Bodybuilding.com - Louis Dorman's Guide To Getting In Shape!

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There were many things about myself that needed to be changed on the outside and on in the inside. Find out how Louis went from over 250 lbs to 160 lbs...

Louis Dorman's Guide To Getting In Shape!

By: Louis Dorman

March of 1999 was pretty much the beginning of an amazing turn for me. I'm not sure about how much I weighed but it was above 250, and I was wearing a size 46+. There were many things about myself that needed to be changed on the outside and in the inside.

Why I Made The Change

Like a lot of people who get into serious relationships, I started caring less about what I ate with no desire to workout or even try to conquer my weight problem. The only type of cardiovascular activity I was participating in was sex and I'm sure you can imagine it was like two roly-polys. I would eat out at fast food daily and I had zero motivation to care about what I looked like or what I ate.

At The Beginning Of My Transformation.

There was a turning point in my life when I took a few steps back. I then realized this was not the life that I wanted or ever dreamed about having. I decided to move from my home town of 45 people to attend an art school in Arizona. I left behind my family, friends and girlfriend.

I moved in with my aunt and uncle which I didn't even know at the time. My uncle was a member of a fitness club and I wanted to lose some weight, so I became a member. I needed to do something to my body since I was getting heavier and it was time to change.

At the time I didn't really know too much about nutrition or working out, but I did have the mind set that if you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile - anything is possible!

I believe everyone has a very powerful mind that can make anything happen as long as you keep yourself centered. If you doubt you can accomplish something, then you won't accomplish it. You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.

I would go to the gym and ask the trainers a lot of questions about different workouts, since I never read any books, studied fitness magazines or joined in bodybuilding forums. My results were from consistency. Plain and simple.

People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success. If I knew what I know now about nutrition and fitness, it would have taken me a lot less time, but what it did teach me with all the trial and error was - my body. I learned how my body reacted to foods, cardio, weights, and time off. I'm not sure I would change too many things if I was to do it over again.

Changing My Diet

Nutritionally, I continued eating healthfully by adding more fruits, vegetables and lean protein sources to my diet. I would choose the low-fat version of salad dressing or the diet soda at dinner.

To monitor my portion sizes I would user smaller bowls and plates to make it seem like I was eating more food. I didn't restrict myself from my favorite foods like pizza.

In the past, I would completely eliminate such foods from my diet, which caused me to binge later. Instead, I treated myself to a moderate portion and enjoyed every bite of it.

The first time I went back home was Christmas and I had lost about 50 pounds. Nobody knew who I was! Not even my mom could recognize me. It was the greatest feeling, and just made me push even more. All the people that gave me grief about being over-weight were shocked by my results. Our bodies are the presentation of our capabilities.

People were finally starting to see what I was capable of doing. That is probably when I realized that all my hard work was paying off. I was able to start shopping for stylish clothing, tucking in my shirt more and really caring about the way I presented myself to the public.
The more pounds I lost the more I gained confidence in my appearance and my attitude on setting and achieving goals.

What Are Your Goals?
>Lose Fat
>Build Muscle
>Improve Energy
>Other

On days that I didn't feel like getting up and jogging or doing cardio, I would lay in bed and then I would start to think about my goals and my reasons for achieving them. I would then get up and do my cardio and enjoy it because I knew that there are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened. We all have a choice. You can decide which type of person you want to be. I have always chosen to be in the first group.

When it came to eating I knew that my choices and my portions had to change. I started learning how to cook and taught myself to enjoy foods that weren't deep fried or layered with frosting. I often experimented and customized my regimen until I struck the right balance of taste, nutrition and convenience.

Often I believe that sometimes people engage in destructive black-and-white thinking, creating an ominous mental list of "good" foods on one side and all the tasty "bad" foods on the other. Once you create an eating plan that you can live with and enjoy, you won't have to obsess over every morsel you put in your mouth and cravings / binging will become a thing of the past.

We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done. I was glad I did this my way. By motivating myself my only inspiration was my own results.

Notice The Changes In My Face.

By setting goals and achieving them I became the type of person I am today. With every motion there is an action... years of this and I know that anything is possible if you want it bad enough. The people that know what I have gone through get inspired every time I talk about my life and what I have done.

My story and my goals have made a big impact on the people around me. Never once have I looked back on my life and said that was good enough. I'm always looking to what I can accomplish next.

My Workout Week

I train about 12 hours per week on a "one body-part a week" workout routine. I used heavy weights and low reps to get my results. I would do a total of 4 sets with the first set being a "warm up set" doing about 12-15 reps.

If the machine or bench was occupied I would go do an alternative exercises. I did abs usually every day, and calves every other day. I also did 35 to 45 minutes of cardio each day using the reclined bike, treadmill, and elliptical machine.

Monday: Chest

Tuesday: Shoulders

Wednesday: Biceps/Triceps

Thursday: Off