I am an ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer living in Greensboro, NC and I am soon to be 35 years old. I have been training off and on since he was in high school. I got into weight training to improve primarily as a football player. I was influenced early on by my step father, a competitive power lifter, turned bodybuilder, to get in the gym for other reasons.

A return to serious training in 1994, led to a new found dream of one day becoming a fitness professional. In 1995, while studying for my certification through ISSA, the dream came to an abrupt halt. I first noticed excessive thirst and night sweats before losing my vision driving to work one morning. I was diagnosed with Early Onset Adult Diabetes.

There was a "honeymoon phase" to the disease where I thought I had it under control. I continued to train and passed the ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer Exam.

I started to work part time for IFBB Professional Quincy Roberts at Elite Fitness Center in Greensboro, NC. Then the diabetes came back with a vengeance! For the next 5 years, I fought diabetes and the things it was doing to my physical and mental health.

I gained over 100 pounds and was hospitalized twice with life threatening complications brought on by diabetes. I was simply ready to just give up and accept the fact that I would probably die much sooner than the normal life expectancy of a healthy male in today?s world. I have a son named Austin who will be 8 years old the end of May 2004. I realized being a single father this mental state was not fair to my son or myself. Quite frankly, I was mad as hell at myself for even getting to this point! I have always been a fighter and it was time to come out swinging!

I remembered reading something in Skip La Cour?s book, ?Bodybuilding Nutrition?, about gathering so much information on diets that we become easily confused. I had the knowledge I needed; however I had to make the process more efficient.

By late 2003, I had completely reversed my diabetes and began the "next level" of my dream of becoming a Fitness Professional ? Muscleworx Personal Fitness Services (www.muscleworx.com).

I am the author of Muscle Meals In Minutes and eight special reports, and I am currently negotiating articles for both regional and national publications.