About Me

It was Christmas 2011 when this picture was taken....the effect it had on me was PROFOUND.  Who IS that fat guy looking into the camera?!  That can't possibly be ME?!  I'm not fat.  I've NEVER been fat.  Well, the camera didn't lie.  It WAS me.  And I WAS fat.  204 pounds...I'd always carried myself at a lean and fit 170 pounds.

 
I decided then and there that change...REAL change...was overdue.  I bought P90X and got to work.  Unfortunately, in my enthusiasm to begin I neglected the most important aspect of bringing about change.  NUTRITION.  I didn't miss a single work out...but I didn't focus on nutrition.  I finished at 186....down only 18 pounds in 90 days.  I was very disappointed by what I saw in the mirror and knew where I'd gone wrong.  I was going to have to face down nutrition....study it...understand it...and then step up and and CHANGE my attitude towards food and rid myself of all of my bad eating habits once and for all.

Not one to give up, I decided to keep going and this time give more focus to nutrition.  I bought Insanity and set to work.  I made it about a month into the program when my gall bladder died.  The resulting surgery to remove the faulty organ slowed me down for awhile...probably a month.  I spent the down time studying nutrition and brewing up a SERIOUS intensity to get back to it...and to do it RIGHT.  After being given clearance from the surgeon, I tore back into Insanity while also being diligent about my nutrition.  I found that MyFitnessPal was an invaluable tool for helping me stay accountable to myself.  I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone looking to take control of their nutrition once and for all.  I wrapped up Insanity at 170 pounds!  I looked better...but more importantly, I FELT better.  Physically better...mentally BETTER.  I felt like "myself" again and I was hooked on living a more active fit lifestyle.

Next up, I tackled The Asylum - Volume 1.  That program is a SERIOUS physical and mental challenge and I loved every minute of it.  Shaun T. knows how to motivate...how to push...how to engage...how to convince you to step beyond your comfort zone and truly dig DEEPER.  It was an amazeballs experience to wrap up that program confident...strong...and a SUPER lean 164 pounds!  I'd managed to lose 40 pounds in a year.  It was a phenomenal experience.

In March of this year, I was diagnosed with skin cancer on my right shoulder...right on the trap muscle.  On the advice of the dermatologist, I elected to have Mohs surgery to give myself the best shot at a "once and done" fix for my cancer problem.  The good news?  The surgery was a success and the cancer was fully removed.  The bad news?  I was left with a surgical incision 4 inches long and between 1/2" and 3/4" deep right on top of my right trap muscle.  Small price to pay, I suppose, but recovery from that wound DEFINITELY got in the way of my working out.  By the time I got the all clear from the doctors, I'd ballooned up to 187 pounds again.  

In July, I tackled a P90X/Insanity hybrid for 90 days.  I just wrapped it up and I'm back to a leaner 170 pounds with an estimated body fat of 12%.  I feel like myself again....and I'm ready for the next challenge!!