Fit/Successful Man on Campus -- My Transformation

[pastorpritch]

In the photos you look to me to be at least 20lbs heavier, but I guess that's the trick of photography and posing

Great decision on the spokesmodel contest. I think part of the contest is to inspire beyond the physical change ... you seem to do that

[Dmet84]

Impressive

[AndyFF]

Great thread and story!!

Guy's lets get behind Zane and push him to the top!!

[OneLastChance]

Could you specifically explain what is it that made you change so we could get some more motivation? You said you were a 120 lb dropout, but what made you decide to change, start lifting, start studying. You made it seem like your life was going nowhere, and then one day you just completely changed( But anyone that's tried to change themselves so dramatically knows it doesn't work like that..) I want to know the psychology of your transformation. And I personally think it would awesome as hell to hear, because if we don't know your past it makes your 4 year transformation have much less of an impact.


Thanks Zane, great stuff in this thread!

[Gorillawear1]

I posted this in the motivational section, but thought it might be a bit more appropriate here.

So after reviewing the Big Man on Campus articles and videos I was ecstatic to learn Bodybuilding.com did a piece on how you can stay fit and, more importantly, succeed in school; however, I was sincerely wishing the article was about me!

I am living proof that BB.com can not only help you be a big/fit/lean man or women on campus, but also an extraordinarily successful one. I went from being an unhappy, disorganized, 120 lb. something, college dropout to a 181 lb., 4.0 GPA, top of my class student (in both my undergraduate and graduate education). Moreover, I was an author on multiple scientific publications, a graduation speaker, a graduate student instructor, a research assistant, and won numerous academic awards due to the determination, motivation, hard work, and lifestyle instilled in me by BB.com.

In addition to these academic accolades, I managed to gain approximately 60 lbs. throughout my college career (most of it toward the beginning years) and stay lean in the process -- I believe my highest bodyfat percentage was around 10%.

I have achieved these aspirations and goals while concurrently living in an extraordinarily happy and successful marriage, maintaining a great social life, succeeding in my environmental science employment (currently in public service), and helping my family through difficult times. The culmination of these aforementioned attributes, I hope, makes me an inspiration and role-model to others.

I really wanted to share my story so that I could motivate, inspire, and help others! So please, do not hesitate to friend me on bodyspace (zane11) and ask me any questions you may have regarding nutrition, fitness, time management, or academics -- I would absolutely love to help. I reached out to the Bodybuilding.com team in hopes of sharing my story and I am waiting to hear back from them.

In addition to the knowledge and motivation instilled in me by BB.com, I put together a simple yet useful equation that helped me stay determined and motivated in my fitness, academic, and employment goals. The equation was I = CAN where I is impact, C is consistency, A is aspirations, and N is never give up.

So this is equation was not only a motivational and inspiring saying, but also made sense to me. Your overall impact-- whether it's academics, bodybuilding, or employment -- is a result of your consistency, aspirations, and ability to never give up. I made sure I had this equation somewhere that I would see it every day because it is inevitable that hardships will arise and unforeseen obstacles will occur. But, if you keep your eye on your aspirations, consistently work toward them realizing that it won't be easy, and never give up (even if you score poorly on a test, fall off your diet for a bit, miss a workout, or miss a deadline) I know that you can succeed. I encourage everyone to embrace challenges as opportunities and make sure to utilize the I = CAN equation, which worked so very well for me!

Again, I encourage anyone with questions to contact me -- I'd love to help out. I want to pay it forward. BB.com has helped me so much and I would love to give back!

Great work dude!!! Keep it up!


Gorilla Wear

[nherrada]

I have 2 things to say to you:

1. Amazing.

2. I'm proud to see people who have that touch. Like you. People who wants to help others with too much respect and professionalism. May be you're such an inspiration for someone about gym, but man, you're an inspiration about respect, amability and charisma. Read your comments puts me in a good mood. Really.

Ok, now:

- What's about that product you have mentioned? 'S.A.N'. I woulk like to try it because I have read the ingredients and I saw some things that could help me on my cutting phase. How did you take it? (and how much)
- I would like to know some info about the cardio you've implemented, type of training, methods (HIIT, resistance, etc.), time per training or distance, times per week, if you do it after lift, etc.
- About your food habits: how many meals a day? calories, types of food, macros (of course, if you calculate this, if not, no problem). Also I'm interested about how you take protein powder, times/day, scoops/day, etc!
- You say something about time management. Can you tell us some of this?
- Finally (and I will stop bother you, promise lol) what have you study? your current job it's based on?

Thanks again, and congrats for who you are today!

[zane11]

pastorpritch – haha thanks a lot. I wish I had another 20lbs, but I’ll get there with time and effort! Thanks for the compliment and the encouraging words about the Spokesmodel contest. I know it’s about more than just physique, and I hope that people voting realize how much I actually want to help aspiring Bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts! Thanks for the support!

Dmet84 – thanks!

AndyFF – wow, thank you for the support – I’m unbelievable thankful! I've been getting some great feedback with regards to the contest, so I’m hoping for the best!

Gorillawear1 – thanks and I will!

OneLastChance – As for what made me change, I just knew deep-down that I was capable of more…I think we all have that feeling from time to time. I knew that I had to somehow tap into what I was capable of, fully apply myself, and never give up! Once the signs of success came, I knew I’d crave more and stick to it. My I=CAN attitude/equation is what helped me get to the tipping point. Believing in yourself and that you are capable of achieving whatever you set your mind to is key! Hit me up with a PM if you’d like to talk about it more!

nherrada – first, thank you so much for the flattering comments! It really means a great deal to me know that I have helped others and that I’m more than just an inspiration in terms of my physique.

As for your questions, the product is called SAN Infusion. Here is the link

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/san/infusion.html

I absolutely love this stuff! I’d make it differently depending on my caloric requirements. However, I’d generally make it with about 1.5 cups of cottage cheese; 3 scoops of infusion; stevia for sweetener; cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or some other type of flavoring; and a handful of almonds . Describing it makes me want it

For cardio, I like HIIT and I do it after workouts so that I have enough energy to lift first. I’m an active person, too.
Here is a link to my transformation story that may have some more information you’d be interested in. I list what I eat and supplements I take in there. Check it out.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/body...-its-done.html

Yeah, time management was very important to me and was a big part of my success. I just made sure to prioritize different items in my life and then weight the time spent on them accordingly. If you want to talk more about time management, send me a PM and we can discuss it in the context of your life.

Thanks for the comments everybody! This has been a crazy ride so far and I hope that I can continue by advancing in the spokesmodel competition! As always, please feel free to email me or send me a PM!

[LJNelson]

You are my new motivation for sure! Could you recommend a decent weight gainer which isn't overly priced?

[TrikkyRik]

Hey there Zane! Incredible transformation buddy! I'm working on my own, just really getting started I guess. Coming from the opposite end of the spectrum though heh. Gotta get the weight off and then put on some muscle. But dude! Amazingly inspiring!

[ybsny]

Zane,
Thanks for your insightful reply. As to the answers of the questions you gave me. I found those calorie needs based on an IF calorie calculator online and played around with the macros myself based on the calorie balance I had for each day. In terms of lifting, did my program look okay to you? I use the strength to keep strength gains up if possible and retain as much lean body mass as possible while the hypertrophy days are just well for less direct stress on the muscle and help with recovery.
The 2100 calorie number was a % down from my TDEE rather just a clean cut 300-500 calorie cut. I appreciated your nutrition/ carb insight as well. I'll try to do that but it's hard since I have so many classes that I really struggle to have a set eating schedule hence the IF protocol. Also, what do you recommend in terms of cardio? I realize I should stick in around 30-40 minutes daily, mostly LISS for just heart health. Nonetheless, your help is appreciated. Thanks again.

[Mdrago602]

Really cool story. I can somewhat relate to your "breaking point". I'm 24, been in school now for what feels like forever but just now a junior, have a 17 month old son, and work 30 hours a week now. I know a lot of people are in much more difficult situations than me but this is my life. I just decided at the beginning of this semester to finally really buckle down and do it right. I lost 70 from when my son was born to his 1 year birthday. That was success but now I want progress - Building muscle while finishing school.

Great motivation. People like you keep people like me on track.

[zane11]

LJNelson -- thanks for finding me motivational! I'm doing my best to reach as many people as possible and help them. I have never used a weight gainer. My philosophy is to just eat more. I love eating, so when I get to eat more good foods it's easy and make me happy. If you're interested in how I bulk up send me a PM. I'd love to talk more about it and answer any questions you may have.

ybsny -- Great questions and thanks for asking. I got back to you with a PM for the specifics, but I'll answer the less specific cardio question on here. I'm a big fan of HIIT. I like to do HIIT on the rowing machine. I feel like it's not only a killer cardio workout, but also substantially challenges my upper body. I attribute a lot of my back gains to this.

Mdrago602 --I can really relate to your story! I'm proud to hear of your success and a belated congratulations on the birth of your son, that's awesome! Good luck building muscle while finishing school. I know you can do it. Let me know if I can help out in anyway!

Thanks to everyone for the encouraging words, PMs, and support for the spokesmodel contest this year! I really appreciate it.

[biggerbetter23]

Before and after pics are insane man! I wish that one day I can achieve what you have achieved.

[dest0]

Lookin good Zane! keep it up brother

[KHawkley]

Awesome! very inspiring!

[MrGekko]

Incredible transformation man. Thanks for adding to my motivation level!

[zane11]

biggerbetter23 -- Thanks a lot, and I know that you can achieve what goals you set if you put in the effort!

dest0 -- thanks you too, man!

KHawkley -- thank you so much

MrGekko -- thanks for the props! Keep working hard!


I appreciate all the positive feedback and support everyone!

I'm in the 2013 Spokesmodel contest now, so if you think my story and physique has what it takes, please vote for me
Here is the link:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2013...ch-voting.html

As always, feel free to send me a PM with any additional questions.

[techimike]

Insane transformation. Inspiring for sure.

[drumplayer]

dam just saw pics. AWESOME

now i'm gonna read the wall of text

edit: inspirational man. thats a great story.

this...but that is one of the most unbelievable transformations bro. congrats. and voted for you to bro.

[drumplayer]

Unbelievable story bro. Definitely very motivational for everyone on this forum. I voted for you to. Good luck on the competition.

[musclemoe]

the part about going from an " unhappy, disorganized, 120 lb. something, college dropout to a 181 lb., 4.0 GPA, top of my class student (in both my undergraduate and graduate education)." i found i could really relate to because when i started working out not only did my appearance improve, my grades, social life, confidence and soo much else did too.

[12ccopeland]

I posted this in the motivational section, but thought it might be a bit more appropriate here.

So after reviewing the Big Man on Campus articles and videos I was ecstatic to learn Bodybuilding.com did a piece on how you can stay fit and, more importantly, succeed in school; however, I was sincerely wishing the article was about me!

I am living proof that BB.com can not only help you be a big/fit/lean man or women on campus, but also an extraordinarily successful one. I went from being an unhappy, disorganized, 120 lb. something, college dropout to a 181 lb., 4.0 GPA, top of my class student (in both my undergraduate and graduate education). Moreover, I was an author on multiple scientific publications, a graduation speaker, a graduate student instructor, a research assistant, and won numerous academic awards due to the determination, motivation, hard work, and lifestyle instilled in me by BB.com.

In addition to these academic accolades, I managed to gain approximately 60 lbs. throughout my college career (most of it toward the beginning years) and stay lean in the process -- I believe my highest bodyfat percentage was around 10%.

I have achieved these aspirations and goals while concurrently living in an extraordinarily happy and successful marriage, maintaining a great social life, succeeding in my environmental science employment (currently in public service), and helping my family through difficult times. The culmination of these aforementioned attributes, I hope, makes me an inspiration and role-model to others.

I really wanted to share my story so that I could motivate, inspire, and help others! So please, do not hesitate to friend me on bodyspace (zane11) and ask me any questions you may have regarding nutrition, fitness, time management, or academics -- I would absolutely love to help. I reached out to the Bodybuilding.com team in hopes of sharing my story and I am waiting to hear back from them.

In addition to the knowledge and motivation instilled in me by BB.com, I put together a simple yet useful equation that helped me stay determined and motivated in my fitness, academic, and employment goals. The equation was I = CAN where I is impact, C is consistency, A is aspirations, and N is never give up.

So this is equation was not only a motivational and inspiring saying, but also made sense to me. Your overall impact-- whether it's academics, bodybuilding, or employment -- is a result of your consistency, aspirations, and ability to never give up. I made sure I had this equation somewhere that I would see it every day because it is inevitable that hardships will arise and unforeseen obstacles will occur. But, if you keep your eye on your aspirations, consistently work toward them realizing that it won't be easy, and never give up (even if you score poorly on a test, fall off your diet for a bit, miss a workout, or miss a deadline) I know that you can succeed. I encourage everyone to embrace challenges as opportunities and make sure to utilize the I = CAN equation, which worked so very well for me!

Again, I encourage anyone with questions to contact me -- I'd love to help out. I want to pay it forward. BB.com has helped me so much and I would love to give back!

Wow man.



Edit: Obviously voted for you m8, good luck! Feel free to stop by my log sometime

[zane11]

techimike -- thanks so much, I'm glad you found it inspiring.

drumplayer -- thanks for the kind words and for the vote -- I really appreciate it and would love to represent BB.com as a Spokesmodel

musclemoe -- glad you found it easy to relate to. I hope exercise helps you continue to benefit in all aspects of your life

12ccopeland -- thanks a ton for the compliment and the vote! I'll make sure to check out your log!

Thanks so much for the support in the contest, everyone -- I'm truly grateful! I hope I can count on your continued support. Let me know if I can help you in your personal or professional aspirations!

[BB4239]

Fantastic job my man.

For most people, it is very difficult to succeed in just one particular field. (Academics, Fitness, Career, Social)
But managing and succeeding in all aspects is extraordinary. Inconceivable for most. And yet, a few manage to do it, like yourself.

I'm also striving for that perfect balance.

[zane11]

BB4239 -- Thanks so much! I appreciate the flattering words. Keep working hard and I know you'll reach your goals. Let me know if I can help in anyway.


Also, I thought that I'd share the link to the viedo I just made. I've had a lot of interest in my story, so I made a short video about it. Check it out and let me know what you think, thanks!

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/za...ideos&type=you

[olivegram]

I posted this in the motivational section, but thought it might be a bit more appropriate here.

So after reviewing the Big Man on Campus articles and videos I was ecstatic to learn Bodybuilding.com did a piece on how you can stay fit and, more importantly, succeed in school; however, I was sincerely wishing the article was about me!

I am living proof that BB.com can not only help you be a big/fit/lean man or women on campus, but also an extraordinarily successful one. I went from being an unhappy, disorganized, 120 lb. something, college dropout to a 181 lb., 4.0 GPA, top of my class student (in both my undergraduate and graduate education). Moreover, I was an author on multiple scientific publications, a graduation speaker, a graduate student instructor, a research assistant, and won numerous academic awards due to the determination, motivation, hard work, and lifestyle instilled in me by BB.com.

In addition to these academic accolades, I managed to gain approximately 60 lbs. throughout my college career (most of it toward the beginning years) and stay lean in the process -- I believe my highest bodyfat percentage was around 10%.

I have achieved these aspirations and goals while concurrently living in an extraordinarily happy and successful marriage, maintaining a great social life, succeeding in my environmental science employment (currently in public service), and helping my family through difficult times. The culmination of these aforementioned attributes, I hope, makes me an inspiration and role-model to others.

I really wanted to share my story so that I could motivate, inspire, and help others! So please, do not hesitate to friend me on bodyspace (zane11) and ask me any questions you may have regarding nutrition, fitness, time management, or academics -- I would absolutely love to help. I reached out to the Bodybuilding.com team in hopes of sharing my story and I am waiting to hear back from them.

In addition to the knowledge and motivation instilled in me by BB.com, I put together a simple yet useful equation that helped me stay determined and motivated in my fitness, academic, and employment goals. The equation was I = CAN where I is impact, C is consistency, A is aspirations, and N is never give up.

So this is equation was not only a motivational and inspiring saying, but also made sense to me. Your overall impact-- whether it's academics, bodybuilding, or employment -- is a result of your consistency, aspirations, and ability to never give up. I made sure I had this equation somewhere that I would see it every day because it is inevitable that hardships will arise and unforeseen obstacles will occur. But, if you keep your eye on your aspirations, consistently work toward them realizing that it won't be easy, and never give up (even if you score poorly on a test, fall off your diet for a bit, miss a workout, or miss a deadline) I know that you can succeed. I encourage everyone to embrace challenges as opportunities and make sure to utilize the I = CAN equation, which worked so very well for me!

Again, I encourage anyone with questions to contact me -- I'd love to help out. I want to pay it forward. BB.com has helped me so much and I would love to give back!

Hands down, this is one of the most inspirational stories I have read. It's the entire package! Keep up the hard work and never stop inspiring others. Thanks for sharing your story.

[olivegram]

Great thread and story!!

Guy's lets get behind Zane and push him to the top!!

I second this and couldn't agree more! Lets make him the next spokesmodel!

[zane11]

I second this and couldn't agree more! Lets make him the next spokesmodel!

I really am thankful for the kind words!

I would absolutely love the opportunity to serve the BB.com community as a spokesmodel!

Thanks for the support everyone.

[zane11]

I really am thankful for the kind words!

I would absolutely love the opportunity to serve the BB.com community as a spokesmodel!

Thanks for the support everyone.

For those of you who have been following this thread, I recently made a video. Check it out!

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/za...ideos&type=you

[robocop01]

Wow awesome transformation, looks like a lot of hard work went on there