Motivation – Peekaboo Saint
These pictures show the 2 and a half year transformation made by the user Peekaboo Saint on a forum I read. The first time I saw this, I couldn’t even put together in my head that it was the same person. Her starting weight was 416 in February of 2007 and she is currently at 164. That’s an incredible loss of 252 lbs. This just completely dumbfounds me. I weigh 243 lbs right now – so imagine the girl in that after picture carrying a person my size on her back 24 hours a day to give you an idea of exactly what she accomplished.
Here’s the incredible before and after shot:
Peekaboo Saint - before and after
Such a huge inspiration to me. She just looks like a completely different person in every way – if I had to guess without knowing they were the same person, I’d say the person in the before picture was at least 10-15 years older.
Motivation – Ca$on
I came across this story while reading the forums at johnstonefitness.com – which are an excellent resource for fitness information by the way. The picture is of the transformation of the user Ca$on on the forums and covers a time period of almost a a year exactly. Over the year, he went from 275 lbs to 179 lbs – amazing!
Ca$on - Before and After
I’ll never tire of reading these stories as they show what we are capable of when we set our minds to a goal and do everything we can to work towards that goal.
Re-post of Q&A with Ca$on is below:
Why did you decide to make a transformation?
After being in a relationship for almost 5 years I was working nonstop and never did anything for my health. So after seeing this commercial on TV about heart disease I started to think about what if I had kids and died from a heart disease at a young age. The commercial also said that a person walking only 30 minutes a day 3 times a week can reduce heart diseases by 300%! That’s when I realized I needed to do something. Also 3 months into the New Year my relationship with my fiancée was over and made me really kick it in high gear of what I wanted to do for my future. One year later I was addicted to body building and eating healthy.
What sort of planning did you do before you started?
The only planning I did at first was portion control and cardio with a treadmill and just your basic weight training nothing serious. Today I wish that I never jumped on that treadmill and I wish I spent more time with the weights. Eating habits were starting to change instead of fast food places I went to Publix for a sub sandwich or cooked at home. In June is when I really changed my diet and workout routine. I changed from working out 5-7 days a week to 3 days a week with Dr. Ellington Darden’s book “The New HIT” and no cardio or other form of exercise.
What were your initial goals?
My initial goal was to weigh less than 200lbs and fit into normal clothes not Wal-Mart huge sizes. To build back confidence in the way I look as well.
What was your diet and supplement intake like?
My diet is a low calorie high carbohydrate diet. The macros have been 60% carbs, 20% protein, and 20% fats. Calories ranged from 1800 to 1100 depending on weight loss and other items. Supplements were all from Chris with www.AtLargeNutrition.com (Thanks Chris) except BCAA caps from ON. Supplements used by Atlarge include: Nitrean, Nitro, Thermocin, Multivitamin, Fish Oil, Results, ETS. The supplements I use daily are Multivitamin, Fish Oil, and BCAA caps 2-3 times a day. Also a huge player in diet was good ole water. The intake of cold water was around 1 gallon to 1.75 gallons per day.
What was your training like?
At first training seemed as if I was not going anywhere quick, but then it started moving like a freight train in the last 6 months. Three days a week 90 minutes or less is all the time my training took with HIT. My common days for workouts were Sunday, Friday, and Wednesday. Those days I would spend 30 minutes or less at home using my Smith Machine combo from Sams club and a pair of dumbbells. I found that the optimal time for me to train was between 5pm and 7pm when I had the most energy. Every workout I did had 1 set and had to be on key to insure the intensity would get me leaner and grow muscle. Before this program I never experienced the muscular pump, gains, fat loss with anything else. Rest is very important and to not over train.
What obstacles did you encounter, and how did you overcome them?
Some of the obstacles I faced were full time college schedule and two part time jobs. This made time very valuable. Other factors that I had to face were of course losing my fiancée, the passing of my father from a massive heart attack, and some heart issues recently discovered by my doctor that I might have. All of these items I turned into a positive and motivation to better myself.
How has your life changed?
My life has changed dramatically. I have more confidence with my appearance and I can shop at pretty much any store to buy clothing. Women have noticed the changes and are of course some are acting more friendly than before. Overall I feel incredible and not sluggish like before. Building muscle and being able to see it in the mirror is astonishing of what a human can really do. After a work out when the blood is flowing and the pump is strong….The best feeling in the world to me is looking in that mirror and flexing every muscle I can and posing. I feel as if I am the incredible hulk and unstoppable.
How did JSF and the JSF Forums help you?
At this time I would have to give a HUGE thanks to a member on JSF. His name on the forum is rtestes, without him I would not be where I am at. He helped me with my training schedule and my diet. If I had any questions about Darden’s book he was right there with an answer. Also I would have to thank all of the other members that have helped me or motivated me through my journey. I push harder everyday because I know that someone is watching. Last but not least thank you John Stone for having this great online forum and community, I consider everyone on JSF a friend and would help them in any way I can.
What advice would you offer to others?
Stick with it! Don’t get caught up in the science and studies and this and that. Find a program and stick with it. If there are no results by the second month then start looking at a change. Results will come only with what you put into it. Ask questions if you think you might be doing something wrong or incorrect. There is no need to be ashamed everyone has to learn somehow. If you are serious about a change be serious with what you do. Anything is possible….
Any closing thoughts?
Only closing thought that I have is I can’t wait to get to that next level. Until then I will be pushing like a madman to get there. Thanks for your time.
Motivation – Brian Janey
Came across a good motivating success story. This one is of a 45 year old man who lost over 70 pounds and transformed himself. This amazing progress was done in only 9 months
I found this very inspiring and it goes to show that it’s never too late to make positive changes.
Before - 270 lbs
After - 198 lbs
Read more about Brian’s transformation here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/trans_o4010.htm
Motivation – Sucess Stories – Ryan Hubers
Check out this page at Men’s Health about Ryan Hubers.
Over the course of 3 years, he went from 350 pounds to 185! A loss of 165 pounds – incredible! Imagine what it would feel like to carry a 165 pound person on your back all your life. Now imagine how different it must feel to be rid of that weight. Personally, I already feel a lot lighter on my feet after losing 67 pounds, but I still have a long way to go and I’m excited to see the differences that future progress will bring.
Ryan’s story stresses consistency again which is a recurring point across all of the success stories I’ve read. The only way to achieve something good is to go out and do it. No matter how motivated, talented or knowledgeable you are, if you don’t actually go out and put in consistent effort, you’ll never achieve what you set out for.
Motivation – Become Legendary
Joey from Kombat Arts posted this video on his blog: kombatarts.wordpress.com.
I found it to be very inspiring and while I realize it’s basically a shoe commercial, it’s nice to see a company trying to push out such a positive message.
There are a few other commercials in the series – check them out below:
And of course – this classic:
“I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot… and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why… I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
I love this quote because no matter who you are, you will fail over and over again at various points in your life. It is a fact of life and is unavoidable – we are not perfect and never will be. It is the way we react to and learn from these failures that truly define our personalities.
Motivating Transformations – Andrew Lebson
Yesterday I wrote about emulating those who have achieved success before you. One way of doing this is by reading success stories. Men’s Health magazine has a section called the belly-off club. Each month they feature someone who has achieved success along with a short article on how they did it and what they learned. I really enjoy reading these – it’s motivating and I always pick up some useful tidbit of information to use.
I’m not far enough along yet, but by Summer 09 I should be able to send my story in to them. It’d be an amazing feeling if they chose it.
The power of the human body and mind
I came across this story while searching a forum for some protein information. This is one of the most amazing transformations I have ever seen – In 3 years this man went from 630 pounds to 230 pounds, without surgery or diet pills. All he did was exercise and change his lifestyle. He has since had surgery to remove some extra skin, but that’s to be expected with that massive of a weight loss.
It is truly amazing and inspiring to see what others have done. I’m going to keep looking for stories like these and posting them here. Every time I read a story like this I get a little bit more motivated and my resolve gets a little stronger. I realize that there is no difference between what I am working towards and what others have accomplished. If David can make a huge change through discipline and determination alone, there is no excuse in the world for me to not accomplish my goals.
John Stone – An amazing transformation and source of inspiration
One of the best transformation stories around has to be that of John Stone. Here is a picture of the early part of his transformation. By documenting every aspect of his diet and exercise plan, John was able to make the transformation shown in less than a year, showing what can be done with the proper focus. Another thing John did as a motivational tool was to take daily pictures to show his progress. There’s an animated gif somewhere on the site showing the progression and it’s amazing to watch it all literally melt away and very inspiring when you realize that everything was done one day at a time. I’m going to steal his idea, but will be taking pictures weekly instead of daily. Take a look through the site and you really get the feeling of pure focus and determination that John had – it is very inspiring.