The insecurities associated with morbid obesity overwhelmed Aaron's existence until he found courage to transform. See how he lost 30 percent body fat and 217 pounds!

WHY I DECIDED TO TRANSFORM

I was overweight from early childhood into my adult life and never had health issues, but I wasn't happy with how I looked or felt. I couldn't wear nice clothes, was embarrassed to take my shirt off in public, and wouldn't eat in front of people I didn't know. I knew I had to be healthier and lose weight or my life would eventually erode.

I had a physical exam a few months before I turned 33 years old and all of my vital signs were going in the wrong direction. My doctor said that I needed to start meds for high blood sugar because diabetes would take at least seven years off my estimated lifespan.

This was the slap in the face that I needed. I wasn't young and invincible, and if I didn't make changes I'd be reliant on medications that could cause irreversible damage. I had two young daughters and a wife that I wanted to be around for a long time. I wanted to be active and healthy for them and eventually my grandchildren. I needed to set an example of healthy living for my family who also showed signs of my unhealthy behavior.

BEFORE /// 400 LBS

AFTER /// 183 LBS

AGE 33 / HEIGHT 6'2" / BODY FAT 50%

AGE 39 / HEIGHT 6'2" / BODY FAT 10%

Post To Fitboard

HOW I ACCOMPLISHED MY GOALS

I thought back to what went wrong before and why I didn't succeed in the past. I admired Arnold Schwarzenegger and dreamed of having that type of physique, but never believed I could. I thought back to his bodybuilding days and it hit me to forget the fad diets and magic pills. Bodybuilders figured out long ago how to burn fat and gain muscle. I needed to understand how they did it.

I started learning on the Internet and looked for legitimate information to lose weight and be healthy. It was a tedious process because the web is littered with junk that promises instant results. I came across a website and an e-book called "Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle" by Tom Venuto, took the chance, and it was the best $40 I ever spent. I quickly digested the book and applied the eating concepts.

My next step was to learn how to exercise, so I went to the library and read books that outlined several basic exercises that I could do with 5, 10, and 15-pound dumbbells.

Then I discovered Bodybuilding.com, which helped me bring it all together. There was lots of information from thousands of people who were also transforming. I told myself that I would be the ultimate transformation on Bodybuilding.com.

"I TOLD MYSELF THAT I WOULD BE THE ULTIMATE TRANSFORMATION ON BODYBUILDING.COM."

I spent several months researching and applying what I learned and decided to join a gym with more equipment to make my journey smoother. It was scary at first because I was still a shy big guy, but I quickly realized that most folks in the gym were doing what I was or maintaining great health.

I drew inspiration from folks who recognized me because I was there all the time. People said encouraging words to me. I was driven forward because I set short-, mid-, and long-term goals. Getting on a bodybuilding stage was the ultimate pinnacle of success.

There were many times that I felt like quitting. When that happened, I went back to the reasons why I was transforming. I took it slow, read articles on Bodybuilding.com, and used my family as inspiration to get me through. I had to make a fundamental mind shift to do what was important to me. This became my hobby. There was no more television or games until I exercised.

When the mental shift took place and I realized that I could make the change a reality, it became easier. I injured my shoulder along the way, had to have surgery to correct bursitis, but never stopped. I worked my legs and did cardio with a sling on. I didn't give myself an excuse to stop.

SUPPLEMENTS THAT HELPED ME THROUGH THE JOURNEY

With Meal 1

• Universal Nutrition Animal Pak
• Universal Nutrition Animal Omega
• NOW Coral Calcium
• NOW Vitamin D-3
• Optimum BCAA 1000 Caps
• Optimum Glutamine 1000 Caps
• MuscleTech Hydroxycut Hardcore Elite
• NOW Super Odorless Garlic
• NOW CoQ10
• Source Naturals Daily Essential Enzymes
• HMB

Pre-workout

• MusclePharm Assault
• Optimum Gold Standard 100% Whey
• NOW Branched Chain Amino Acid Powder

Post-workout

• Chromium Picolinate
• Optimum Gold Standard 100% Whey
• NOW Branched Chain Amino Acid Powder

Before Bed

• ZMA
• NOW Branched Chain Amino Acid Powder
• NOW Ultra Omega-3 Fish Oil

DIET PLAN THAT GUIDED MY TRANSFORMATION

I ate one weekly cheat meal of whatever I wanted to keep my sanity. I never let a cheat be an excuse for cheat day or weekend. I got back on track and didn't feel guilty because I planned it.

Meal 1

• Oats
  1/2 cup
• Eggs
  2

Meal 2

• Ezekiel Bread
  2 slices
• Lean Turkey
  4 oz
• Tomato
  2 slices

Meal 3

• Broccoli
  1/2 cup
• Chicken Breast
  4-6 oz
• Sweet Potato
  2-3 oz

Meal 4: Pre-workout

• Optimum Gold Standard 100% Whey
  1 serving

Meal 5: Post-workout

• Optimum Gold Standard 100% Whey
  2 servings

Meal 6

• Chicken Breast
  8 oz
• 1% Cottage Cheese
  2 cups

TRAINING REGIMEN THAT KEPT ME ON TRACK

I focused on lifting first, which helped but didn't cut the fat off. I found that doing 20 minutes of moderate cardio pre-lift and 30-60 minutes after lifting incinerated fat because I had depleted glycogen. If I thought about skipping a workout, I punished myself with an extra exercise or more cardio. I had to be extreme to go from where I was.

Day 1: Arms

•  Dumbbell Bicep Curl
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Barbell Curl
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Hammer Curls
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Lying Triceps Press
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extension
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps

Day 2: Cardio

•  Elliptical Trainer
  60 min

Day 3: Legs

•  Barbell Squat
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Leg Extensions
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Seated Leg Curl
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Barbell Lunge
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps (each leg)
•  Seated Calf Raise
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Standing Calf Raises
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps

Day 4: Chest

•  Incline Dumbbell Press
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Dumbbell Bench Press
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Flat Bench Cable Flyes
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Dumbbell Flyes
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Incline Dumbbell Flyes
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps

Day 5: Cardio

•  Elliptical Trainer
  60 min

Day 6: Back/Shoulders

•  Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Bent Over Barbell Row
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Seated Cable Rows
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Lying T-Bar Row
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Barbell Deadlift
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Standing Military Press
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Dumbbell Shrug
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps
•  Pullups (Assisted)
  3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 rep