My Transformation coincidentally ends on my birthday, so I'll be celebrating tonight with my lovely wife and two baby boys- they have been my inspiration on this one year, 50 pound fat loss journey. In their eyes, I have already won this contest, and that's what matters to most. (Sorry for the long essay, but I'm stoked and I have a lot to say about it!)
My quest for health began in April of 2008, when I stumbled upon Craig’s version of Mens’ Health Belly Off. My life before that date consisted of bouncing off fad diet after diet and concentrating on the wrong type of exercise… you know, doing the same tired weight lifting routine and long, boring cardio. Problem was, everyone around me thought of me as an athletic, fit guy.
After all, I could run for a long time without getting winded and play tennis with the best of them. To make matters worse, I’m an attorney, so I get to wear suits to work. You can hide a lot of body fat with an expensive suit! But I knew better. I weighed in at 5’11”, 240 lbs. and almost 26% body fat.
Even though I exercised regularly, my body was carrying around a lot of fat. I wanted to have more energy for my wife and two kids, and to be a role model of health for them to look up to. Craig B. finally showed me how to wage war on the fat I desperately needed to lose… and wage war I did, attacking with workout after workout, eventually navigating my way through all three 8 week Belly-Off programs and then “graduating” to Turbulence Training.
Looking back, I only wish I had started TT much sooner!
Skipping ahead to May 4, 2009, I had lost 40 pounds, was down to 201.4 lbs, 17% bodyfat and a 34 inch pants size. Life was good, but I was not satisfied, so I decided to enter the 5th Transformation Contest. A mere 12 Weeks later, I weigh in at 188, size 32 waist and 14% bodyfat.
It has been a tough journey and I have had my share of stumbling blocks. I have fought through two injuries and 3 bachelor parties. In case you're interested, I have detailed below the TT Programs I used as well as some thoughts on my success.
Can't thank Craig and Brad enough for helping me and my family to change our lives through TT and ESE.
Training Regimen:
I started on May 4th with the 30 day Max Fat Loss Workout; followed by Y2K9 from June 1-June 30; then AAA Abs Workout from July 1-Present.
Here are the 3 most important “Secrets of My Success”:
1. Take a Supplement/Diet Pill:
Before Craig and Brad pimp slap me, let me clarify that when I say I have found the most powerful training and weight loss SUPPLEMENT/DIET PILL that I have ever used - and it was FREE- I am talking about TT Transformation Contest 5.
Just like many of you, before I started using TT, I had tried numerous supplements and diet pills and they all brought zero results. The real supplement/diet pill that this contest brings to the table is the inspiration, mental capacity and toughness to work harder and make food choices others are unwilling to make.
This is only possible through using a TT Challenge or Contest like this one to maintain constant vigilance and a competitive attitude. Without this “diet pill” of meaningful determination, the difficult process of recognizing, setting and achieving a goal is an uphill battle. Using this Contest as fuel to ignite your workouts and eating habits makes the process fun and inspiring.
2. Confess Your Faults:
No one is perfect, and we need a way to mitigate the damage when we “fall off the wagon”. For me, the best way to do this is to tell someone about it. Even better, tell a whole bunch of people I don’t even know about it. The TT Members Forum allowed me to quickly and effectively cleanse myself of my transgressions.
Case in point, a week ago I drank nearly a bottle of Rum and chased it with a bunch of Oreo’s and every other snack I could find in the house (luckily, there weren’t too many b/c I trashed all junk food except for my wife’s chocolate stash).
The next day, I posted this on the Forum and Craig responded with a bit of encouragement, which was all that was needed to inspire me to get off my hung-over rump and trade the greasy lunch I would have otherwise devoured in for a quick TT workout and some tough freestyle swimming intervals.
3. Workout and Nutrition must be Symbiotic
A lot of people, including Craig, will tell you that more fat is burned in the kitchen than at the gym. I agree, but I will take it one step further: TT is a lifestyle change, and humans are creatures of habit. When I get into a good routine of going to the gym, it makes me want to maximize the hard work I am putting in by eating as healthily as possible.
I use Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat once or twice a week, and I find that fasting is much easier when I am working out regularly. In fact, I prefer to work out in the middle of the day during a fast to ward off hunger.
Conversely, when I skip a workout or two, it’s that much easier to eat that extra piece of bread at lunch or drink a beer at night. It starts with one beer, which turns into three, which leads to warming up that slice of pizza from the freezer. My point is, I have had great results by using the TT Workouts regularly AND eating well, and doing one makes the other that much easier.
RESULTS:
I am darn proud of the progress I have made in the past 12 weeks. This Contest has vastly improved my family life, my work ethic, my relationships, and my career. I hope that my small journey is an inspiration to help others with theirs.
BJ Durrett
