I got fed up with being skinny. I got teased a lot for being too thin and lanky. It came from everybody: family, friends, teachers, strangers, you name it. And of course, I believed it. A lot of this started at a very young age too.

I've had body-image issues for most of my life. Honestly, for as long as I can remember I've been teased, believed it, and hated my body. Some of the taunting wasn't really meant to be harmful, but a lot of it was and all of it hurt (which is why you don't deride a person for being skinny or fat). Sure, I put on a good face and made it seem like I was in on the joke, but in the end it just added to the self-loathing and insecurities I already had toward my body.

I decided that enough was enough and I had to take control over what I looked like. A lot of people will say it was the wrong way to treat my body image issues, that I should just accept it and love my body the way it is. I guess I wasn't strong enough to accept things the way they were and be fine with it. I wanted to transform my body so that no one would every have an excuse to call me "skinny" again.

I started going to the gym with friends and started seeing some progress but nothing serious. When my gym buddy moved away, I had to make up my mind that I would go workout by myself and have a more consistent diet. It was at that point that I started seeing more progress in my physique and really found that progress encouraging. The more I worked, the more progress I saw, the more encouraging it became.

Something else changed: my attitude. I started to feel good about my body for the first time in my life. I haven't reached my fitness goals but I am very proud of the progress I have made. I still have days when I can't stand what I see in the mirror, but those days are fewer by far. I still get called skinny and the like, but it means less to me now than it did years ago.

That's pretty much why I got started.

I feel great when I've accomplished something difficult. I love progressively lifting heavier and getting stronger along the way. Plus, you can't beat the feeling of the pump. Even when you know it's just a lot of blood in your muscles and it's not going to last, it still feels great.

Also, what it does to my state of mind, emotions and overall well-being has been great. I feel more stable when I exercise. I also get sick much less often.

I can't see my life without some sort of serious workout regiment going on. I despise missing workouts for any reason. I'll be working out till I can't stand up anymore.

But I have to say a general disclaimer here: Guys, I'm flattered, but I'm NOT gay. No, I don't want to Skype with you. No, I don't want to exchange pictures of any kind. Thanks, but no thanks.