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My transformation actually starts before I discovered P90X. In April 2007 I was feeling very poorly all the time and definitely was out of shape at about 180 pounds on my 5'5" frame. Even climbing the stairs in my house brought about a tightness in my chest. After a short walk one day I was feeling particularly bad and decided to make an appt. to see the Dr., a visit I hadn’t made in many years. I got in that Saturday and the Dr. ran several tests. He said nothing stood out too bad, but wanted me to take a treadmill test. They got me in and after about 7 minutes on a mild incline, I had to stop the test. My heart rate was way up and the tightness in my chest was worse than ever. They called the Dr. back and said they’d like me to go over to the ER to get checked out. After several hours in the ER and my first ever IV, they said to relax as they’d be admitting me for at least the night to run more tests. Oh great, like I don’t have TV to watch. After several more hours and 1000 questions of family history (no heart disease, high blood pressure or anything) they determined that they needed to go in and do an angiogram. To do this I’d have to be transferred to another hospital the following day.

I arrived at the new facility around 9:00 the next morning after my first ambulance ride (a whole weekend of firsts) I was put on the waiting list. Around 9:00 that night I finally made it to the operating room. The procedure was short, around 45 minutes and you’re not fully under, just sleepy. When they brought me out they showed me just how bad the issue was. The Dr. had x-rays of my heart, showing an artery that had been 95% blocked. He said I was indeed a lucky man not to have just dropped over one day. He said they had put in a stent and ballooned another artery that was 50% blocked. After another night in the hospital I was released. The results of all the tests had showed that my Triglycerides were well over 700 (the highest my Dr. had ever seen) and my Cholesterol was almost 300. I got a stern lecture from the Cardiologist about my diet, which at the time was high fat, high sugars, no veggies. Basically the same diet I’d had since I was little. Could there be a correlation between that and blocked arteries? I basically had to completely change the way I approached eating. As for exercise I was allowed to walk for 30 minutes. No weights, no strenuous activity. That’s fine, I was your average couch potato.

I began to cut back on my lifelong favorite, red meat. By my next appt. in August I was eating about 25% of what I had been, but I was still not eating balanced. I have always been a sweets junkie and that was something I just couldn’t seem to kick. I was making slow progress, so my Dr. said to keep it up and I could start light weight workouts. This continued until early November when by chance I saw an infomercial to Get Ripped in 90 Days. As I watched it, it hit me, I needed much more structure. I talked to my wife and we decided to try the program together. After the DVDs arrived, I previewed a few and began to wonder if I’d made the right decision. I hadn’t worked out regularly in years and this looked tough. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. The best part for me was the nutrition guide. I decided right there that I would give 100%, no cheating. We began the Monday after Thanksgiving. Eating my first veggies in years was brutal. I hated it, I wanted something sweet. For the first 30 days I thought I would die without candy, baked goods, something. But I persevered. My wife cooked healthy for us. I tracked everything I ate. It started to become habit. I had another round of blood tests coming up in January and I was determined to see results. I was no longer crying every time I saw a cinnamon roll. I can do this.

In early January 2008 I had my blood test. I couldn’t wait for the results. When they showed up I actually let out a Whoop!!!!! My Triglycerides level was 112 and my Cholesterol was 100. I attribute this directly to the P90X program and the nutritional guidance I received from the community. On February 23, 2008 my wife and I officially became P90X grads. We’ve not only seen the difference in our bodies, but it’s the unseen changes that have meant the most. In 10 months I had gone from being a walking time bomb to being capable of enjoying my life again. I've now completed 5 Rounds of P90X/X+, as well as ChaLEAN Extreme and Insanity. Let me say that Insanity was the hardest program I have ever done. It reminds me of the old football conditioning days. But it allowed me to take my cardio fitness levels to unthought of heights. My wife and I are now training for our first race, a 5k. We were shocked when we ran our first two miles, Insanity had prepared us tremndously. We weren't even breathing hard. We'll see where we go from there.
One of my proudest moments was being a winner in the July 2009 Million Dollar Body Game. It was a goal I set when I first started and was looking at others' transformations. I'm very proud to say I've reached that goal.