This is where my fitness journey began. Back towards the end of 2014, I had reached my heaviest weight, at around 240lbs.
THE BEGINNINGS
I started gaining weight around 8 years old, and by 9-10 years old, I was already uncomfortable and insecure about my body. It wasn’t because I thought society had “standards”, or because I wanted to impress anyone, I was just simply uncomfortable in my own body. Like wearing a really uncomfortable and mis-matching outfit that you can’t change out of.
On the inside, I had an admiration for those who were athletic, and had strong, well-built physiques. I loved the idea of using the body like art, and expressing it in physical ways.
The problem was my lack of fitness knowledge (I used to run and do crazy amounts of cardio to no avail) as well as my struggle with food.
In early 2015, I had returned from a trip with family and was going through photos from the trip. Seeing myself in pictures was hard as I was coming to the realization that I could not keep going down this path. I had to make a change.
I found a fitness icon, Greg Plitt (RIP), and joined his site which kickstarted my fitness journey that still continues today. In my first few years, I had learned so much and saw my body change in ways I never actually thought possible.
At the time, I had been attending college but without realizing it, I was building upon my real passion. The results I had achieved inspired me to want to keep learning more. I ended up leaving college and tried to find ways to expand my experience and knowledge of fitness, and nutrition.
I joined NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) and became a CPT (Certified Personal Trainer).
After the great shutdown of 2020, I turned my attention to the internet as a possible way of sharing my journey, knowledge, and passion with the world.
Throughout my journey, I have experienced just about every hiccup you can on a fitness journey. I yo-yo dieted a LOT, I lost weight and gained it back, second guessed what I was doing and why, had self-doubt, dealt with a drinking problem, etc, etc.
But I NEVER actually gave up. I knew that the only way you truly lose in life is when you take yourself out of the game, and I wasn’t about quitting. I didn’t care how “unrealistic” some might have thought my goals were, I wanted to do all that I could so that if I never achieved my goal, at least I would know that it wasn’t my fault.
Because of this, before I knew it, I had abs, weighed around 160lbs, and was in the best shape I had ever been in. I had proven to myself what was possible through the fundamental principles of dedication, hard-work, perseverance, and most of all, self-belief.
MY VEGAN JOURNEY
I was not always vegan. I officially became vegan in the fall of 2021. Growing up, my favorite foods were Mac and cheese, bacon burgers, chicken strips, and of course, pizza.
However, being vegan was already in my blood from a young age. I vividly remember things like sitting in the waiting area at a Red Lobster, and watching the lobsters in the tanks and then feeling sad that those were the same lobsters that would be boiled alive so people could eat them.
I knew I cared for animals, and recognized that they could suffer in the same ways people can suffer, but my cognitive dissonance, lack of further understanding, and doing what I always thought was “normal”, kept me eating animal products.
Just before I fully went vegan, I was eating as plant-based as possible, as I started to learn more about the health benefits of plant-foods. I was still, however, eating the usual chicken, tuna, egg whites, cheese, whey protein, etc. because I was still living under the illusion that these foods were necessary for fitness goals.
Once I finally learned the opposite, I could no longer hold on to the excuses I was using to still buy and consume animal products. I went full vegan. In doing so, not only did my body continue to transform from where it was (I got ripped WITHOUT trying, seriously) and had dropped down to around 150lbs. These changes gave me more motivation and knowledge to share my journey with the world.
And now, here we are! And the journey continues! Here are some pics of my physique from AFTER going vegan!
