It was a day like any other. Tyler I., of Brookhaven, PA, was getting ready for work, sitting on the couch and tying his boots just like every other morning. However, on this particular day when Tyler stood up to finish getting ready, he found himself out of breath from simply tying his shoes. This was his breaking point. At only 22-years-old, Tyler was 6’1” and weighed 365 lbs., suffered from joint pain and high blood pressure, and was borderline diabetic. When Tyler realized how out of breath he was from tying his shoes, he knew things needed to change. Tyler shared that the change didn’t start a couple days later, or a week later, it started that day. He committed himself to a complete lifestyle change.

Tyler began educating himself on how the body works. He read about macronutrients and how the body processes calories in versus calories out. (Read more about macronutrients here.) He wisely estimated his maximum caloric intake based on his body and began to carefully create a meal plan for himself. While this took care of the nutrition part of things, Tyler now needed to focus on the exercise portion. He joined LA Fitness in March of 2017, and began doing 25 minutes of cardio per day, 7 days a week, with very minimal weight lifting. His initial goal was to get rid of his fat first and then begin building muscle.

Slowly over time, Tyler increased the time he spent on cardio. His two favorite cardio machines were the elliptical and Stairmaster, which he said really helped him “feel the burn”! Towards the end of an 8-month period, Tyler was spending up to 3 hours per day in the gym and was down 150 lbs.! He now weighed 215 lbs.,  and he was proud of the change he had made. While he was satisfied with the weight he had lost, Tyler now decided it was time to start building some lean muscle. This was the hardest part for him. Up until now, Tyler had enjoyed watching the numbers on the scale continually drop. However, as Tyler had learned, in order to gain muscle, he needed to increase his calorie consumption! It seemed completely counterintuitive to what Tyler had been doing prior, but he knew it was something he had to overcome in order to obtain the results he desired.

Tyler began getting serious about his weight training, and to this day, continues working out 7 days a week in order to achieve his future goal of competing in a fitness competition – and we believe in him! Tyler never dreamed that at 365 lbs., with a long list of health issues, he’d be where he is today. His relentless drive helped push him to accomplish his goals and build a healthy future for himself. Not only has Tyler turned his life around, but he acts as an inspiration to many who hope to do the same. As Tyler shared, “…with the right mindset, anything is possible!”

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