20 years ago or so I lost about 35 pounds in 3 months. Maybe a little more. I probably added 5lbs of muscle too. I was 24 years old and had never worked out in my entire life.

I was lost just like everyone else when they are starting out but there were a few things I did exceptionally well.

1. I had an overactive imagination. I imagined myself being overweight and tired for the rest of life and it scared the hell out of me. I knew how hard and how long it took people to change because I saw people struggling around me. I knew I had to act quickly. Because it always takes longer than you think.

2. Most importantly- I didn’t solve this issue head-on. Meaning I didn’t think of it like “okay..better stop eating and start exercising now”

I worked the problem in reverse.

I had an idea in my head of what I wanted to look like first and then began “reverse engineering” it.

What does someone who’s 7 to 10 percent body fat do every day? (Remember this is the 20-year-old me)

What do they eat?

How do they act?

What are their habits?

Who do they hang out with?

What books do they read?

How hard do they work?

Once this was established it made progressing to the goal much easier because my actions and thoughts were organized.

If it didn’t fit the personality type it was excluded

It doesn’t matter what your goal is or your lifestyle theme. Everyone who wants to accomplish something in the weight room regardless of how big or small can benefit.

You may come to a new understanding of what is realistic for you and how to attack the issue