It’s not just the extreme weight loss photos that can show a dramatic transformation.
Neal Maher, a 29-year-old bricklayer, was nowhere near overweight. However, he never paid attention to his diet and exercise routines.
He saw a picture of himself at a party, and he was shocked. His body was pale and had no muscle tone whatsoever.
“I never really thought about the way I looked as I was never fat, and everyone kept on telling me that I had fast metabolism and was lucky that I could get away with the foods I was eating,” said Neale.
He often ate junk food and drank alcohol.
“I would never think about exercising or what the foods were doing to me internally. Although I was fat I feel like I had zero energy and got out of breath sooner than others.”
Though he was about 120 pounds, his BMI was 25, which meant he was considered overweight.
And when he saw the pictures of him at a party, he thought, “I am 27 years of age and going nowhere with my life with no ambitions.” And he wanted to change that.
He started to read about weightlifting, and joined his local gym. He did 30 minutes of cardio, followed by 45 minutes of weight training, 5 days a week. He hired personal trainer Martyn Burrows to help him start off.
“He was shocked with the foods I was eating so he had me on a high protein, low carb diet with some healthy fats included. I would eat around 40 egg whites a day to give me the proteins I needed.” He also bought proteins from compareproteins.co.uk.
He stopped drinking alcohol in order to dedicate himself to the gains.
And it paid off. Neale entered his first bodybuilding contest after just four months of training. He placed second.
Now, he’s won several first place totles, and he’s going to compete at the Arnolds in 2016.
“Everyone calls me Hulk now just because of my size and build—and I love it.”
He says that anyone can do what they want to with enough dedication. “Anyone with the right attitude and goal can achieve what they want. Never give up and have a positive belief about yourself. Blood, sweat, and tears all the way.”
