DISCLAIMER: This is not a post meant to say wow look at that transformation, its a work in progress that I’m constantly trying improve. I’d like to thank everyone for contributing both in the forums and the authors here, I’ve learnt SO MUCH stuff, its incredible. If theres one person that I’d have to mention though, its definitely Christian Thibaudeau.
His output and wealth of information is something as a trainer, I look up to and can only hope to emulate one day. Below is the timeline of the transformation.
Stats
Skinny (October 2007): 155 pounds
Fat (May 2008): 212 pounds
Now (June 2009): 165 pounds
Wow its crazy to believe its been a full two years since I first started training. The lessons I’ve learnt in that time have been immense ( Welcome omarisuf.com - Justhost.com ) and its a constant work in progress.
When you are fit, everyone assumes that you always were that way.
Heres the skinny, I was, very, and then I got fat, very, and now, I`m neither.
When I was young, I was very active. Soccer, swimming, baseball, track and field; you name it, I was in it. Then suddenly with high school and other activity, exercise took a backseat in my life. Big mistake. I felt sluggish everyday with no energy. I remember being seventeen, waking up and feeling like a zombie.
I`d skip breakfast, grabbing a bowl of cereal in the morning if I was lucky (of course I chose high-fiber Raisin Bran!), eat a small lunch (a turkey sandwich!) and at night, dinner was a toss-up between pasta, and something random (usually a piece of cheese and some snacks). Frustrated by my lack of energy, I decided to increase my exercise. I went to my local track and tried to do a few laps and nearly fainted; I had no energy.
Confused, I noticed that my brother was working out at the high school gym and seeing great physical changes. He had more energy, more excitement, more passion. Intrigued, I decided to try it myself.
At first I was intimidated by the weights and by others in the gym. I was way smaller and less experienced. I remember hanging on the pull-up bar trying to knock out one chin-up while the guy next to me was lifting three pounds on the bench. It was shaky at first, but I kept at it. Slowly I started lifting more weights, seeing progress and results with my body.
Unfortunately I was not informed about nutrition. My diet during this phase can best be described as the see-food diet; if I saw it I ate it. A regular meal for me was eight eggs, three turkey sausages, three pieces of toast and a quarter block of cheese. This was one meal of about five or six. In about nine months I gained sixty pounds (I looked pregnant- but without the baby).
Mentally, I believed I was all muscle. I lied to myself when I saw my double chin and gut and tried to ignore it. The shocking reality came when I came home from university for the summer�??�?�¢?�??�?�¦and my mother called me fat (hence my love for food: - YouTube ).
It took awhile for me to accept that I was fat. I was in denial for a period of time. However, the running out of breath walking up the stairs made me able to lie to myself for only so long. It was around this time that I started clarifying my goals. Before, I never really established a goal; I was just winging it, doing what felt right.
It was when I decided to set goals and develop habits around those goals that success followed. I decided I was tired of having a gut and that ultimately I wanted to look good, feel better, and be a healthy active person. Armed with this goal, I began pursuing it.
It wasn�??�?�¢??t easy at first, I had many setbacks. Along my journey, there were some trying times; periods when it felt like a grind. Sometimes I felt like giving up; but I didn�??�?�¢??t, I kept at it. It was ultimately my consistency, hard work and guidance from those more knowledgeable than me that helped me succeed.
My journey in fitness has helped me develop a strong work ethic, a higher sense of understanding of myself, and the belief that with hard work anything is possible. It has given me the energy and passion for life that I now possess and for that I’m grateful.
