Did you know that I used to be overweight?

Yes, it’s true. “Mr. Workout” himself used to have a weight issue back in the day. In fact, the first 12 years of my life I spent as the chubby, fat kid who suffered from low self esteem. I used to get picked on in school because of my weight and was constantly bullied by my peers on a regular basis because I lacked the confidence to fight back. As a result of my low self esteem issues, I became increasingly more shy and reserved the older I became. I had difficulty making friends and even the friends I did have, would occasionally make fun of me for being overweight.

I remember purposely wearing clothes that were too big for me because I was embarrassed of my physique. I remember eating in private because I was afraid of people seeing and judging me while I ate. And I remember never looking in mirrors because I was ashamed with how I looked.

My parents were the best parents a kid could ask for, however in their defence they themselves didn’t know much about dietary nutrition. As a result, I grew up on a diet that consisted of sugary snacks, fatty meats, simple carbs, and white everything.

Growing up in a time without internet or social media, I could not simply just google – “How To Lose Weight” or download a Fitness App that would teach me how to calculate calories and macronutrients. Hell, at 10 years old, I didn’t even know what the hell a macronutrient was!!!!

As my life kept moving forward, I kept getting bigger. The older I became, the heavier I became. And then my first year of High School arrived. And without a doubt that was one of the most difficult and challenging years of my life. Older kids can seem much bigger, much stronger and much scarier to a High School freshmen. And they are even more terrifying when that High School freshman is a sitting duck waiting to be hunted.

And it was after that very first horrendous and turbulent year of constantly being bullied and picked on in High School when I distinctly remember making a promise to myself, that no matter what, I would lose the weight and transform my physique!

The Summer of ’99

I will NEVER forget the Summer of 1999. And I can promise you it was nothing like the Summer of ’69. I had no band. I had no girl. And I had no job to do. However I did have time. And I had ALOT of time. So rather than waste that time sitting on my ass watching TV and playing video games like most 13 year old boys do, I decided to use that time to my advantage.

I used the little knowledge that I had learned in Grade 8 P.E Class along with a few muscle magazines that I stole/borrowed from the local library (which looking back now were EXTREMELY full of outdated methods and preposterous theories) and applied these principles to my weight loss plan.

I had 8 weeks until the start of the new school year.

I had 56 days to lose my so-called “baby fat”.

And I had 1,344 hours to develop a physique that I thought would give me all the confidence and power I needed to get girls and become popular and cool.

And the clock was ticking…..

The Makeshift Weight Loss Plan

As I mentioned earlier, I had no idea how to lose weight. I read in one magazine that in order to lose fat, you had to eat less calories. And then I remember my Grade 8 P.E Teacher telling me that in order to build muscle, you had to exercise. So I figured if I just ate less and moved more that would be a good start. And so that’s what I started to do.

I had no money so I couldn’t afford to join a gym. And I had no knowledge of nutrition so I didn’t know what to eat. However I did have a pair of shoes (albeit not running shoes) and I did know how to count (albeit not well) so I started upon my quest walking each day and counting my daily caloric consumption by reading food labels of everything I ate. Eventually my walks started to turn into jogs, which eventually turned into runs. And eventually my calorie counting skills turned into a better understanding of fats, carbs and proteins and how they each interact differently in the body. The days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months. And by the end of the Summer of ’99, I had lost a total of 67lbs!!!!!

Cue The Eating Disorder

By the time I started my Sophomore year, I was unrecognizable to those that had known me and had made fun of me during my Freshman year. I actually had people coming up to ask me if I was Nick Cosgrove! When I told them it was in fact me, most people were impressed with my incredible weight loss transformation.

I had accomplished my goal!

I had lost the weight!

I had gained respect and notoriety from my peers!

I had also developed a severe eating disorder…….

Check Out Part 2 of “The Day I Got My Shit Together” next week!

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance