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In a little over a year, Longview Washington's Aaron Mathis dropped hisweight from 297 to 215, decreasing his percentage of body fat from 28% to only7%.
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Aaron had struggled with his weight all his life. He was referred to withthe euphemism "husky child." His weight issues resulted in his being excludedin games involving other children, and he eventually shut himself out frommuch of society.
Though he managed his weight during middle and high school through hisinvolvement with sports, after he graduated he slipped back into a sedentarylifestyle. Moving through the next 12 years with a combination of poor diet,a massive soda addiction and a lazy lifestyle, he ballooned to nearly 300pounds.
In early 2004, his wife Jessica was struggling with post-pregnancy weight,and searched for a solution. Up late one evening, surfing channels, she cameacross Power 90. So moved by the testimonials and transformations, sheinsisted that Aaron order it.
"The first weeks were brutal! Barely able to keep up with the videos, Idid my best," Aaron recalled. Yet in only two weeks he dropped from 287pounds to 268, and went "from size 42 jeans, to loose 40s."
Aaron persevered. By day 90, "the results were amazing. In three months,I went from nearly 300 pounds, to 230. 57 pounds lost!! I hadn't worn a size36 pair of jeans since I was 18. Not only did I lose weight and inches, butmy confidence was at an all-time high."
After he completed another round and a half with Power 90, he moved toP90X. While he experienced incredible weight-loss using Power 90, with P90Xhe discovered something he said he could have never imagined -- that "insideof him was an athlete, ripped and desperate to be let loose."
In January 2007, he entered the MDB contest weighing about 245 pounds, and11-12% body fat. He had added roughly 50 pounds to his frame in just a coupleof years using his own modified version of P90X and a high protein diet. Afew weeks later, he received a call letting him know that he'd been chosen asthe January $10,000 winner.
"Just prior to entering, I had chance to work out with Tony and severalmembers of the MDB community. I had to pause several times during the workoutdue to lack of breath. This sent me home re-thinking my routine. It was thenthat I came to understand 'true fitness.' It's not just diet, not justweights, not just cardio. It's a balanced combination of the three.Beachbody had been teaching me 'true fitness' all along, and it was time toget back to that," he recalled.
Since winning the first prize, he has gone from 245 pounds (12% body fat),to 215 pounds (7%). He dropped 30 pounds (5% body fat), has significantlyincreased cardiovascular endurance, and has remained nearly as strong as hehad been at his heavier weight
"I'm truly just your 'Average Joe.' What I have discovered is that wehave the power within us to change. With diet, the right tools, a solidsupport system, and willpower, anyone can get started on the path to fitness,"Aaron declared.
Like other winners, Aaron's story is available to inspire others. Webvisitors can follow his experiences at http://www.MillionDollarBody.com.
"This is an exciting time at Million Dollar Body as we prepare to crownour $250,000 winner," said Carl Daikeler, CEO of Beachbody.com.
"At Beachbody, we're billing these success stories as the ultimate win-winbecause there are no complaints -- every Beachbody and Million Dollar Bodycustomer wins in some way. Just by following the winners' stories online,people have the extra motivation to ma
