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Before starting P90X, the last time I was in shape I was 11 years old. As soon as I was able to reach the kitchen cabinets, that is when the struggle with my weight first began.

Throughout the early stages of my childhood (4-11) I loved playing sports and being active. I would always be outside on my bike, playing baseball, kickball, football, you name it and I wanted to do it. I vividly remember getting in trouble with my father on countless occasions because I was outside playing too long and never came home.

Around the age of 12, for reason’s still unknown to me, I changed. I was no longer the kid who was into sports and enjoyed being active. Sure I would attend the occasional baseball game, but it became something I didn’t even enjoy watching on television. I suddenly wondered how people can get so emotional over watching a professional sporting event. Not only did I not like to watch it, but I also hated playing it. Honestly, I hated doing anything related to exercise. I think the first day I really started to change and develop this hatred for sports was when I got my computer for the first time. Little did I know that the present of a computer would turn into something much worse. It was like my addiction to the computer and the internet suddenly changed my whole outlook on life.

I became addicted to my computer. Instead of hanging out with friends or being involved in sports, I would sit in my bedroom and be on the computer. This got even worse once I discovered I could play video games on the computer. No longer did I need to go outside to interact with my friends, now all I could do it all through the computer.

My parents tried to get me off to the computer and into some organized sports but it just didn’t work. They signed me up for the Hoops basketball program thinking this would make me change. Unfortunately it lasted only for about one practice before I quit. It was clear that the computer was going to be a big part of my life.

As the next two years went by, my weight only got higher and higher and my eating habits worse and worse. My day’s consisted of going to school, coming home and sitting down in front of the computer with a big bag of Doritos. This was a regular occurrence for me, everyday I would have a whole bag of Doritos while sitting at the computer. Any normal person wouldn’t be hungry after eating a whole bag, but for me that wasn’t the case. I would eat the whole bag of Doritos and then wonder what was for dinner. It was almost like I could not get enough food.

The worst part about my bad habits was that I really did not care about my weight and what I looked like. It wasn’t until I got to about the age of 14 where I began to actually care about my appearance. Unfortunately by then it was too late and I had already done the damage to my body. I wanted a girlfriend more than anything but had the hardest time because of how out of shape I let myself get. Every time I liked a girl it never went anywhere, I would always be put into the “friend zone”. Not only did I have trouble getting a girlfriend but I was also teased at school for my weight. I was always the fat kid that no girl wanted to be with and always the second to last, if not last, kid to be picked in gym class. I felt miserable.

Weighing in at 181 pounds with a height of 5’6 and being only 16 years of age, I was in the worst shape of my life. After going to the doctors and having him tell me that I’m fat, I decided enough was enough and that it was time to make a change. I immediately went home and started researching what I could do to lose weight fast. That is when my sister told me about the Atkins diet and how she knew people who got great results with it. I decided to give it a shot and I was pleasantly surprised. I managed to lose 40 pounds in less than two months and even managed to get a girlfriend. Life was great, or so I thought until I got comfortable in my new relationship and stopped doing Atkins. Before I knew it the weight crept back on faster than I had lost it! The girl I was dating moved to another state so we ended the relationship and I was now back in the same boat I started in.

For a good part of that next year I bounced around in the 175-180 range, it wasn’t until I met my next girlfriend when I was 17 that I decided to give this weight loss thing another try. Late one night we saw an infomercial for Slim in 6 and decided to give it a try. It was definitely one of those impulse buys because by the time it arrived at the house we no longer had the motivation to do it. Eventually we ended up losing the DVD and at the time I had figured that was probably the last experience I would ever have with Beachbody.

It wasn’t until the age of 22, during the summer that things began to change for me. I had been dumped by the girl I had been with since I was 17 and I was incredibly depressed. At the time, and in the wrong frame of mind I had thought that I would do anything to get this girl back. I had tried anything and everything, and one of the things I though might get her back is if I got into really good shape. So for the duration of the summer I committed to the program Nutrisystem and gave up drinking alcohol. With Nutrisystem I went from 181 pounds to a low of 135 pounds. I honestly thought with this weight loss I would have another chance with her, but honestly it did not do anything to help it. In all reality she ended up saying that I was “too skinny”, as well as many of my family members said the same thing! So much for having support by those close to me! I was skinny from changing my diet, but still not in shape because I did not work out. I like to say I was the “Skinniest, flabby guy” I knew.

I managed to keep the weight off for about 6 months still hoping that she would take me back, which she didn’t. It wasn’t until one night I realized I need to want to change because of me and not because of anyone else. That is one concept I never really understood throughout my life until after the breakup with my ex. After I realized things with her were over with I began to get back to my normal life. I was in college after all and it was time to live my life and just be me and get back to being myself and not being what I think somebody else wants me to be.

It wasn’t long after I made that change in my life that good things started happening to me. One night while in my dorm, I ended up meeting a girl by the name of Christine who lived in the room on the floor directly above mine. Little did I know that over the next few weeks she and I would begin dating and that I would eventually fall in love. Christine was the perfect gift to come at just the right time in my life. She was the first girl I had been with that made me feel good about myself. She was the first girlfriend that I ever had that I felt comfortable with myself and in my own skin. Before meeting her, I was incredibly self conscious about my body, even after loosing weight. I was the guy who would wear a shirt in the pool or to the beach (if I didn’t completely avoid those locations altogether.) even when around my family. Christine was the first girl that made me feel confident with being shirtless. In fact, she made me feel so confident that I eventually got comfortable, too comfortable.

After being with Christine for about a year and a half I graduated college and entered the “real world”. After college I got a job working very long hours at a shoe and sport clothing retail store. This wasn’t the dream job I had hoped to get after graduating college but it was something to pay the bills in the mean time. Between the long hours on the job and dealing with a not so pleasant boss, I was HIGHLY stressed. To handle the stress, about 4-5 times a week I would go to Chilis Grill & Bar Restaurant and overindulge in food and alcohol. My poison of choice was boneless buffalo wings with a side of ranch dressing for an appetizer, Crispy Chicken Crispers in Buffalo Sauce with a side of French fries for my entrée, and washed down with multiple long island ice teas. Obviously these are not the healthiest meals, especially at 9 at night! Days when I wasn’t eating at Chilis Grill & Bar Restaurant I was ordering takeout food at home. Dominos, McDonalds, Wendy’s, Burger King, any place that served unhealthy food, I was at! It didn’t take long being in the real world to gain back all the weight I had once lost.

One too many nights after eating then feeling bloated and like I weighed a million pounds suddenly sparked something inside of me. I was SICK AND TIRED of being SICK AND TIRED. I felt bad because I looked nothing like I first looked like when Christine met me. I wanted to look and feel like the guy I was when she first met me. Neither Christine nor I were going down a good path with our eating and something had to be done. Then, almost like a gift from God, a commercial for P90X came on the television. It seemed like it was an answer to all our problems, so after a long talk about it we decided to commit and purchase the program. We figured if we split the cost it wouldn’t be that big of a loss if it didn’t work, plus we loved that we could try it for 90 days and get our money back if we didn’t see results.

To prepare ourselves for the program while we waited for it to be delivered we decided it would be best to get out every craving we may have while doing P90X. During the week it took for P90X to arrive we ate every single thing we could possibly think of so that we could get it “out of our system”. Our last meal before starting the program was a cheese steak with cheese whiz from the world famous “Pats Steaks” in Philadelphia. Thinking of that meal now just makes me think of a heart attack in the making! Another thing we did to prepare ourselves for our P90X journey was we rid our house of all junk food to avoid any temptation of eating bad.

When P90X arrived on May 15, 2011, we hit the ground running and never looked back. We committed to following the program 100% and following the nutrition program that came along with it. To further supplement our nutrition we started drinking Shakeology two weeks after starting P90X. After my first taste of Shakeology I was hooked. I have never tasted a health drink that was so amazing. It is literally my favorite meal of the day and I drink it every day for either breakfast our lunch. It was when I was about to purchase Shakeology when I was made aware of the opportunity to become a Beachbody Coach and help out others going through the same journey as I was. We unfortunately did not feel like we were ready to coach other people so we signed up at first to be a coach so that we could receive the 25% discount off of Shakeology. After about a month of being on Shakeology and following the P90X program both me and Christine truly saw amazing results and that the value in the products was phenomenal. For accountability I even did daily blog posts about our struggle everyday throughout P90X.

By the end of the 90 days of P90X and drinking Shakeology I was floored with my results. I went from 175.8 pounds to 149 pounds and lost a combined total of 18.3 inches off my body. Out of all the exercise programs I have done, P90X is my favorite. Not only has it shown me the important of exercise but it also showed me how incredibly important it was to eat right. Other non Beachbody products have worked for me, but this was the only program that actually taught me how to eat right and incorporate healthy eating into my day.

Now that I am finished all 90 days of P90X I feel like a changed man. I am no longer that kid who sits in front of his computer all day eating a bag of Doritos. I'm no longer an introvert and I actually get out and do active and social things now. I even had the opportunity to meet Tony Horton himself. I have this newfound feeling of energy and confidence that at one time I could only dream of. I am now a stronger, harder working, driven and more focused individual, I am nothing but a former shell of what I use to be. The fitness “bug” has bit me and has left a mark that will never go away. Beachbody has changed my life for the better and I am so incredibly happy and grateful to be involved with the company.

Since becoming a part of the Beachbody community I feel so much more fulfilled with my life. I have a beautiful girlfriend who has been with my through my journey, supporting me 100% of the way and amazing friends who I would have not known if it wasn’t for becoming a Beachbody coach. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I became a coach but am so glad I did. The support I received from my coach, and other Beachbody coaches has been overwhelming. Any time I had a question there was also somebody in the coaching community there to answer any question I may have had, whether that was about coaching, or just about my fitness. There was always someone there to help me get through my program. I feel good about coaching for Beachbody products and that I am actually making a difference in their world.

As I look into the future I plan on continuing to influence, inspire, motivate and change people’s lives for the better. I have already started on the next Beachbody program, Insanity and once I finish that I plan to move on to another program. My goal is to complete all of the Beachbody programs so that I can be the best coach that I can be. The feeling I get helping people reach their goals is indescribable. I have never felt so good helping people as I do by being a Beachbody coach. I get so excited just hearing about one of the people I coach when they lose a pound or two! It all starts somewhere. I will do my best to be the best coach I can possibly be and nothing less. I will make a difference, one pound at a time!

The formula is simple in theory: Eat right and exercise regularly, and the results will follow. But, trust me, I know, it's just not that easy! A lot of us, most of us, don't know how how to go about eating right. BeachBody has taken all the guess work out of exercising. They've also provided guidelines on how to eat 5 to 6 balanced meals per day so that you lose weight and/or maintain it in a healthy manner.

So, where do I come in, as a coach? I'm here to be your personal cheerleader, to offer you guidance, an occasional or frequent butt-kicking, and help you in the ups and inevitable downs of this journey.

If you'd like me to coach you or if you have any questions regarding pretty much anything related to meeting your fitness goals, write to me at:

chriswatson06@gmail.com

If you think you'd like to become a coach, I would be happy to train you. Feel free to send me an email with any questions you may have.

Also, check out my blog at:

www.LetsGetToned.com

Also, find me on FACEBOOK:
http://facebook.com/watsonchris

Here's to your health,

Chris