My two year anniversary

Its hard to believe two years has passed since I started my journey. On march 10,2012  I decided to take back control of my life. I had went to my doctor after my best friend told me he was worried about me weight. I never realized how much my weight had gotten out of control. I avoided taking picture except from the neck up. I avoided scales and would rarely look in the mirror.  I figured if i didn't see the number on the scale or me in the mirror that i could avoid how unhappy i was with my weight.  It wasn't until my best friend told me that i was going to die young and leave my kids with no father that i really opened my eyes to what i had created. I was suffering from depression lack of self esteem.   I drank and ate thinking it would make me feel better.  But it never seemed to work.  The food or alcohol would only numb the pain i felt inside for a short period of time.  I went to the doctor the final time and when i saw 390 lbs flash i knew i had to do something.  The next day i told my wife Nancy i was going to walk a mile. She had a look of surprise and said OK.  i made it maybe a half mile down the road and had to call her to pick me up. every day i would walk a little further than the day before even it was just a step. I took me almost 28 min to walk that first mile.  I continued walking everyday building up to 3 miles day after a few short months.  The weight was coming off and i joined in shape city in turlock after seeing a friend of from high school worked there. i started weight training and continued walking. i still had no clue on what i was doing. I logged my food on the app my fitness pal.  It was hard for me to go to the gym.  I was intimidated and felt embarrassed because i saw all these ripped guys walking around throwing up a bunch of weight. I finally went as far as i could and had to ask for help.




I had met Bill Sienerth at the San Jose Fit expo in July 2012.  Hew was the only person who actually talked to me and that actually listened to what i had to say.I will never forget when he told me he could train me.I was thinking yeah right. The one thing that stuck in my mind was when he said i will change your life.  We stayed in contact over the next few months via twitter and facebook. It took me a few months but i finally took that step of faith and signed up with Bill. he told me to get ready cause he was going to help me change my life.  I was a little over 310 when i started the program.   he designed a program for me and my goals.  The first month i lost over 25 lbs.  the weight continued to come off.  At my one year Weigh in i lost 125 lbs in the first year.  But it wasn't just the weight loss that was victory.  It was the start of a whole new lifestyle.  I knew that in order for the weight to stay off it couldn't be a diet it had to be a lifestyle change.  The second year was about not just losing weight but also growing mentally.  I have had the opportunity to do things i never would have been able to do if i hadn't gone for that walk that day.  I had the opportunity to be on stage with Bill at the la fit expo. I had the opportunity to be a brand ambassador for Gnc. I think the greatest thing i have gotten is a better quality of life not just for myself but for my children,. The past year has had its up and downs.  Its Victories and its failures.  I take the failures as lessons to learn from.  I still struggle like everyone else does.  I have my good days and my bad days.  the key is not allowing those bad days turn into weeks or months.  I struggled in December after getting denied for skin removal surgery.  I sometimes  would look in the mirror and still the fat guy looking back at me. I don't see the physical results as much as i would like but i know that i am not the same person i was yesterday and wont be the same person tomorrow.  I continue to press forward and try to focus on the now.  I take the tools I've learned and try to apply them on a daily basis.  Sometimes it takes more than one try to get it correct but the key is to never give up.




So today marked my two year anniversary of my journey.   i hit some am cardio and them the scale.   i weighed in at 230 lbs.  I am proud of what i have been able to do over the past two years. I know that there is no end to the process just new beginnings and will continue to learn new things everyday.  Here is to a great 2014 filled with new adventures and new opportunities.  I was so excited to find out today that i was accepted as as FitFluential Ambassador. It was  like a birthday present for my two year birthday lol.






I would like to thank my wife Nancy for supporting me over the past two years with my journey.  I would not have been able to do it with out you and your support.  Here is to a great 2014 filled with new adventures and new opportunities.

The struggle is worth the benefits

So I had an awesome day today. Not only did I get the news that I am an Imfitpossible ambassador but I had the pleasure of taking my children to there first t ball practice. It was so fun to see them so excited to try something new. The highlight for me was being able to be out there being an able to help ad participate. I know that if I wouldn't have made the decision to change my life and get healthy I would not have been able to have this and more opportunities. I was kind f an emotional mess in my mind lol. I thought back to almost two years ago at 390 lbs. I probably would not have been able to participate with them. If I did it would have been very limited on what I could and couldn't do. I look back and so thankful that my friend Matt cared enough to step  up and finally say something to me that day.  days like today make all the long days in the gym all worth the effort.

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Sometimes life gets so busy that we take things for granted. I do things today that I couldn't do back then. I can touch my toes, tie my shoes, run and play with my kids.  days like today really validate that I made the right decision not just for me but for my family.  I'm far from being down and look forward to what the future brings me and my family.

Encourage & Empower

I have been wondering why its so hard for people to encourage one another no matter what road they choose with getting fit. It shouldn't matter if your a power lifter, runner or whether you choose to follow a pescatarian or your a vegetarian.  It shouldn't matter if you are using Body By Vi  or Herbalife.  All that should matter is that the end result is we are healthy and happy.

It amazes me how once you try to find something new that fits you better how quick people are to judge you or what your doing.  I believe that any program you choose will work for each individual person as long as they work hard at it.  i know a family who has done amazing things with there health through Herbalife & Body By Vi.  I believe it boils down to what you find the most rewarding for yourself.

 I use to feel the need to justify the path I have chosen but now honestly i don't feel the need to anymore.  It works for me and I am in the best Shape of my life.  I have an awesome support group that starts with my wife Nancy.  I have an awesome trainer in Bill Sienerth who challenges me daily with my personalized healthy life plan.  I get daily motivation and inspiration from Kelly Olexa and the rest of the FitFluential community.  I am inspired daily by seeing every day people sharing there journeys of accomplishments as well as failures.  Is there a right way or wrong way to to get fit and stay fit.  I really don't think so as long as you do it in a healthy and safe manner.There will always be people who will questions what you do and why you do it. In the end all that matters is that you can look yourself in the mirror and be happy with what you have done and who you are.

This morning I gave shaker cup and shirt I got from the expo to a guy in my gym.  He has a similar story to mine. He was overweight and decided to change his life through fitness.  He did it all through exercise Body By Vi and healthy eating.  Even though we took different paths the end result is we are both healthy and living life at a whole new level.  I encourage you to find someone during your day and give a smile a hand shake buy them a coffee or even just a hello its good to see you.  You never know how much you can impact someone day or even life.

A life changing event The Fit Expo

Who knew attending attending the San Jose Fit Expo would have such an impact on my life. In July of 2012  I attended the my first fit expo with only one intention to meet Ufc fighter Tito Ortiz.  I walked around all day not knowing what anything about supplements or who any of the athletes were. In my mind I felt like everyone was watching me. I was close to 350 lbs when I attended my first fit expo. I felt awkward and out of place. I wandered around waiting for the Q&A and meet and greet with My UFC hero Tito Ortiz. As I sat listening to him speak he said something that hit home. He woke up one morning and looked in the mirror and did not like what he saw looking back. I had that feeling a few month before when I started my weight loss journey in march tipping the scale at 386 lbs. on the way out I saw the only booth I recognized which was the Gnc booth. The one thing I have noticed about the athletes at Gnc are how encouraging and interactive they are with the people who attend the events. This is also where I met my trainer Bill Sienerth.  Not knowing anything about supplements I tossed my bag full of samples away on my way out. Knowing what I know I now I kick myself for that choice lol. 

      My next fit expo was the La Fit Expo 2014. I was about two months into working with Bill when he invited e down to La. He was giving a seminar on Sunday and asked if I would attend and speak a little about my journey. Once again the vent was amazing. I was a little more in tune with what was going on and who some of the athletes where. I got meet a ton of awesome people like  4x Mr Olympia Jay Cutler, Tito Ortiz, Duane Ludwig and Many others. I got to meet more of the Gnc athletes. Wade & Karl Gillingham, 8x Ms Fitness Olympia Adela Garcia. These athletes where very encouraging and supportive of not just me but everyone they came in contact with. On Sunday Bill took the stage for the seminar. As I sat there and listened I got nervous knowing eventually he would call me up on stage with him.  Even though  wasn't going to say much I had to face my fear of getting up in front of people I didn't know. He called me up and put up my before picture. As I began to answer his picture it clicked in my mind that I would eventually want to speak and tell my story to inspire others. We came off the stage and Mr Natural Olympia (1998) shook my hand and gave me some words of encouragement. I got to meet Tito Ortiz again and show him my picture from when I met him 6 months before. I asked him to sign my 5 xl punishment shirt. I came away from this event with a dream and goal of motivational speaking. My weight was about 260 at this time.

I attended the San Jose fit expo for the second time in July 2013. It had been a year since I had attend this event that had had impacted my so much. I meet new athletes that I had not met before and some that I had meet from the previous year.  I went with some of my former wrestlers who had me show my before picture to some of the athletes we met. I remember meeting Greg Plitt an showing him my before picture. He was blown away by my before picture. His exact words were omg lol.he grabbed his video camera and did a small interview of me right there in his line. I told him why I started and how my trainer Bill had made my personal healthy life plan. We talked for what seemed like for ever lol. He was very supportive and encouraging. I was a walking around the expo and ran into Mark "Flex" Anthony. He was such an amazing person to talk to. I had on my Bill Sienerth shirt and he knew right away who I was lol. The event was full of reflection of where I had been the year before and how far I had come. This year I knew not to throw my goodie bag of supplements away lol. 

This years La Fit Expo was awesome. I got to meet and see new and old faces from my previous visits to the expo. I got into town others day before the event itching to do some sort of workout. So I rented a bike at the he Santa Monica pier and met up with Bill. We took off and headed north towards Malibu.  We biked for a while and headed back. I started thinking that at this time last year I never would have been physically able to do the ride. I got to the expo early on Saturday and stood I the massive line to get in. My first booth to visit was 360 cut. I wanted to meet Dean "the freak of physique" Fazzolari. He was such a great person to meet in person. I follow him on Instagram and love his motivating posts and new workout ideas. I got some 360 cut sample and could not wait to get home and try there preworkout called activator. I showed him my before picture and got picture with him. My next stop was to see 4x Mr O Jay Cutler.  I had taken my son Nathan a few weeks before to meet him in San Jose. Nathan stood in line for almost two hrs to meet him. He got a picture with him that jay later posted on Facebook and Instagram. He called him his new bodyguard bat boy. As we left he said that muscle man bill had bigger muscles than Jay Cutler lol. I made a copy of the picture he got with Jay and Nathan signed it so I could give it to him. As always Jay was great to meet. He loved the picture Nathan autographed for him. I went to hear Jillian Michaels speak at her seminar. She was amazing to listen to.. I made stops at Evogen nutrition booth to meet Steve Kucklo as well as virus athletic wear to meet Cub Swanson. One of my great healthy snack food finds from day one had to be the ratio bar. Every time I hear all natural,gluten free, gmo free I think of something with no flavor and tastes like cardboard lol.  This is not the case with this protein bar. It tastes amazing. I tried the cake batter flavor and it literally tasted like a spoon full of cake batter. I tried several others through the out the day and in my opinion no other bar came close to it in flavor or even in its texture. I highly recommend grabbing some from your local Gnc. 

Day two went by faster than day one. Even though the crowd wasn't as big I was passing time with one of my former wrestlers Phil Tubera. My first stop was the bodybuilding.com booth. Was in and out in no time. We went back later and the line was at least a 2 hr wait. Next stop was the optimum nutrition booth. I wanted to meet Steve Cook again and have him sign my picture I had taken with him from the San Jose Fit Expo. He noticed right away that I had lost more weight since we had last taken a picture. Phil said out load show him your before picture coach. I showed him and he couldn't believe it. He asked me how I had achieved my weight loss so far. I explained to him that I was on a healthy life plan designed by my Trainer Bill. He asked if he could ask me a few more questions and I happily said yes. He called over his swoldier nation video camera guy an started to do a mini interview asking my why I started and how stay motivated. He asked me what advice I would give to other obese people just starting out. It was a very cool experience because I was there to meet him and he spun the tables around and was more interested in me story. As I left I thanked him for his time and the autograph I got for Nathan. He said the pleasure was all his and thanked me for sharing my inspirational story.  I had to meet Maria Kang (aka the fit mom). She came under fire for posting a picture of her an her three kids with the subtitle what's your excuse. I shared my story with her and showed her my before picture.she was so humble and her message is not one of fat bashing mom butt what I took from her was even as parents we need to take the time to set an example for our children and live a healthy life. We we moved onto the next booth which was Dana Linn Bailey( 1st ever ms physique Olympia winner) Dana and her husband rob where amazing people to meet.  Once again Phil told me to show here my before picture and the response I got from Rob and Dana was awesome. I explained how I had lost the weight and they were very encouraging as well. We went on to meet one of Bills friends Mark (flex) Anthony. The first ever men's physique Mr Olympia.. He is such a down to earth great person to meet. It seemed like day two flew by so fast lol. Another great expo in the books and can't wait to hit the San Jose fit expo in July. Bill and I wrapped up the weekend with an awesome upper body workout at the iconic Golds gym in Venice,ca.

  We ventured home on Monday stopping a long the way to enjoy the beautiful pacific coast. It was time of reflection for me as we drove I thought back on the past two years. I never would have been able to hike ride or experience all that I have if I had not taken that step of faith to change my life. With the amazing support of my wife Nancy I am experiencing life like I never have before.  If you ever have a chance to attend a Fit Expo event I encourage you to do so.  it may change your life the way it changed mine.I encourage anyone who reads this and is thinking about starting a healthier lifestyle to not wait till tomorrow or next week. Start today.  It's as easy as going for a walk or bike ride. Make simple changes in your eating habits. Don't bite off more than you can chew.  Make it fun set small goals for yourself. Daily goals that turn into weekly goals that then turn into bigger goals. I look back and don't regret not starting earlier. I know that the path I took before now sets my path for the future. I take my past defeats and learn from them.  I think the highlight of the trip was having Bill meet my family.  He got meet my why. My family is what keeps me going. I want to lead by example for my children. I want them to see that leading a healthy lifestyle can be fun as well as taste good. I also want to inspire people along the way and show them that it is possible to lose weight with out any surgery or crazy diets.  Hard work and dedication pay off. If your thinking of starting your weight loss journey click on the tab to my trainer Bill Sienerth's website at the top of my page.  If your looking for encouragement and accountability I urge you to follow and join FitFluential on Facebook and Instagram as well as follow there CEO and founder Kelly Olexa. 

I love running

So today was a pretty a pretty awesome day for me in the gym. I told myself that I was going to do three miles in 30 minutes or less.  Some of you may think that is not very fast but, for me it would be a huge accomplishment. You have to know my story to understand that almost two years ago walking half a mile was a struggle. I was morbidly obese and depressed. I felt like a complete failure and was not liking myself at all. I have a beautiful wife and two beautiful children but still there was a void. I had  always put up a front of not caring what others thought but always longed to feel accepted. I used my sense of humor to hide the fact that I was hurting inside. I would drown my sorrows in food drugs & alcohol. I had thoughts of suicide before I got married. I curbed my drug abuse with drinking and my drinking with over eating. Before I knew it I was 386 lbs with one foot in the grave. I had sleep apnea high cholesterol high blood pressures and a slew of other medical problems I was dealing with. It all changed by attending the San Jose fit expo.  This one event changed my life forever.

    So that's a little background of why today was so awesome for me. I got up and decided I was going to run 3 miles in 30 minutes or less.  I stretched a little probably not enough lol. I set my google play to Hatebred and was off.  I felt good the first mile and new I had to pick up the pace in the second mile.  I was cruising along at a steady pace feeling good. I hit my second mile and picked the pace up to 6 mph.  Now mind you it's might not seem fast but for me this was a mental barrier that I have had for such a long time. I had never truly let go and actually believed that I can run at 6 mph. I knew in my mind that I would have to kick the speed up a little more to meet my goal.  I hit it up to 6.5 mph and was starting to labor a little more or at least that's what my mind was telling me. I hit the last minute and a half at 7 mph and ended my 3miles at 30:45 seconds. The feeling of accomplishment was a little overwhelming for me. I have to admit I actually became a little emotional. I thought back to that day in march of 2012 when I had to call nancy to come pick me up cause I couldn't make it back from my mile walk.  I thought back to not being able to bend over and tie my own shoes. I thought back to having to go to the big and tall section to buy my clothes. It finally clicked I am not who I use to be. I am better today than I was yesterday and tomorrow I will be better than I was today.  Even though I missed my mark by 45 seconds I knew that I could do it.   It was that split second that I started to listen to sliver of doubt that cost me my 30 min or less.  Even though it might seem like a defeat it's a victory cause I can recognize where my need for improvement is.

 I sat on the row machine and had all these emotions going through my mind. As the typical male I was just happy that I was soaked with sweat and no one could see my misty eyes lol. I finished my workout with a light 15 minutes on the row machine. As I was a walking down stairs from the cardio area another gym member introduced himself to me and told me that he was impressed with my effort. He aid he remembers seeing me before and can tell how far I've come. It made my morning even that much better. I have never been a runner. Even in high school when I wrestled I would never go out and run. This week I hit two pb one in distance 5.75 miles on 65 minutes and today's 3 miles in 30:45. I will continue to build on these milestones. Next stop for distance is my 10 k and for what I call speed is 30 minutes or less for my 5k. I will not be denied. I am through living in self doubt. I will set a mark and I will achieve it. It may not be the first time but I will keep going until I get it. I love this quote below from Arnold.  I've been asked by many people of I regret not starting sooner. I have few regrets in my life. I don't regret not starting sooner. My struggles have helped make me who I am today. I will learn from my past and apply what I've learned to make myself better each day. I will run my first timed 5k in march.  If your in the Modesto California area come on out and givea cheer lol. I won't be the fastest but on race day I will own my race.

     

Inspiration

In July 2012 I was a at cross roads in the journey I had started. I was still worried about what other thought and how they saw me. I attended the San Jose fit expo and felt completely out of place. I felt like everyone was starting at the fat guy walking around. I was ready to leave when I saw the Gnc booth. I went over to see what kind of samples I could get. I never knew that making the decision to swing by this one last booth would make my whole journey make a 180 degree turn. This is where I meet Bill Sienerth. I remember our conversation and unlike many of the others I had met that day Bill seemed genuinely interested in what I was saying.  He offered tons of encouragement and said he was personal trainer.  I think the thing that stuck with me the most was when he told me that he would change my life. We kept in touch over Facebook and Twitter and he kept asking me when I was going too let him change my life. His charisma and desire to help others better  themselves is infectious. I started his healthy life program in nov 2012 and was he right lol he changed life as I knew it. He has helped me not only go from 386 lbs to 230 lbs but to also believe that I can do what ever I choose to do. He continues to inspire me to be the greatest version of myself that I can be. I have wanted to quit. I have told him I was quitting and he told me no your not. He continues to believe in me even when I don't believe in myself. I want to continue to not only be inspired by Bill but to return the favor and inspire others around me. He is an article he was featured in last summer.

Someone who I have meet along my journey is Kelly Olexa.  She is the founder and CEO of Fitfluential. Fitfluential is a community of fitness enthusiasts sharing our journey via social media Facebook Twitter Instagram and any other way possible lol. I've learned a lot from beings  member of fitfluential. The community itself Is an amazing resource. Whether your into crossfit, running, bodybuilding triathletes they cover it all. Fitfluential is for anyone interested in fitness no matter what level you are on. The community is as positive as founder Kelly Olexa her self. Her positive attitude is just as contagious as Bill Sienerth's. She posts,interacts and encourages all her followers on a daily basis. I have never meet her personally but she is a huge inspiration for me and for many others that she inspires on a daily basis. Her positive can do attitude and genuine concern for others is amazing.  She always seems to have line on what's what in fitness whether it's new shoes or new fitness gadgets. I encourage you all to follow an join fitfluential and to follow Kelly Olexa on twitter and Instagram.

One of the greatest compliments I have gotten are when people have told me that I have Inspired them.  I want to live my life to not only inspire my children but to have them inspire others as well along the way. When we leave this world we don't take anything with us. How will we be remembered. I don't want to be on my death bed regretting things I wished I had done. I would rather fail at something and know that I tried to do it. I want my children to learn from me and live there lives to the fullest.  We need to encourage and inspire others on a daily basis. You never know how you will effect someone when you meet them.  Don't be the reason that they decide to quit rather encourage each other and be the reason that they didn't quit. One of the things I have learned and try to remember from Bill is " We are who we choose to be" this couldn't be more true. In the end we have no one to blame but ourselves for our own happiness or sadness.  We make the choice to be happy or sad. We choose how we react to what life throws at us. One thing I have learned is life goes on no matter what so why not make the decision to try and be as positive as possible no matter what. Surround yourself with like minded people that have the same goals or ideals as we do. Surround yourself with people who inspire you and want the best for you. I encourage you to follow My trainer Bill Sienerth on Facebook Twitter & Instagram as well as Kelly Olexa and Fitfluential.

If your looking to start your fitness journey or take it to the next level I encourage you to contact Bill about a healthy living program. He can personalize your plan no matter if it's for weight loss or for getting prepped for taking the stage fora competion. His link is here on my blog as well as the link to Fitfluential.

We all started somewhere

The new year is upon us and we have all made resolutions goals or promises to ourselves. Whether it's a start to a new journey or just an extension of it, we have to remember that we all started somewhere.

I hear a lot of people saying they hope to do this or hope to accomplish that. I feel that saying "I wish" or "I hope" is like leaving yourself a way out.  I know this first hand. I had always said in the past that i wish I could do this or hope to do that and nine out of ten times I never did it. The first step for me was realizing that there was a need for change. I was 35 years old and morbidly obese (386lbs). I had no idea what to do or how to do it. I just knew that I had to do something before I killed myself. I started walking. I couldn't walk very far at first but everyday I would walk a step further than I did the day before. Each time I went for a walk I would try and beat my distance and time from the day before. I changed the way I ate. I started logging my food into my fitness pal app on my phone. This made me more aware of what I was putting in my body. Each day it would get easier and easier to go further and further. I turned into a contest.  I was only competing against myself.

     In the beginning I told myself I was going to lose 100 lbs in a year.  This was my major goal. I would give myself smaller goals to attain along the way. I had daily weekly and monthly goals that would lead up to quarterly goals.  I had little rewards along the way that I would for.  It's important to keep yourself motivated.  It can be as  small as a cheat meal a pair of shoes a tattoo anything that will motivate you to keep going.  For me I found motivation in my children. I wanted to come home from work and have the energy to play with them with out getting winded. The thought of of dying at a young age and leaving my children with out a father. 

   On March 10,2013 I had my final weigh in for my year goal.  Not only did I lose the 100 lbs but I exceeded it by 25lbs.  I wasn't the strongest or the fastest in the gym.  I didn't have six pack abs or 20 inch biceps but what I did have was a sense of self accomplishment. I made a promise to myself and stuck to it.  The path was not smooth by any means. It was not just a physical journey I was on but a mental one as well. I had to deal with old demons I had thought I had gotten rid of long ago. There where times I wanted to quit.  There where times where I didn't stick to my meal plans. There were times I hit the snooze button and went back to bed.  There were plenty of times where my mind would say what the hell are you doing to yourself.  But each day is a new beginning.  Each day is a new day to make ourselves better if we choose to do so. You need to make sure that you surround yourself with positive thinking people.  People that want nothing but the best for you.  People that are negative or that try to make you waiver on what you want are not people you want to have on your team.  

    I have surrounded myself with a great support system.  From my wife to my trainer Bill Sienerth to people I consider on my team I have never meet before like Kelly Olexa (fitfluential) I know that they care and want the best for me.  My trainer Bill Sienerth has not only helped me change my physical appreance but also my mental outlook on life.  I believe that this journey is more mental than it is physical.  All we have to do is believe that we can be great.  And being great doesn't necessarily mean that you are the greatest at what we do but just a greater version of who we can be. Allow yourself to dream big and take that first step faith to accomplish the goals you set for 2014. One of my goals is to get my 5k under 38 minutes.  I just recently got my best time to 40:42. I also want to be able bench my body weight by summer time. Considering I'm still losing weight this will be a little easier as time goes on. Set small goals to achieve your big goals and you will eventually hit them. Never give up always remember you are worth the effort.  It not going to happen over night and it will take time and hard work.  The end reward is so worth it and this is just the beginning for me. The picture below was march 10,2012 to dec 30,2013