Bill Yeager’s Inspirational Story of Losing Fat and Transforming his Life
Written by Bill Yeager
I grew up as a small town kid from Cheshire Connecticut. Since a small child I grew up battling my own weight and dealing with all the hardships that went with it. All through High School I exercised but was also very chubby.
After High School, reality set in. I worked a full time job and went to school to build a foundation for my life. All I did was work; I didn’t make time to exercise. This created a lot of stress. So what did I do? I ate a lot of good tasting food to feel better, and then it eventually led to alcohol. It was like a “reward” for working so much. So I became overweight then very grumpy. I kept trying to disguise my fat with big clothes and turned my back to mirrors. I was so self conscious; it felt like people would snicker and poke fun. People can be so cruel. Maybe it was just in my mind, who knows.
I later bumped into an old friend. We decided to meet me at a local gym to workout to catch up. I was so shocked during our workout and so mad that I could only lift half the weight that he could and I was once twice as strong. He was lean and looked awesome! It motivated me to lean up too!
I had such a strong will at this point. I ran outside on the street every day till I dropped, and ate 3 salads for meals, that’s it. Well what happened was I got so skinny and weak, I looked sick. Not what I had in mind! Now, tired with a slow metabolism I once again became discouraged, daily gaining the weight back plus even more. Because what happens when you deprive your body of food is it learns how to store fat faster because it thinks it may starve again! (I wish I knew of a personal trainer then!)
I figured I was just designed to be fat, that God intended me to be that way. I just accepted it, I copped out. Back to being sad and grumpy.
Months later, I was cleaning my garage and an inspirational workout video fell out of a box and hit me on the head. It had Before & After photos on the cover of people who ate right and exercised. So I go to throw it in the garbage my hand extended and I’m looking at the cover thinking “what if?” Could these pictures be true? What if I did it? Could I do it? What if I didn’t try? I’ll never know! I popped the tape in the VCR and watched how normal people could transform their bodies so quickly by doing the right things. I related to all their stories, I just about cried through the whole video. They were all in a slump. They knew they wanted and needed a change; but they just hadn’t taken the step, nor did they even know the right way to do it.
What intrigued me so much weren’t really the changes in their bodies as it was the Life changes that went along with it! I wanted the change in my LIFE not just my body.
I was at an all time low. I hated my body, all the experiences with it. I had no confidence, low self esteem, I felt embarrassed to go to a gym, even embarrassed to go out, with this big belly hanging over my belt and a chubby face to go with it. I had no energy to play with my kid, who I love so much, he doesn’t deserve to grow up and watch his father the man he respects the most destroy himself… “Dad are you going be sick today, Lets go play, DAAAAD!!!…Play with me, He deserves the best father I can be! The snickers you get from people in line at McDonalds I was so depressed, It was hard to role out of bed each day, I was better than that, I hated my job; my beat up condo, not having money… the list goes on. I had enough! EAS held a Body Transformation Contest with major prizes for the winners. So I’m Thinking,” Hey Maybe This was my way out!” I didn’t want to look back and say I never tried, because then it would be too late. I knew I was a better person, I was just surrounded with fat, and I have more character than this.
I read every magazine and book I could get my hands on to learn the best way to get the results that I wanted! I became my own personal trainer. I planned the entire eating and exercise out for 12 weeks. I cut out the junk and made time to exercise. I was so committed to doing this, I was going make 12 weeks or die trying. I took a picture of what I looked like. I saw it and I was so disgusted. I didn’t think it was that bad. I focused on determination and the end result at all times. If others did it so could I.
I followed that plan to the T. Day in day out, I didn’t miss a work out I didn’t miss a meal. Week in and week out busting my butt in a dirty garage with a bench and some dumbbells surrounded by before and after pictures of others who made a 12 week Transformation. Sweating through cardio workouts, pushing away cake pizza and ice cream.
The 1st couple weeks were the toughest, building new routines, zapping bad habits and fighting soreness, but the rest of the 12 weeks zipped by. Once I started to see results in the 1st couple weeks I gained momentum, which made me see more results which built more momentum. My body changed so drastically so quickly, but what was even better was all the Life changes that went with it! My whole Life had transformed, I glowed! I felt alive, it was incredible I became so confident, like I could do anything, or talk to anyone. It made me a better father; I had so much more energy to play with my kid. People didn’t recognize me, I had to buy all new clothes because my pants were so loose and I couldn’t drill anymore holes in my belt. I was asked to model for a Talent Agency for advertisements. It became a revolution in my life. I realized that all these life experiences came from focusing on the body 1st. I represent what can happen to you when you combine the science of proper Exercise and Nutrition and an intense desire to make a change, I am living proof that that formula can’t fail. And that anyone can do this, no matter what restriction they think they have. So any restrictions come from your own mind.
The more people I met the more people were inspired by my story and wanted me to show them how to do it, how they too can change their body and lead an extraordinary life! (Pictures can be found at our website) I became so passionate in showing others how they to can do it too, because I re-live my own experience along with them. I always knew I wanted to touch people’s lives; there is no better feeling in the world than guiding people through a personal training program watching there lives transform. So I did, friends and family, led to their friends and family. Starting in my garage and my kitchen led to starting my own personal training facility. Horizon Personal Training and Nutrition had been born, and continues to grow with one principle in mind,
Our Mission:
Horizon is dedicated to inspiring and building new lifestyles for others mental and physical improvements to in turn empower the lives of those around them.
“It’s not work when you wake up in the morning passionately loving what you do while gaining so much fulfillment by doing it!”
