Male

25

Englewood, Colorado, United States

Dec, 2007

I use to eat fast food only. Not because I wanted to, but because it was easy. I smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, sometimes more, and got drunk at least 2 nights out of the week. The most amount of exercise I did was walking to and from my car during a day. My entire day would consist of sitting in front of a computer for work, then come home to sit in front of my computer at home for the remainder of the night playing online games. My trashcan would accumulate a wide variety of junk food wrappers; one empty can of soda would turn into ten by the end of the night. Then, sleep and repeat. I had been thinking a long while about how I wanted to get in shape, specifically to be noticed by women. I wanted to be seen and more so, desired (i know, sounds cheesy, but that was my motivation lol). I would see muscular guys in public and just wish I could look the way they did. So, one day I picked up a Muscle&Fit mag at walmart featuring Mark Dugdale, an IFBB Pro. The spread included a poster, in which I placed on my wall for inspiration. I read the full article and became inspired to say the least; especially after learning how he is able to balance bodybuilding with his every day BUSY life. I realized there would be no excuse for me not to get in shape. For some reason, I thought, "if he could do it, then I sure as hell could too." I decided I would try the Body For Life program. I read the book thoroughly for the next 3 months getting mentally prepared. I didnt want to set myself up for failure. I knew that if I were to fully commit, that it would be a lifestyle change, not merely a new hobby to pick up. I studied the ins and outs of nutrition and weight training on multiple sites. I realized how important diet was and didnt want to overlook any aspect of it. Then I took a vacation to Mexico. While in Mexico I decided it was time to commit when I was to return home. No one gave me any sort of support with my aspirations. People literally reacted to me as if I was joking around. My friends told me I didn't have the drive and dedication to 'actually stick with a program'. I honestly didn't care what they thought, I knew I was ready and nothing was going to stop me from achieving what I wanted. Interestingly enough, even after quitting smoking and drinking, my friends had the audacity to consistently offer me cigarettes and alcohol. Several of them kept "forgetting" that I quit smoking and would jokingly toss me cigarettes. I kept emphasizing that I am done with all that, but no one really 'listened', for some reason, it never really sunk in for others that I was ready to change my lifestyle. It was disappointing, but I understood..they no longer had the smoking/drinking buddy I used to be. Needless to say, I no longer have the same friends.

I love it because it makes me feel as if I am achieving something beyond the ordinary.

I stay motivated by consistently imagining what I want to look like. Then I think about what I would look like if I were to quit. It is entirely not an option to quit what I have begun. I feed off of other people's feedback, whether positive or negative. I get a lot of attention in public, from friends, family, but I always try to emphasize to EVERYONE that I am nothing special, that anyone can do what I have done and maybe even do it better. People seem to think it is extremely difficult to lose weight or gain muscle, but it' not, you just have to do what is necessary and it then becomes a lifestyle.