Body Transformation: Man On Fire!

AGE 40 HEIGHT 6'0" WEIGHT 455 lbs BODY FAT 45%	AGE 41 HEIGHT 6'0" WEIGHT 240 lbs BODY FAT 16%

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I decided after my father's death to take personal responsibility for my health and wellbeing and to get my life back on track.

My lifestyle was killing me. I was depressed, abusing drugs and alcohol, overeating, binging, and even acting suicidal. I was already morbidly obese and struggling with an eating disorder. I was diabetic, full of anxiety, disabled (with 90 percent loss of feeling in both feet from neuropathy), and my hearing was impaired (25 percent loss in my left ear and a 15 percent loss in my right). I had hypertension, high cholesterol, was leading a dysfunctional life plagued by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and had OCD, sleep apnea, and many other co-morbid disorders. I was a freight train out of control, on the fast track to a heart attack or worse.

My dad died October 7, 2009, and following his death I made myself a promise. That man didn't let me down once in 40 years.

I vowed to restore myself to the kind of vibrant health I enjoyed during my prime and to not let him down ever again. No matter what the cost.

I went all in and created a full-time immersion program designed to get and keep me healthy permanently. I made it more important than anything. It became my highest priority and my full-time job. This consisted of lifestyle changes and meditation. I started a plant-based, whole foods diet, which eventually became a raw and vegan diet. I used positive affirmations, energy healing (like Reiki, for example), and a partial hospitalization program.

I transitioned from a sedentary lifestyle to an active lifestyle and adopted a warrior attitude. I drew from my previous experience as an athlete in high school and college and during my tenure in the fire service in my 20s. Before long, I was living it 24/7. It took lots of willpower, brute force determination, fortitude, courage, resolve, blood, sweat, tears, and a steep learning curve. There was also trial and error. I struggled at times and got frustrated, disappointed, and discouraged, but I pressed on. I kept thinking about not letting myself or my dad down.

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The hardest part, hands down, was what I call the "work of the interior," or the behavioral component. The subconscious mind is powerful and I had to learn how to master my thoughts and distill my ego. I believe that most of what I think about and believe to be my model of the world is actually a construct. When I learned to deconstruct it, I started to genuinely become healthy.

I have been an athlete my whole life and have been in great shape at different times in my life, so when I was light enough and had enough energy to get back into the gym it was like riding a bike. The challenge was to get started with the psychological and behavioral component. It became much easier as I went along.

During the course of the next six months, I will drop down to around 210 pounds and shred to 7 percent body fat to advance my career as a Warrior Force sponsored athlete/ambassador, actor, and model. I will do all it drug free and on a plant-based, whole foods diet. I plan to compete and pursue my passion for sports, especially mountaineering. I will also be a fitness model and augment my physique transformation with gymnastics, parkour, martial arts, stunt work, and more. This is all part of a master plan designed to arm me with skills I need as an actor to be cast as an action hero.

I am or will be working with incredible people like former Mr. America and two-time Mr. Olympia contender Tom Terwilliger, Ironman Magazine cover model Eric Broser, national figure competitor Traci Lynn Cowan, functional nutritionist Andrea Nakayama, and peak performance specialist Dino Paris. They comprise the members of my team and contribute their own expertise to guarantee I accomplish my goals. This will be the hardest thing I have ever done, but I'm committed to the process 100 percent.

Do the "work of the interior." Get to the subconscious mind. No diet, exercise program, or supplement can replace getting to the root of the problem. Treat the underlying cause and everything will fall into place. They are all integral to success, but until you have processed the psychological and behavioral components, none of the other stuff matters. A healthy mind makes a healthy body possible.

Bodybuilding.com has been a tremendous source of inspiration for me as far back as I can remember. Being able to share my experience and be counted among the ranks of the people who are part of their community is a dream come true. It's a bit surreal. I have known my whole life that I was capable of so much more and looked at Bodybuilding.com athletes with profound admiration.

There has been a place in my heart and on my vision board for the forum for a long time and I'm humbled by the opportunity to become part of the community. I have referred at various times to your site for training tips, advice on my diet, inspirational stories, and for equipment and accessories.

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