Are there any MFP'ians who have gone from fat to Ripped??

How did he let himself get like that? If I looked like that I would do whatever it took to get back in shape".

Those were the naive thoughts of a youthful twenty-something year old me. I had never worried a day in my life about my physique. I wasn't overly muscular, if anything a bit on the thin side, but I was athletic and active. Food was a means to an end, a way of fueling my body so I could live out my days. Sitting at home was a bad day but even then I was constantly on the move. Whether golfing, playing hockey, throwing a football, or playing hacky-sac I was active from morning til night.

Flash forward to April of 2012. I no longer played any sports, a nap after dinner was par for the course, and my normal nights consisted of sitting on the couch and playing video games or watching TV. Food was no longer a means to an end, but a means to end boredom. I had been this way for a while and things weren't looking to change. If it weren't for the thoughts of a twenty-something year old me that might never have changed.

I awoke one morning, no different than than another day. I shuffled down the stairs and into the bathroom. Turning on the light I stepped on the scale, the same thing I did every morning. After a few seconds the numbers came up on the screen - 216.5. "Wow", I thought, "That's the heaviest I've ever been". My eyes drifted up to the mirror and it struck me, in a moment of sudden clarity I realized I had become THAT guy. THE guy that the naive me couldn't comprehend. I was the guy that I swore to myself if I ever looked like I would do whatever it took to get back in shape.

That was it, the "aha!" moment, that moment when it suddenly clicked. I decided then and there that I had to make changes. I didn't know where the path would take me or where I would end up, but I knew I was going to be leaving the beaten trail I was on for one that was harder but more rewarding.

Since that time I have dropped my weight down and started working out, a combination of mostly lifting with running and HIIT mixed in. My weight went from 216.5 down to 176.5 at it's lowest as has fluctuated between there and 180 lbs. I did a short bulk phase and went up to 195, and eventually cut back down to around 182 lbs which is where I feel most comfortable at. I enjoy lifting and running, though to me Obstacle Course Races are kind of the perfect mix of both.