Body Transformation: Eric Duong Got Beyond Shredded!

Vital Stats

Name: Eric Duong
Email: duongski@yahoo.com
BodySpace: BboyDong
Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania

Why I decided to transform

I used to be a skinny fat kid. I loved food, never cared how I looked, and drank lots of alcohol. The only activity that kept me from becoming obese was breakdancing.

My body was scrawny everywhere except for my stomach, which eventually outgrew my pants and started to bother me.

One day, my best friend who was into fitness asked me to try lifting. He always got attention for being in shape, so I gave it a shot with nothing to lose. After a week, I bought a gym membership and started to set goals for myself.

How I accomplished my goals

When I first started lifting, I had several workout partners who kept me on a schedule. I asked my in-shape friends for advice and did lots of online research. I gained size for a couple years and was in much better shape, but couldn't achieve the shredded look I wanted because my nutrition was off.

Making changes to my diet was the hardest part. I ate junk food constantly and luckily had the metabolism to hide most of it. I started slow by limiting my junk food intake and got pretty ripped, but not enough. My nutritionist coworker challenged me to eat healthy for two months and gave me a diet plan to loosely follow. The changes during those months were far better than my prior six-month cut.

My transformation was more than just a change of appearance. It changed my mindset and taught me discipline to lengths I never experienced. It's been a great three-and-a-half-year journey and I intend to keep it going!

What aspect challenged me the most

The diet was the most challenging part of my transformation. Having support from coworkers helped because I work constantly. They pushed me to eat healthy and stay on track.

Another challenge was cardio. I could barely do 15 minutes per day a few times per week when I started. I bumped it up to 60-90 minutes per day when I cut. Having friends do cardio with me helped big time because it's boring.

My future fitness plans

Because of my transformation, I became a personal trainer and entered bodybuilding shows. I really enjoy it and plan to enter more.

Suggestions for aspiring transformers

Take progress pictures along the way. My friends don't feel like they make progress because they can't see a connection between their current state and the last time they took a picture. The difference really shows.

How Bodybuilding.com helped me reach my goals

Bodybuilding.com helped tremendously with my transformation. Their training programs always provided new ideas for my training routine. BodySpace helped too, especially with the timeline. Seeing visual progress for many years helped me stay motivated.

Eric's Top 5 Gym Tracks