I was 280 lbs and the thought of changing my life by losing weight and becoming healthy seemed out of reach. I was always made fun of because of my weight, all through high school and even after graduation. On top of that, girls didn’t give me the same attention that they gave my friends.
I began my transformation by eliminating pop and starting to exercise. I lost 7 pounds by doing this but I still felt bad about the way I looked. I would go to work and become exhausted two hours into my shift. My legs always hurt, my knees were always sore and I always found myself having some sort of cold or feeling under the weather. After a couple of weeks without loosing any more weight and still feeling the same, I decided to seek some cold hard truth about the way that I looked as well as advice.
A very good family friend was over for a cook out one day and I decided to strike up a conversation about dieting and lifting. He had been lifting for 20+ years so I knew that he would have good advice based from experience. We began talking; I remember telling him about the little changes I had made and how much weight I had lost, little did I know I would soon be hearing words that changed my life forever. As we continued I could tell that he was hesitant to say things and he would almost bite his tongue as if to hold hurtful words back. I asked him to be honest with me and so he was. He said, “ Josh you don’t look healthy and you are over weight”. He then began explaining what to eat, how often to eat, what vitamins to take, what pre-workout to take, and how often to consume protein.
That night I remember going to Wal-Mart and buying everything he had told me to buy as well as swinging through GNC for some pre-work out and protein. I was determined to change my life for the better.
Two weeks went by and I was exhausted, sore, and ready to give up. It was clear that my 280-pound body was not made to be lifting and exercising. After the second painful leg day of squatting and lunging I went home and fell on the couch in agony. I called my family friend and began telling him that I couldn’t do this. After some serious words of wisdom and hearing the question “How bad do you want this Josh?” over and over and over again, I got up and I made a promise to myself to never give up on my fitness journey and to push through any and all obstacles that ever get in my way whether it be sore legs from leg day or bumps in this road called life.
After I found a workout and set my self up with a diet plan and workout routine I was set! Months went by and the weight began to fall off. I was dropping pant size after pant size starting at a 44 inch waste down to a 38/36 inch waist I was more motivated then ever. A couple more weeks went by and I was getting all sorts of comments on how great I was looking and it was those comments that would spark a flame in me that can never be put out.
I lost 110 lbs total and I had reached a weight of 170. Today I weigh 185-190 consistently and I have put on a noticeable amount of muscle. I never thought there would be a day where I was able to look in the mirror and be proud of what was looking back. Bodybuilding changed my life and it is something that I will do until I am physically unable to. My journey was difficult but I was determined to reach my goal and better myself.