Content provided in partnership with

Model citizen: by dedicating himself to a healthier lifestyle, Paul Mays gives his life a makeover - Success Story - Brief Article

Men's Fitness, August, 2002

PAUL MAYS

* Home: Los Angeles, CA
* Age: 32
* Height: 6'1"
* Weight before: 225 pounds
* Present: 175 pounds
* Waist before: 36"
* Present: 29"
* Training: Weight-trains four
  days a week and does cardio
  five times per week.

Barbers are known for cutting hair, not changing lives--unless one mistakenly gives you a mohawk on the day of your big interview. But it was my barber, a woman, who jarred me into the realization that I was terribly out of shape, and that I had to do something about it.

One day, she innocently glanced over to where I was waiting for my haircut and said, "You're next, chubby." Since she had been cutting my hair for seven years, the comment stung. But what really stung was that she was right--I was chubby. Five years as a pharmaceutical representative, which forced me to work about 10 to 12 hours a day and partake in elaborate lunches and dinners for prospective clients, had taken a toll on my body. I had yet to turn 30, but my body was already that of a middle-aged man.

So, what did I do? The very next day I joined a gym and hired a personal trainer. And set a goal. When my trainer asked me what I wanted to look like, I said, without hesitation, "Like a Calvin Klein model."

WEIGHING IN AT 225

That probably sounded comical, as at the time (February 2000), I weighed 225 pounds with a 36-inch waist. But my trainer didn't laugh. He simply asked me to give him a year, and to give nothing less than 100 percent. I agreed.

We started out easy, to get my body used to training again. We followed with nine weeks of heavy lifting and cardio. For the last three of the nine weeks, I fine-tuned my diet, upped my cardio to two daily 40- to 50-minute walking sessions on the treadmill--one before my first meal of the day and one after my last--and melted 20 pounds away, bringing my weight down to about 200 pounds.

My weightlifting regimen consisted of four sessions a week, each lasting about a half hour. To keep my body in fat-burning mode, my routine was laden with supersets, drop sets and compound sets. To constantly challenge my muscles, every six weeks the routine changed.

NO MORE CHEESECAKE

My diet shifted from foods high in sugar and fat, such as cheesecake, ice cream and soda, to foods rich in lean protein, such as chicken and fish. I cut back on carbohydrates and fats, and drank nothing but water. I dropped 10 pounds by the beginning of summer, and another 10 by the start of fall. Overall, I lost 45 pounds in about nine months, and had moved one step closer to my goal.

Today I weigh 175 and keep my body fat around 7 percent. I quit my job as a pharmaceutical rep and have been working as a personal trainer and model for the past 18 months. I couldn't be happier with my progress and the changes I've made in my life. I even paid a visit to my old barber--she was shocked. I am chubby no more.

MOTIVATION TIP

Have a clear image of what you, want to look like--of the end result--when you start your training. Then commit to that goal and don't let anything get you off course.

Model citizen: by dedicating himself to a healthier lifestyle, Paul Mays gives his life a makeover - Success Story - Brief Article

Men's Fitness, August, 2002

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Home & Garden

Most Popular Articles in Health

Most Popular Publications in Health