Glen Allen,
I was fat! There is no other way to say it and there is no other way that I want to say it. Admitting it was my first step to fixing it.
Once upon a time I was one heck of an athlete. I was the starting quarterback for a high school football powerhouse, earned a Division 1 scholarship as a baseball player, and was probably a good enough point guard to earn a basketball scholarship if I had
I was fat! There is no other way to say it and there is no other way that I want to say it. Admitting it was my first step to fixing it.
Once upon a time I was one heck of an athlete. I was the starting quarterback for a high school football powerhouse, earned a Division 1 scholarship as a baseball player, and was probably a good enough point guard to earn a basketball scholarship if I had any extra time. Oh, and in my spare time I played golf at a highly competitive level carrying a handicap as low as 2 before my 21st birthday.
I share those facts with people today not to dazzle anyone with 20-year old athletic accomplishments, but to set the foundation for why I ballooned to 245 lbs at 5'10". While I was active in sports at a high level, lifting weights to build strength, participating in conditioning drills, practice, and games I also played pick-up basketball on the weekends for hours...just for fun. My body worked overtime every day and I could not get enough food...ever. I ate everything in sight. More specifically, I ate everything in sight and nothing in sight was good for me. Quite frankly, I grew up in a family of people with the metabolism of the gods. Not one person around me was fat despite the fact that we always ate fried food, gravy, white bread, real sugar, white flour, and potatoes at EVERY meal. In between meals, potato chips, soft drinks, and homemade cookies, cakes and pies were always available. All of that and there was not an ounce of body fat on me that was noticeable.
Guess what happened when the sports career was over and I had to work for a living, care for a family, and got a bit older?
Obviously, the answer is that I started to gain weight. I started to build a successful professional life behind a desk, did not exercise, and kept the exact same eating habits. That was a recipe for disaster! But what did I do to fix it? My master plan was to make excuses...and it worked! I was always busy with work or always tired after a long day or really needed to watch the football game on television for a few minutes. I convinced myself that the image staring back at me was not fat and unhealthy. That worked too...I still thought I looked good! I always had an reason for accepting an unhealthy and overweight version of me. All of the tricks that my mind played on me worked...I did nothing about it and it got worse! Of course I would lose 5 pounds for a month and then gain it back...and I even lost 15 lbs. starving myself on the Atkins Diet. Can you imagine the fat guy cutting out bread and potatoes? I hated running, I hated stretching, I hated a day without Coca-Cola and chips, I hated workout videos that I could do at home and I hated the idea of going to a gym...I was killing myself.
The ultimate result was 245 lbs, a 40 inch waist when I bought pants, and a body that always felt tired and ill.
No more. I am done. Thanks to Beachbody and, specifically to Chalean Extreme, today I weigh 194 lbs. I will, without a doubt, return to my college baseball playing weight of 180 lbs. I can't sleep more than 6 hours a night because I have so much energy and I just purchased jeans in a 34 inch waist size. And I don't hate workout videos anymore...because with Chalean Extreme and P90X, I have found workout programs that are the real deal!
To my friends, family and to those reading my story for the first time Beachbody is no joke. Those of you that have seen me lately know that I am a walking billboard for the power of Chalean Extreme. Beachbody has been life-changing for me and that is why I decided to join the team as a Beachbody Coach. I want to share my "recipe for disaster" and my journey back to a healthy body. I have learned three simple concepts that are key...
1- Muscle burns fat
2- 80% kitchen and 20% gym
3- Those before and after photos can be real! Mine will be,..how about yours?
Please contact me to learn more about these ideas, to discuss your goals and/or to learn more about Team Beachbody. I guarantee that it will be the best thing that you have done for yourself in quite some time.
Mike Parker
