I lived in Argentina from 1990 to 1992. I came back from there and I was thin (for me) at 175 lbs. I immediately put on 20 lbs from the change in diet from mostly meat to carbs. When I hit 200 lbs, I started working out at the local Gold's gym in Houston. Mostly I worked out to lose weight (lots of stairmaster). Over time, I started to work the weights harder and get bigger.

Hard work is followed by a payoff. It's not always immediate, but it's there.