Richard Neal Lost 200+ Pounds in 13 months!!
This is one of my all time FAVE transformations! Check out Richards story.
Tell us about your life before you started the program. How did you feel about yourself and your body?From as far back as I can remember, I have been obese. I always saw it as something that just was part of me, but I always hated it. I was lazy – I didn’t really know how or want to put forth any effort to change that. As a kid, my mother would find wrappers from whole packages of lunchmeat or hot dogs under my bed that I had hidden after late night eating. In my early 20’s, my schedule as a Restaurant Manager never allowed me to eat during the day, so when I came home at night I would combine all three meals in to one. If I couldn’t sleep or was bored late at night, I would eat. I always hated myself for my weight, but found myself compensating by always being the first to make a joke about my weight in fear that someone else might. I became comfortable always being the “fat guy” in the family… or anywhere for that matter.
What inspired you to change your life and begin your transformation journey?The first realization that I needed to do something was when I was put on blood pressure medicine at age 25. The doctor also told me that I needed to lose 30lbs in 30 days. I thought that was impossible to do. And after the 30 days, I had not lost anything. I was wearing 56” pants, 5X shirts & had to go to the scrap yard to weigh myself b/c I was over 400lbs. I couldn’t even reach to clip my own toe nails – my wife had to do that for me. I also didn’t think that my wife & I would be able to have kids b/c of my size. My coach is also my insurance agent so when I’d come by his office, he’d encourage me to make a change. He’d been doing Beachbody programs for 3 years. We became friends and he took me to Columbus, OH to a Beachbody meeting & I met Tommy Mygrant and Craig Holiday. They both encouraged me that I could do this and get the results I wanted. I had never really had that support before. I was excited to see if I could do this!
Why did you choose the particular program?I started with Power90 because by now, I had heard & met so many success stories. I remember that first day sitting on my couch looking at the disc, thinking, “I am going to do this today”. So I did and BARELY made it through. But I felt accomplished and called Jeff who said, “Great! Now continue to do it every day for the next thirty days.” So after 30 days I’d lost 45lbs. By the end of 90 days I’d lost over 70lbs. I gradually progressed to P90X which was a whole other world. While I couldn’t do everything or finish the workouts & HAD to modify alot, I thrived on the challenges in P90X – and still do!
What in particular did you like about the program you chose?I loved that in every P90X workout, there were modifications that I could do. Tony’s personality also made the workouts much more enjoyable. I could see results right away, and after finishing 90 days, it was clear that this was a program that actually worked! And it wasn’t just about the workouts; there were so many tools like the fitness guide & meal plans that helped me along the way. I loved Tony’s phrase, “do your best and forget the rest”, and that is now my motto for everything I do.
Tell us about the greatest challenge you faced. How did you overcome that challenge?I would say the greatest challenge was just sticking with the program and not giving up. There were so many days that I just thought, “can I really do this?”. My wife was very supportive, but most of my own family wasn’t, and that added more stress on top of an already challenging situation. Scheduling was a big challenge b/c not only was I working full time 3rd shift, I was also having to take care of my dying mother-in-law. Twelve hour days at the cancer center for treatments took a lot out of me. I overcame it all by sticking with my original decision that I HAD to make a change – period.
Describe the results you achieved with your Beachbody® program. What achievements are you proud of?I HIT THE 200LB WEIGHT LOSS MARK THIS MONTH!!! I am healthy for the first time in my life! Losing 200 lbs in 13 months is not an easy task, but I did it and it has to be one of the most amazing feelings I have ever felt before! I’m off all meds now! I now have definition in my arms that I have never had before. I can do push-ups, pull-ups, and everything I never thought I could before! I’m now doing P90X & INSANITY hybrids. I easily completed the Warrior Dash this month as well – a 5k with 12 obstacles solely from doing Beachbody programs. I now have lots of folks asking ME for fitness advice – imagine that! I’ve constantly got friends from high school who are amazed at my results. Remember when I said that my wife & I could not have a baby due to my weight? Well, I am proud to say that due to my weight loss, my wife is now 2 ½ months pregnant! What an achievement from using my Beachbody program!