October 2005
- Before
- After
My story begins like many others. I was a skinny kid till I got to high school. Then my metabolism changed, and the burgers and fries I was eating on a regular basis helped me pack on the pounds. I would diet and lose weight, only to gain it back and then some. I continued this yo-yo cycle throughout my adult life.
At the age of 36, I found myself a very unhappy and depressed person. I weighed 343 pounds. Even on my 6' 4" frame, I was unhealthy and obese. To make matters worse, I am a law enforcement officer. Do you have any idea what people say about an out-of-shape, overweight cop? It was often very mean and hurtful. When you're dealing with the public and you're the fat guy in a uniform, people really lose respect, and the commanding presence just isn't there. It had become a big safety issue for me and my beat partners that I was so out of shape. I knew I had to do something.
I went back to the only thing I knew: I began to diet again. As usual, I lost a lot of weight with diet alone and dropped from 343 down to roughly 250 pounds. That took about 10 months. Also as usual, I slowly returned to my bad eating habits and with no exercise or healthy lifestyle in place, the weight started to creep back until I was 263 pounds. I felt myself getting out of control. I panicked and started to feel the depression all over again.
It was about that time, in December 2003, that I saw the Power 90 infomercial on TV. Initially I thought that since I was never really into exercise, this would be just one more thing I bought, tried for a couple of weeks, and then put away on the shelf, never to do again. After all, I was still paying for the gym membership I hadn't used in months! I thought, why would this be any different?
I continued watching the show and was impressed with what I saw. There were real people (customers) talking about their success with the program. These were not fitness professionals with unreal bodies giving testimonials. These were real people with real, visible results. I decided to call and give it a try. I knew how to lose weight with diet, but I knew I needed to incorporate exercise into my life to maintain lifelong fitness. I didn't want to go back to being over 300 pounds and hating life. I wanted to see the results those people had. I wanted a fit and healthy body.
Soon my Power 90 DVDs and resistance bands arrived and I began the program at 263 pounds. I did the program faithfully every day. I also adjusted my diet to fit with Michi's Ladder. At the end of 90 days, I had lost 20 pounds and was back down to 243 pounds. Also I had lost a lot of inches and I could see a definite change in my body when looking in the mirror. This was after only 90 days, and I was inspired to go on from there.
I completed the Slim in 6 and Slim Series programs and lost another 20 pounds. I also trimmed more inches off my body. I recently completed P90X on August 12, 2005, and I am now down to 209 pounds and approximately 12% body fat. When I started Power 90, I was at 32% body fat! I thought I was doing well because I had already lost a total of 80 pounds, but now I am feeling really fit and healthy. I can't believe the difference in my "before" and "after" photos. I look like those people on TV! It's all thanks to Beachbody and a little hard work. I am still so amazed at what I've accomplished with Beachbody and home fitness. I am now eating right and craving exercise. I love my daily workouts. Simply amazing!
I think one of the biggest changes is in my ability to do my job as a police officer more safely and effectively. People really treat the cop who's in shape differently than the guy who is 100+ pounds overweight trying to do the same job. I challenge any police officer with a fitness problem to give Beachbody a try. Give them just 90 days of your life, and you will be so amazed at the changes you will see. It's worth it in so many respects . . . for you, your family, and your beat partners. It doesn't matter what level you are at now. It matters that you start today!
I can't thank Beachbody enough for giving me the tools I needed to be inspired to get healthy and fit. Through Beachbody, I have learned that exercise is a fun and necessary part of health and fitness. I have found an effective way to easily stay in shape for the rest of my life. I will never again be the unhealthy person I was before . . . ever! Thank you, Beachbody, from the bottom of my heart. I feel like I am a Success Story, and I owe that success to all of you.
James "Scott" C., "Skete211"
