Johnathan Fuller Went From Pain To Gain

When his health took a scary turn, Johnathan Fuller needed motivation to get to the gym. His brother was there to provide it.

I was always heavy but don’t really think it was overeating; just the wrong foods. Breakfast was decent (eggs and oatmeal) but for the rest of the day, I’d down a bunch of carbs. Even all of my proteins were breaded and fried.

At work I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I never saw a doctor, but that feeling scared me enough to move me to change. Right after that, I started pursuing healthier habits and got my eating on the right track.

Small changes

First I cut soda out completely. I also started planning and prepping four meals a day and keeping track of my macros with an online calculator. I made sure I was taking in healthy amounts of protein, carbs, and fats.

Even though I still dined in restaurants, I started scanning the menu for healthier options, such as salmon or baked chicken with sweet potato, vegetables, or jasmine rice on the side.

I worked with a trainer for my first three or four weeks, just to learn my way around the gym. After that, I had enough of the basics figured out to work out on my own—though I still had help from my brother and the Bodybuilding.com website.

Brotherly love

The hardest part of my transformation was hitting the gym all the days I was supposed to, because I’d go 100% and push the limit a little too much and then burn out. On those days, my brother would call me and say: “Let’s go to the gym. You have to keep at it!”

Even though my brother and I ate the same unhealthy foods, he was active and played basketball in school, and he went to the gym before I started going. I can’t say I was ever jealous of my brother, but seeing how fit he was drove home that I wasn’t ever happy with what I saw in the mirror.

As soon as I landed on the Bodybuilding.com homepage and I was hooked. I’ve been able to pick up tips and tricks like carb cycling, which helped me get back to losing weight when I plateaued.

The future

I am currently pursuing CrossFit. I enjoy it, even though it kicks my butt. I love the atmosphere of everyone cheering each other on—there’s a lot of positive energy in the air. I plan on training for a CrossFit competition very soon.

My advice to others? For newbies: You do not have to be the best at it; you just have to start. Not next weekend or tomorrow, but today. You can start right now and forever change your life. It is well worth the effort.