Success Story : Eric West

Name: Eric West

Hometown: Paducah, KY

Age: 32

Height: 5'11"

Weight Before: 246 lbs

Weight After: 175 lbs

Body Fat Before: 23.8%

Body Fat After: 9.5%

Before and After

He gained 50 pounds after being honorably discharged in 1999. If that wasn't bad enough, on what was supposed to be a routine visit to the doctor, he got some even grimmer news. "[He] told me I was a Ding Dong and a Twinkie away from diabetes," says West, 32. The words hit home—West had a family history of the disease. At nearly 250 pounds, he was resigned to contracting it too—until he arrived at home and saw his wife and two daughters. "That's when I realized I wanted to be healthy for myself and for them," he says.

Though he now had the motivation, West wasn't well-informed about what to do next. Initially, he tried fad diets. "I would lose weight briefl y," he says, "but it would come right back when I began eating regular meals again." West was as clueless about fi tness as he was about his nutrition. Although he joined a gym and began lifting, he went too heavy, too soon, and ended up with a hernia.

"I didn't know what I was doing when I first started," he recalls. "It was like I just kind of grabbed stuff and lifted it."

Surgery repaired the injury, but West was laid up for eight weeks, which he spent on the Internet and buried in fitness magazines, like Men's Fitness. "That helped me probably more than anything," he says. "It kept me pumped up, so when I was cleared to get back into the gym, I was ready to go."

Empowered with knowledge, West fi rst swore off foods like pizza in favor of protein shakes made from yogurt, oatmeal, skim milk, and peanut butter. He stopped snacking, worked more veggies and chicken breasts into his meal plan, and also gave up smoking.
In the gym, he kept his reps to no more than 12 per set and focused on good form. He also used downtime at work to burn off extra energy by shadowboxing. He even started running (something he hadn't done since his military days), covering two to three miles a day, a few days a week.

By last July, West had lost more than 70 pounds and dropped down to 9.5% body fat, and he was stronger than ever. "Even in the Army, I'd never been able to bench 100 pounds over my body weight," he says. "The fi rst time I put 315 pounds up, I was like, 'alright, let me get a calculator because this can't be right.'"

Today, the threat of diabetes has disappeared, but West is more proud to have come through for his family. "The other day, my daughter reminded me of why I do this," he says. "She called me her superhero daddy."

Eric's Tip for Success:"Never give up. In order to get into shape, you have to keep yourself moving. Don't ever stop. If you do, it's too hard toget moving again."

http://www.mensfitness.com/fitness/success_stories/497

Success Story : Nick Mastrella

Name: Nick Mastrella
Hometown: Rochester, NY
Age: 26
Height: 5'10"
Weight Before: 245
Weight After: 185


Despite weighing in at 245 pounds, Nick Mastrella was not your typical fat teen. Instead, he felt size equaled success. "The bigger and heavier you are, the better your chances of doing well," he told himself. "Although I was overweight, I still thought I was active," he says.

Before and After

Growing up in Rochester, N.Y., Mastrella fi t in through sports, succeeding in both football and power lifting. But with high school being, well, high school, life wasn't all fun. "There were always jokes going around," Mastrella recalls. He regularly turned to junk food for comfort, and predictably his physique worsened. "When I was playing football, my dad would make a couple of steaks for us to eat and a lot of white bread," he says. "We didn't really know too much about good nutrition."

Mastrella's plan to use his size to achieve success wasn't exactly working either. After high school, he became a carpet installer, and his weight-training days were soon a distant memory. He felt empty inside—as if he weren't reaching his full potential. Additionally, his father, Paul, began battling heart disease due to weight problems of his own. Mastrella finally saw the direction his life was heading, and he decided to put on the brakes. "This was my opportunity to not only help myself but help my father as well," he says.

Mastrella and his dad began working out together regularly, hitting the gym six days a week. They set small, achievable goals and used each other as motivation. "We started doing heavy weight and then mixing it in with low weight," he says. "And then we'd go to the football fi eld and strap a parachute around my waist and run 100-yard dashes."In the kitchen, Mastrella also made some changes, trading steak, sugar, and snacks for grilled chicken, broccoli, and sweet potatoes. "I knew I had to completely change my lifestyle— my eating habits, my workout routine, everything—if I wanted to see dramatic results." Luckily, it wasn't long before the combination of regular exercise and healthier eating began paying off. "I watched my body morph from an overweight 245 pounds to an in-shape 185 pounds," he says. "It was amazing to see how I physically became someone else. I didn't recognize myself."

Today, at 26, Mastrella is the man he always hoped he'd become, and feels he's fi nally living up to his potential. He's moved to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he works as a certifi ed personal trainer. He uses his story to motivate others and is proud to have helped his father live a fi tter and healthier life as well. "I'm living proof that you can accomplish anything you want if you put your mind to it," he says. "The important things are to be positive, stay focused, feel good about yourself no matter what your weight is—and never, ever give up."

Nick's Key to Success:"Try to work out with a partner who has similar goals. Your gym buddy will push you harder and provide the kind of motivation you need to get you what you want."

http://www.mensfitness.com/fitness/success_stories/499