Been on both sides of the equation: skinny and fat. Was basically "average" weight my whole life. However, there was a time (a short time, thankfully!) when I was in college and all I did was eat and study (and party, of course!) when I ballooned up to a size 14 (and those jeans were tight!). I was eating crap (Denny's, IHOP, McDonald's, etc.) at 2 a.m. Just a LOT of really bad habits. After about a year like that, I realized, "Hey, you know what? This just is NOT me. I need to put my foot down and DO something about this." So, I did. BUT ... I did it the WRONG way. I took Dexatrim and basically didn't eat (maybe a few crackers and some fat-free popcorn all day). Then, I went to the other extreme and weighed a mere 116 pounds (I'm 5'9"!). Everyone thought I was anorexic (even though I wasn't). Just didn't want to go back to a size 16! Mind you, I'd never lifted a weight in my life. So, at 116 pounds, I was a frail, skinny, out-of-shape, out-of-breath-just-going-up-one-flight- of-stairs, petty little thing. So, I started lifting to "tone" and get into shape but soon noticed an increase in muscle mass and strength ... soon after that, I was hooked hopelessly! No turning back! Quickly, grew out of my dumbbells and bench (which I salvaged from in front of a Dumpster) in my apartment and had to graduate and join a real gym. Over time, my goals became more focused, more serious, and I went from just "working out" to being a "hard core bodybuilder." Long story short (too late, I know!), I fell in love with bodybuilding ... and quite passionately and unexpectedly, I might add.

The energy! The raw power! The smell of the iron bar! The feel of cold steel in my hand! The muscle contractions! Feeling (and looking) great! That "good" soreness/pain where my muscles just scream: "YES, I AM ALIVE!!!"