My Story: From Out of Shape to Wedding Ready

In this post I will be describing the steps I took on my journey to get fit. At 5’10” I went from a skinny 135lbs in high school to a well-shaped slim 150lbs in college to a chunky 185lbs 5 years into my career to a lean and strong 175lbs for my 2015 wedding. My hope is that anyone who can identify with any stage of this transformation will be able to take away useful information that can be used to reach their own goals.

Let’s start from the beginning. My first introduction to fitness was through my father. As a young kid I just knew he was the biggest strongest guy in the world (as most boys feel about their dad). He would flex his pecs and I would stare in amazement at the feat. As I got older, my brothers and I would occasionally catch a glimpse of professional bodybuilders on TV. We marveled at these chiseled specimen as they posed covered in oil (we called them “grease men” lol). As I reached teen age a became interest in building some muscle, but I didn’t know how and didn’t know where to look. My dad provided me with a book of bodyweight strength exercises that I would use every now and then for a workout here and there but nothing serious. The fitness flame was still there but it was not even close to a bonfire. My college days were more of the same spotty workouts when I would get the random urge to venture to the campus gym. I wasn’t anything impressive to look at, but I was far from out of shape. The freshman 15 was kind to me.

The largest change in my body occurred once I graduated from college and joined the corporate world. Years of a workday of limited physical activity, a sedentary home life coupled with regular alcohol indulgence and processed food, and a non-existent exercise plan culminated to the day I went to put on a pair of pants and struggled to button them. Whoa! When did this happen? Not a good look. I got engaged and needed to make a change with not a lot of time to do it. Time to put down the video games.

I had no idea where to start, but I thought I did. I rushed to the local gym and signed up for the full package: Membership, diet plan, and personal trainer. It was about the worst $400 I’ve spent. I could have bought a new iphone (it was 2014 lol)! My sessions consisted of exotic-looking exercises that left me tired and sore. That meant it was working right? WRONG! Quick PSA: trainers often design inefficient and often ineffective workouts in order to make you sore so that you BELIEVE that it is super effective when in actuality they are inferior to proper training (I’ll address this further in a future post). My trainer was inconsistent and couldn’t work with my schedule so I quit. I was on my own. You’re supposed to eat 4-6 small meals per day right? I did it. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day right? I ate it. Healthy foods? I threw in some fruit and avocados. Cool cool. Regular workouts and cardio? I lived on the gym machines and ran around my apartment complex. All of this changed NOTHING! The myths had been exposed. I needed real education.

By February 2015 I was at peak fluffiness. With a 10-year class reunion and a wedding just months away I was ready to get serious. I went HARD. I bought books, discovered the youtube fitness space, and got going. The book that changed the game for me was titled “Bigger, Leaner, Stronger” by Mike Matthews. I immediately put the new information to work. I abandoned the machine workouts. I walked to my gym and embraced heavy resistance training using barbells and dumbbells. I jogged, jumped rope, did high intensity interval training, and played tennis religiously. I tweaked my diet (I’ll address the fad diets I tried in future posts) and made sure I kept a calorie deficit. My body quickly changed. By May I had gained noticeable strength and muscle. The program was working so well that I got a little TOO lean (a lot of this was overkill and unnecessary. Achieving results quickly is much more simple). My muscles were flat and I was just over 170lbs. I made some adjustments to reverse some of those issues and then maintained and rode this for the next 3 months to my wedding day weighing. I wanted to make sure that my wedding pics and the memories of that day reflected a man in great shape. I was not disappointed. I want the same for you. To look at pictures of yourself during special occasions and be happy with what you see. I’ve seen the ups and downs; the trial and error and the frustration that comes with it. Because I’ve gone through it, I hate to see others struggle with it. I love to see the success of others as they transform their lives and make beautiful memories. Until the next one!

-Chris