My story
I remember well the first time I encountered the training industry. Picture a skinny kid only 13 - 14 years old, full of acne, who had never touched a weight before. I wasn't particularly good at any sport either. Not even soccer. As long as I was on your opposing team, you were happy. I was more interested in spinning around with my nose pointed at the clouds, musing on the great mysteries of life. I was scared of the ball too. No, soccer could be for other people.
The picture below was taken a few years and kilos later, after a solid acne cure.
Interest in training
Google had become a thing, so I searched. Preferably in English, because it was easier to find good stuff that way. "How to build muscle". "How to get ripped". "How to get a sixpack". Because that's what I wanted - to build muscle. Get strong. Have something to show for, other than slightly curled hair and a small difference in leg length.
So I started following so-called "gurus". Those who knew a lot about training, nutrition, and health. You know, things like "buy my e-book and I'll solve all your problems". It wasn't until many years later that I realized just how full of bogus solutions the fitness industry is. Anyone can call themselves an expert, without any kind of actual knowledge in their heads.
I decided to start my own knowledge journey. It started with me trying to read the scientific literature before I realized that I had to have a solid understanding of the bare basics in order to be able to put things into context, and eventually practice. I enrolled in a year-long study program with the plan to get a bachelor's degree in sports science with a specialization in physical activity and health.
Adversity and illusions
I was thriving, eating well, being active and life was smiling. And suddenly life got angry. At least that's how I felt. Because during my studies, I got a bit lost. The pressure to get good grades and a long commute got to me. I became worn out and didn't have the energy to work out very much. Yet I ate like a heavyweight boxer on his way to his heaviest match weight ever.
In my head, all kinds of weight gain and tighter clothes were dedicated to muscle growth. People began to look at me and see that I was getting heavier. That I had put on fat in my face. "That's just muscle," I said when my mom told me I'd gotten a lot bigger since she last saw me. It wasn't, but I couldn't see it myself.
There were two things that woke me from the illusion. The first was a comment I received during a visit to someone who hadn't seen me for a very long time. I remember walking up the stairs and out the door to the garden. There they were, and I went over to greet them. "Oh, he's put on a little weight. He was so skinny before. This suited him!".
Gained weight? Come on! Yes, I had put on muscle mass, but I had surely not gained fat!
Then the doubt...
Still, doubt began to fill my heart. I doubted my body image. I hadn't been working out much lately, had I? It was when I went on a little trip to London with my partner and a couple of friends that it hit me. We went to Chinatown to eat at a restaurant. We ordered a dish to share. 6 - 9 people it said. There were only 4 of us.
"Ah, no problem for you! I can see you like to eat. You'll eat the rest, yeah?"
The waiter made comments all evening. "Haha, funny", I just thought. Yes, I liked to eat. I was on "bulk". I was going to be big and strong. And then I saw the pictures from the trip - the pictures that changed everything.
The shock
"WHO IS THAT?", I screamed before I passed out half-naked on the bedroom floor with my phone in one hand and my face in the other. For all that is holy... That couldn't be me? Yes, indeed it was me. Was I really that big? Could the last two years of overeating and no exercise really lead to such a disaster? Wasn't it all muscle and not fat after all?
Oh no, what would people think? Here I was, soon to be a certified personal trainer with a bachelor's degree in sports science. And a specialization in physical activity and health to boot. And what do I have to show for myself? I can do one pull-up, I weigh over 90 kg (200 lbs), I haven't exercised much in two years, and I have high blood pressure to the extent that my doctor wanted to do a 24-hour measurement to make sure it wasn't dangerous for my health.
It was time to pull myself together. REALLY pull myself together.
The long road to the finish line
Using the knowledge I had acquired through my bachelor's degree, as well as my increased understanding of scientific literature, I started my journey. I lost weight, started exercising properly, got better habits, and ate much better. First of all, less food, but also healthier than before. Then I married my partner who had been with me from skinny, to large and all the way back to healthy again.
It was simple, but it wasn't easy. I learned a lot from going through this process myself. I almost felt betrayed by the industry I so desperately wanted to be a part of. I had a bachelor's degree in this! How could I let myself reach that point?
Although I managed to sort out the simple principles from the thousands of articles out there, I failed. I kind of knew how simple it was. Yet it was difficult. "You just have to eat less than you burn. It's just exercising more. It's just..." No, there are so many other nuances you don't see until you've been through it.
Anyone can do what I did
But I did it - and so can you! I still have my ups and downs, of course. Some days are harder than others. The motivation to work out can go out the window, and I can still down a whole bag of chips in one evening. But you know what? I'm still managing to stay at a healthy weight. I still manage to build muscle, and I still make progress.
I don't have particularly good genetics for building muscle or staying thin. This part of my life taught me that if I am left to my own devices, I eat way too much. Even if I choose the right foods, I often crave more. So I need to have some good strategies in place.
It's about having the right mindset. You have to put the right strategies in place. These are things you can only learn, feel and experience for yourself. It's very individual. But it doesn't hurt to have a little help along the way?
That's exactly why I do what I do. If my story inspired you, I hope you'll join the movement. Let's take the power back from the fitness industry. Let it be about you. The road to health and fitness should be fun. We shouldn't have the same goals, and we won't achieve them by following the same paths.
Create your own path - one step at a time.
