Success Story: Troy

  Its a formula! Motivation + Accountability= Success. Thats a relatively basic formula but when broken down it means the difference between being someone who achieves their fitness goals and those that are in the majority and simply make "New Years Resolutions" that dry up and fade away by the second week of January. First, let me rewind.

                Over the course of the past 7 years I must have given hundreds of people advice on nutrition, lifting weights, weightloss etc. I'd spend hours with individuals only to see them 6 months down the road and nothing about them had changed. In fact some of them were in even less shape than before. This boggled my mind. Growing up overweight and gradually falling under the classification of flatout obese in my early twenties I couldn't imagine having someone give me the tools to change my lifestyle only to turnaround and leave it on the backburner. What I have finally figured out was that when I decided to change my lifestyle and fitness habits I had something embedded in me that alot of people are lacking. Motivation! If you didn't know; when the 9/11 attacks occurred I weighed in at the nice round number of 325.

Yep, before the crazy fitness obsession this was my 318 lb frame. Yikes.

Yes, that number is in pounds. I was so moved to do something for my country that I made the decision (on the day Bush declared war on Iraq) to join the military. As you are well aware the Navy's standard as far as fat percentage is highly regulated and my 48% bodyfat wasn't going to cut it. 7 months and 125 lbs later I walked into bootcamp: mission accomplished. The reason I bring this up is that my motivation kept me on track all those months and now, being active duty military, it remains to keep me on track. But motivation wasn't enough. I needed someone to hold me accountable. There were MANY days that I woke up thinking that "oh, I can skip today," or "man, that ice cream sure looks good" but I had a buddy that was wanting the same thing as me and worked out right along beside me.

Easily at my heaviest point of my life in the 320's when my second son was born.

His motivation was different than mine but our long term goal was the same: a lifestyle change! Whenever I didn't want to workout he pushed me and vice versa. Hence the formula for success is MOTIVATION + ACCOUNTABILITY = SUCCESS. If you are properly motivated and have someone to do your life changing journey with than you have increased your chances 10 fold to achieveing your goals.

A picture that summarizes my motivation. From obese to Middleeast!                 

I know, I know. I did go on National television from 2004-2007 doing commercials for a weightloss supplement telling the world how great it was and how I lost all this weight using it yada yada yada. Yes, I used Stacker 2's during my weightloss. In fact I still use them for a pre-workout jolt but did I swallow a pill and magically lose a bunch of weight like so many products want you to believe? Um, no! There is no pill that takes a 325 pound guy and makes him a 190 lb. guy. Its my motivation and my accountability partners.                
I write this because im constantly bombarded with folks seeking what I was once seeking. People always asking "how, how, how?" The real question you should be asking is "why, why, why?" As in "why" do I want to lose this weight and be fit? Along the way you need to find that partner to take the journey with you as well. It won't be hard, over 70% of our nation is considered overweight.                
With some minor fluctuation I have now been able to keep the weight off for over 7 years using an array of different programs. Anything from Body for Life to some P90X workouts to my new obsession; Insanity workouts I try to keep my fitness regiment fun and new as to not burnout.

If you are seriously ready for a ridiculous workout; look no further.

My story is nothing special. I have done nothing that you yourself cannot accomplish. If you find yourself at the phase in your life were today is the day when you could take your "before" picture than DO IT! Any one of you can easily copy and paste your name into this story in 6-12 months and I will be the first one to meet you at the finish line and congratulate you. Want to definately give a special shoutout to Jeff Adams who still keeps me motivated and accountable to this day. I love you man! MOTIVATION + ACCOUNTABILITY = SUCCESS! 
Now get your butt off the internet and get your fitness on!

Links:
Troy's Coaching Page
Success Stories
INSANTIY Program Overview
His Sister, Jessie's Story
Troy's Fixed on Fitness Facebook Page