This is the most important picture of my life.
In 2005 I joined my sister and brother in law at the Yard House Restaurant in San Diego. My weight at this point was 315 lbs!
After being in shape most of my life I had taken a major vacation from any physical activity (about 6 years), as I started my businesses Graphic Edge and Diamondback Installations.
As each year went by, I knew I was growing and not in a good way.
My nutrition was absolutely non existent; my normal everyday eating habits were as follows:
No Breakfast; I felt it only slowed me down so I started my day with a Big Gulp of Coke.
First meal at 11 AM at my favorite restaurant “El Rancho Nuevo” where I had 1 Chile Colorado Burrito, 1 Cheese Enchilada, 1 Tamale and a Coke with 1 or 2 refills.
Second Meal at 2 PM at the same restaurant and ate the same meal.
Third Meal at 5 PM at another restaurant of choice with the same bad nutrition.
Fourth meal at 8 PM – Home made Mexican special with more bad nutrition.
All-in-all, I consumed about 5000 to 6000 bad calories per day.
Avoiding all pictures, mirrors, windows and any reflective objects, I knew that I was not a pretty site; only imagining what it would feel like not to be judged and to be looked at like a freak.
Embarrassment and discomfort leading to frustration, anger and depression.
You know it’s bad when you even start to joke about yourself with people just to break the ice in order to make yourself feel better.
One day I ran across this picture. I took a look and just about went into cardiac arrest, after going through all the denial and facing the reality of it all.
I knew I needed to do something, so I looked up my friend Ira Kelly. At the time he was just opening up his home gym and was needing help in his marketing and business identity, so he had hired my firm to help him with that.
After knowing how much trouble I was in, and facing the true reality that I actually was in a life and death situation, I turned to the expertise of a retired 20 year Marine Corp Physical Fitness Instructor who trained the elite of the Marine Corp.
He never judged my condition, only helped me find my path to a better me. He also fired a passion in me that I never had, despite being a 7 year amateur boxer and 9 year off and on kick boxer in my earlier years.
In 2005, he invited me to the Mr. Olympia and that’s where my life changed 100% and the man upstairs lay upon me what my mission in life was.