains. I only wanted to keep this process going because I was feeling confident again.

My nutrition was 3 meals per day. I honestly ate what I wanted when I wanted it. I made healthy choices or what I thought were healthy choices at that time. I had moved back in with my father and he always made a healthy dinner that had a meat, veggie and starch and that was my last meal of the night.

My last 30 day plan: I started to feel like I was getting in shape, but I did not trust that feeling. I was still very cautious that I would fall off and stop. 45min morning cardio walk. Eat and study, I started my first fitness certification then. Walk halfway to gym, then ran the rest of the way to the gym, this took 15min. Trained for 45 minutes. Walked home listening to music, this took 30minutes. Eat and study, then take a huge nap. Night time was an easy 30-40min walk. Study and eat, then watch a movie or TV with my dad.

How I started to know I was getting in really good shape! One day I wanted to watch a movie at our local theater, I decided to walk, but I left too late, so I decided I would run to the theater and get there on time. Well I made the movie with time to spare, I was not even out of breath and or sweaty at all. This totally blew my mind and gave me big time confidence. The next day, I took the insurance off my car and just walked and ran everywhere for the rest of the competition's month.

**All during this time, I did not take my body weight because we did not own a scale. I just looked in the mirror and remember in month 3 saying to myself, “holy shit it is working”. I would also do this crazy thing in the mirror, I would shake myself from side to side, like Chunk doing the Truffle Shuffle! When I first did this, there was a lot of skin and fat moving around! In my last month, I could see muscles popping out everywhere! Another confidence builder! Plus, who knew the Goonies would come in handy! I was in my last 3 days of my Body for Life Program and needed to get the information needed to hand in my info. Step 1: Body Fat and Body Weight I went to our local trainer and booked in my very first body fat test. I remember her taking my measurements with the calipers and thinking that this was so cool, that I made it this far! I felt amazing! The trainer then asked me to what I weighed, I did not know, she was blown away that I had no idea and said go in the gym and weigh yourself. Well, I forgot I was not wearing a shirt, walked into the gym and saw myself in the mirror with that great gym lighting and I did not recognize myself! I HAD ABS! What the hell is going on!!! I jumped on the scale and it said 174lbs. I remember weighing myself previously, before the start of my transformation at my Nana and Papa’s house for something to do, they had a scale in their bathroom. I remember it saying 218lbs and I had to take a second look, because all my life I was told I was too small, now I was big and fat. WTF! In the end of that first 90-day transformation I lost 44lbs and was about 7% bodyfat.

Step 2: Essay I had to write and essay that was, if I remember correctly 50% of your Body for Life score. The essay was to be about your journey and what you learned. I sat down and began to write. I wrote down my current feelings, I was feeling great, I got certified as a trainer and I wanted to started helping people. I wrote how empowered I felt and how much this helped me stay focused. But something was not right, I did not like what I was saying, it was like I was writing the essay to just win the competition and not being honest. I then went for a walk and did some thinking. I asked myself who do I want to be moving forward, how can I help people. I wanted to be honest, moralistic, truthful and help people who have gone through what I have transform. I went back home and began to write how I should not win the competition. I wrote about being proud of my accomplishments and dedication. I wrote about making a promise to help others in the fitness and health industry. I also was truthful about my last week of the competition. In my last week I ran into some friends in the mall, I had to purchase new clothes as I was still wearing my old bagging clothes. My old friends could not believe what I had done! They said come down their place and hang out tonight, they wanted to see me, it had been so long. I was very scared to go, but I also wanted to see them and help them possibly get on track to make a change in their lives. Well, this went backwards fast! They offered me a drink of alcohol and told me to celebrate what I did. I said no a bunch of times, but then just grabbed a drink and though it would be ok. Well, that one drink ended up to five drinks and then me running all the way home so mad at myself that I threw-up all over the road. I wrote this all in my letter that I had failed and that I still had work to do on myself. I would not quit from that mistake and I see it as a learning lesson that I needed to learn at that point in time if I was going to succeed in my total transformation. I sent my photos and essay off and began my next phase of transformation.

Body for Life sent me back a huge package and multiple letters of congratulations and support. In one letter they told me that I was in the top contenders to win the entire thing. They gave me support to keep on going and thanked me for my efforts and honesty. To this day, this medal and honor is tied for my favorite accomplishment ever. I then ran many successful Body for Life programs and my own Transformation challenges. I still to this day help people transform their lives.

I am proud of myself for being honest when I wrote that essay. I still work very hard every day to stay fit and clean. In the end, we all have a choice to go all In and make a change. There will always be bumps in the road. Those bumps are learning lessons, learn from your mistakes and keep progressing forward.

This was my first transformation journey.

I learned a TON of what I did wrong I learned a TON of what I did right I learned I need to always improve and grow I learned about myself and how I want to be. I had to change my Lifestyle and create a Lifestyle that helped manifest my goals. We can all get lost. I was recently very lost and that is ok, learn form it and move forward.

Thanks for reading 😊