SUNJAN "SUNNY" AHMED

Male

27

Austin, Texas, United States

FHA Mortgage Banker

Apr, 2008

I have struggled with my body weight my entire life. I have always been a chubby kid but got very skinny (158 lbs at 5'11") to play Varsity Basketball for #1 state ranked basketball team in Texas. I was a meathead in college at the University of Texas from 2000-2003 and worked at GNC where I got tons of free supplements. I went from 165 lbs my freshmen year of college at the University of Texas to 205 lbs at about 9% body fat in 8 months. I worked as a bouncer in early college and was obsessed about looking like Vin Diesel and 50 Cent (around 220 lbs but all muscle). After tendinitis in my wrist and a couple of bad relationships (BULL SHIT EXCUSES) I completely stopped all working out from mid 2004 - mid 2008. Wild drunken nights out in the bar scene 3-4 nights a week and corporate cube-monkey life post college made me balloon up to 270 lbs by January 1st 2008. Now I am ON A MISSION to lean down and be 175 -180 lbs at 10% bodyfat or below FOR LIFE. BUT FITNESS IS A JOURNEY not a destination. I want to get there and MAINTAIN my shape.

I have gone through lots of trials and tribulations in my personal life since mid-2003. Working out and fitness allows you to not only get away from all of life's stresses and obstacles, but the ENDORPHINS you get from fitness really do have an effect on your psychological and emotional well being (along with the obvious physical benefits - short term and long term). In college, I could eat whatever bad foods I wanted and binge drink and still look "jacked" by pumping iron 3-5 days a week while barely doing cardio too... I never really learned how to diet properly and as a result, after my bulkup phase in college, my diet was never really clean and it caught up to me in my mid-twenties in a huge and bad way. I am changing that now gradually everyday and hope to maintain it for life.

1) In my family - my mother is a breast cancer survivor and my father survived 4 heart attacks. They were both very lean and skinny in their twenties and FAT and unhealthy by their mid thirties. I also have diabetes in my extended family as well. THE MAIN REASON -INDIAN FOOD IS NOT HEALTHY - and we have a tradition of eating late dinners high in starch and carbs and greasy curry sauces. I feel that many South Asian men and women give up looking good post college and after starting a family and are susceptable to heart disease, cancer and diabetes. I don't want to be in that fitness bracket amongst my people ANYMORE. Working out is essential for testoserone release. Testoserone is the hormone that defines men. Skipping workouts are for PUSSIES and I am not gonna act like a whiny, little punk ass pussy ever again the rest of my life with poor lack of testoserone release and poor lack of exercise. 2) I have the most supportive girlfriend in the world - http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/Bikini_Atoll/ My girlfriend got me turned on to getting back into the gym and body space. She deserves the best from me, because she has a heart of gold and the body of a fitness competition champion. She participated in NY Fitness pageant in Oct 2007 and placed well. Our relationship began because of my admiration of her efforts. Fitness is extremely important in my girlfriend's life. I think our relationship is great from a mental standpoint, BUT I AM NOT GONNA BEAT AROUND THE BUSH - I WANNA LOOK SEXY FOR HER. I want her to LOVE my body and not "settle" for my body. Might sound like a negative reason because- looks don't last forever in love and relationships- but its another reason why I bust ass like an UNCAGED GORILLA in the gym now other than my own health and well being (Reason # 1). My GF is a petite woman and I need to look more lean so we look right together but I just want her to find my body as attractive as she finds my personality and my brain. I JAM TEXAS HIP HOP /SCREW MUSIC AND DO HIIT TRAINING 3 TIMES A WEEK (KEY FOR ENDOMORPH BODY FRAME TYPES LIKE MYSELF)..GETTING YOUR HEART RATE UP AND E.P.O.C FAT BURNING IS HUGE IN TERMS OF RETAINING GOOD MUSCLE MASS WHILE SHREDDING AWAY BODY FAT... I DO LOW INTENSITY CARDIO 3 OTHER DAYS AND IN THOSE 3 OTHER DAYS I ALSO DO COMPOUND WEIGHT LIFTS SUCH AS SQUATS, BENCH PRESS, PULL DOWNS AND DEADLIFTS. COMPOUND LIFTS BURN THE MOST OVERALL BODY FAT .

Cutting 85-90 lbs of body weight total (from 270 lbs to 180 lbs) while maintaing lean muscle mass and strength is hard as F*CK. I have gone from 270 lbs in JANUARY 2008 to 205 lbs in April 2009. Its something that can take months or even a couple of years to do so I know I have to be patient and do it right. "YOU CAN'T CONQUER ROME IN ONE DAY" - so everyday I continue to chip away with my diet and my workouts. I want to have more of the "Men's Fitness" look and body frame as opposed to the bulky heavy weight guys in "Muscle and Fitness" (frames of 240lbs-260lbs monsters). Life happens -your career picks up, you get married or settle down and start a family if you are like most people...BEING AN ENDOMORPH WHO EASILY GAINS WEIGHT I feel its hard to keep the body weight down. Its a lot easier to get back into shape, at a leaner frame than it is at a bulky frame which in time can turn the bulky muscle into fatty flesh if you dont spend hours in the gym to shape and carve that bulk 6-7 days a week and if you don't eat right. I have good days and bad days in the gym. But like my beautiful and supportive girlfriend says about my body - "its nothing that can't be undone"...."and fitness is a journey for the rest of your life its not a DESTINATION." I hope to be 175-180lbs by the end of 2009 and then add muscle to that body frame and weight.But my goal will just begin at that point as I WANT TO MAINTAIN THAT FOR LIFE.

"DEFINITION OF A GORILLA THAT'S UNTAMED."