From my motivated start to the very successful end result, the 60day has been a huge success for me and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process. Going from 28% body fat to 20.8% is a giant step in the right direction for me and I intend on continuing in that direction as I head towards my 24th year of living this crazy life.

To take a step back and look at who I am, first let’s go back a bit to where I started. It’s the year 2014 and I am enjoying my college days drinking beer, eating too much food, and not going to the gym. I had been the “big guy” for a long time and secretly I always hated it, but routinely laughed it off when someone made the comment. On New Year’s Eve of 2015, I made the resolution to get back to the gym; I did not have a plan, but I knew that I was fed-up with how I looked and felt. Getting started from 265 lbs, we’ll call this step number 1 in my journey.

Fast forward to returning from Thanksgiving at my parents in 2017 and again, I was fed up. This time I was fed up with my gym, the lack of support, and the feeling of complacency that I felt while there. Time for another step in the journey; Life Time. Upon my intro consult with Clint Walters, I knew that I had just found something truly different. While working with him, he encouraged me to participate in the Spring 2018 60day. Unfortunately, I battled through it while nursing an injured back and I was left very hungry (not just for food for once) for the opportunity to prove myself during the next 60day. I spent the time between focusing on getting myself healed up. When was time to get to work for the Summer 60day, Clint and I set out on the journey to see just how far we could push my body. Starting from 236 lbs and 28% BF, I had a long way I wanted to go. My personal goal since I started working out back in 2015 was to be below 220 lbs and I knew I could get close to that number.

Since the first 60day I did in the Spring, I always knew there were two main areas to create success: the gym and the kitchen. The gym was probably the easiest part for me. No matter how hard the workouts were, I was determined to crush them and Clint saw to it that I had many challenging workouts. Even after long days at work or days when I didn’t feel at the top of my game, getting to the gym always changed my outlook on that day. Also, seeing fellow 60dayers push themselves during the Team classes or just in their everyday workouts made me want to push myself even harder. Finally, I participated in Plymouth’s Expedition 360 (300 land miles and 60 water miles) which saw me on the road enjoying the fresh air on my bike and into the pool pushing myself to swim laps (something I haven’t done since I was 13).

When it comes to what had gone on in my kitchen up until participating in the Spring 60day, it hardly resembles what is going on now. Between the D.TOX diet and a simple kitchen scale, I have been focused on creating healthy habits that are sustainable. The D.TOX diet inspired me to eliminate all alcohol and added sugar during the challenge. My trusty scale allowed me to understand what a normal portion size is and to more accurately track my calories and macros.

When you add all those pieces together, plus all of the countless other little things, I finally saw my body change. Not just a few pounds here and there, but a drastic reduction in body fat %; 7.2%! I didn’t quite get to my weight goal this time, but given that I added several pounds of lean muscle mass during the challenge, I am still extremely happy. And that really is the cherry on top for me. For the longest time I have been self-conscious about my body and prone to stress and depression, but since starting this challenge and now at the end I have gotten a long way down the road to reversing those feelings. While I need to remember how sunscreen works, I’m still happy to have spent most of the 4th of July week without a shirt on. I am also very happy to report that my back has held up through the whole challenge, which is a huge relief for me.

I honestly find it quite hard to fathom what I have accomplished during this challenge and who I have transformed into. While I am not surprised that I saw results, I did not know that I was capable of the improvements that I have made. When I think of a few words to sum up how I feel now and moving forward here is what comes to mind: refreshed, eager, happy, and (most importantly to me) healthy. Thank you to Life Time Plymouth for being such an amazing place, to my trainer Clint for always pushing me, and to the 60-day for officially changing my life. I look forward to the time in between now and the next 60-day to learn new things, make even more changes, and continue to better my life. And you know I’ll be back for more in the FalL.