I was never an athletic kid, growing up. I stayed active, but usually chasing after cows and climbing trees. Having health issues on both sides of my family tree, I decided to change my eating habits and get more active after taking a Health & Nutrition course my first year of college. In 1988 I took my first aerobic class and got the bug. I was always intimidated by gyms and gym equipment, but I bit the bullet and started working out in a gym in 1996.
I began to research and look into diet/exercise routines and started being more conscious of the food that went into my body. I always seemed to be a hard-gainer, but never started documenting a food journal until 1998. That was a real eye-opener. I would meet with a body builder in New Orleans weekly, getting a review of my food journal, and also some pretty intense workouts. That was when I discovered the Parrillo supplements and the philosophy of eating MORE of the right types of foods (lean protein, starchy carbs, and fibrous carbs).