Hi. I'm Shawn

Every story starts with a beginning. Mine started many years ago when I was younger. I didn’t grow up athletic. Although I certainly tried, I was in every sport you can imagine: football, soccer, tennis, baseball, etc. I was terrible at them all. I grew up slightly chubby even with all the sports I was in. I guess the 5 McDouble’s that me and my friends would eat each on the weekends didn’t really help. But hey, I didn’t know any better! As crazy as it sounds, we aren’t taught how to eat growing up.
 

My twenties came around and I decided it was time to get a girlfriend (#goals). My life after 18 was spent pretty much playing video games and working. There wasn’t any exercising or physical activity. Naturally, I gained a little bit of weight from the 12-pack of Mountain Dews I was drinking every night. So, I decided to try to lose some weight.

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know where to start. I didn’t have anyone around me that knew how to help and the internet was filled with as much information as today. I decided that I would just stop eating as much. “Eating as much” turned into me not eating at all. Well, I had a 6-inch Subway sandwich every day. That’s it. About 320 calories a day. No exercise. Just pure starving myself. But, I didn’t know any better at the time.

I did this for 6 months. I would be constantly in pain from hunger, from when I woke up to when I would go to sleep. But guess what happened?! I lost 70 pounds. It came at a price though. I looked very sickly. To the point where people were saying that I looked “pale” and “malnourished”. I guess that is what happens when you purposely starve yourself for 6 months. My only goal at the time was to make sure that I weighed less every day. If I didn’t, I felt like a failure. My life, emotions, and sanity were attached to the scale. I got what I wanted though, I lost weight.

Nothing changed. My life didn’t get better. I didn’t magically get a girlfriend over night and I was tired of being hungry all the time.

 

Many stages of body changes

Fast forward 2 years and I now gained 100 pounds. I was the heaviest I have ever been. Starving myself was not sustainable and I didn’t learn anything to help me carry over into a healthier lifestyle so my old habits crept back. But this time, it got worse. My body fraught back against the starvation. I started eating so much more and putting on weight quickly. There was a point at my heaviest (250 pounds) that I was eating a large Little Caesar’s pizza, an entire pan of homemade brownies, and a 2-Liter of Mountain Dew every Friday night. I looked forward to this so much.

Emotionally I was much worse off. I was still girlfriend less for years (7+). I didn’t have many friends. I wasn’t that social because I was embarrassed. I was lonely and depressed. I ate to feel better which in turn made me feel worse which in turn caused me to eat more. A vicious cycle that I wasn’t able to break.

I finally came to a breaking point and had enough. I decided to finally lose the weight and get healthy but this time, I was going to do it right. I started researching different diets to implement. I tried Keto for a bit but didn’t find much success. I tried Paleo. I tried intermittent fasting and found some success. I basically tried it all. You name the diet, I’ve tried it. They all failed because none of them were sustainable for my life at the time.

Now, I have been able to keep off 70 pounds for 7 years. I am continuing to learn as much as possible. The more I learn, the more I am assured that the nutrition plan you follow can only be successful if it works for your life. Doesn’t matter if it is Keto, Macros, Intermittent Fasting, etc. They are all designed to work but that doesn’t mean that they are all designed to work for YOU.

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It took me a while but I discovered my passion. I know what it feels like to be lost, confused, lonely, depressed, and embarrassed with my body. It took me years to figure it out but I finally found what works for me. Now, I want to help anyone who is in the same position that I was. You don’t have to go at it alone. This is why I do what I do. To help those that truly want to make a change and are not sure how. If you are confused or not sure where to start, contact me. I’d love to know your goals and if there is any way I can help make those become a reality.

It wasn’t until I joined a strength and condition gym (Versus) that I started to make real progress. Working out started to become a part of my life now. We had a nutrition challenge that I joined where we spent time tracking our foods. I lost about 15 pounds in about 6 weeks. I was the healthiest and leanest I have been yet without depriving myself.

That’s when it all changed for me. I became obsessed with nutrition when I finally realized what it could do for my body. I started researching, learning, and understanding as much as possible. I started with a Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification. I moved onto Nutritional Coaching Institute Macro Coaching including a Hormones and Mindset Certification. Anything I could get my hands on to learn, I did. I am now a Precision Nutrition Level 2 Certified Coach – a year long mentor-ship program that covers all aspects to make lasting changes to your life.

Now, I have been able to keep off 70 pounds for 7 years. I am continuing to learn as much as possible. The more I learn, the more I am assured that the nutrition plan you follow can only be successful if it works for your life. Doesn’t matter if it is Keto, Macros, Intermittent Fasting, etc. They are all designed to work but that doesn’t mean that they are all designed to work for YOU.

It took me a while but I discovered my passion. I know what it feels like to be lost, confused, lonely, depressed, and embarrassed with my body. It took me years to figure it out but I finally found what works for me. Now, I want to help anyone who is in the same position that I was. You don’t have to go at it alone. This is why I do what I do. To help those that truly want to make a change and are not sure how. If you are confused or not sure where to start, contact me. I’d love to know your goals and if there is any way I can help make those become a reality.

I appreciate anyone who took the time to learn more about me and my story. If you want help with your own journey, you don’t have to do it alone like I did. Get the support and guidance you finally need to achieve your goals. If interested, please visit my Nutrition Coaching Application to see if we could be a good fit together to start working towards achieving sustainable weight loss.

​All the best,
Shawn