We have been receiving some great Exercise.com user success stories. So we decided it was time to start sharing these stories with the Exercise.com community and the Internet world.
Our first member story comes from Exercise.com PRO User Doug Davis aka TheRaptor. Doug has had some great weight loss success, and he gives Exercise.com some major props for helping him lose so much weight.
Check out our interview with Doug and see how much weight he has lost since joining Exercise.com.
I went from 220 lbs. to 168 lbs. I lost 52 lbs. with Exercise.com
What made you start exercising?
I never was much for exercise, other than just playing soccer and basketball. I used to make jokes about getting into shape, and about how I didn’t care. I tried to start a few times, but I always got discouraged because I never saw results.
In November of 2010, I lost my job and began to gain weight. Between November and April, I gained about 20 pounds….I was the heaviest I had ever been. I wanted to change, but I wasn’t sure how.
I got a warehouse job at the beginning of May, and I was walking around ten miles a night at work. I started losing weight. I never really believed that walking or power walking could really do anything for you as far as losing weight.
I started making little changes to my diet, and more weight began coming off. I began running one mile after work and slowly began working towards 3 miles.
How has Exercise.com helped you?![]()
I knew how to run (that wasn’t a problem), but I was lacking when it came to weights and other forms of exercise.
Exercise.com gave me the tools that I needed to feel confident and start using free weights. I began reading the Exercise.com Blog and articles on exercise/nutrition.
Once I started getting my diet and weights in order, I really started to see results. It is also great to see all the other Exercise.com members logging their workouts.
It reminds me that there are a ton of other people out there that are working hard everyday to better their bodies, and it keeps me going.
You can see how Doug began his climb up the Exercise.com Leaderboard (he is now #2 sitewide – behind the great @JoelJonathan).
What are the 3 pros of tracking a workout with Exercise.com?
Exercise.com keeps your workouts/weight loss front and center. It helps me remember what I am doing and keeps me on track for where I want to go.
Exercise.com encourages me to push harder when I look back at where I came from. Check out one of Doug’s recently tracked Exercise.com workouts below.
Be sure to Follow Doug aka “TheRaptor” to see his daily workouts. He has worked out and tracked his workouts on Exercise.com almost every day since the new year (30 to be exact), so he would be a great guy to FOLLOW and stay accountable with.
At what point did you begin to see results?
I really started to see results after I read an article about how lifting weights was better at burning calories because I was adding mass and increasing my metabolism.
I started lifting every other day and increased to six days a week (that was sometime in September). Just take a look at Doug’s “Workout Summary” of the workout he tracked above, and you will be able to see a glimpse of what he accomplishes daily.
Eating right was the biggest part that I always left out before. I started making more changes and saw even more results. I did not change everything all at once but a little at a time.
What 3 things would you say to people who are trying to do the same thing you have done?
Don’t get overwhelmed. I think so many times (I know I did) we look at weight loss, diet/nutrition, and exercise as one big step. We think, “I am going to stop eating everything bad, exercise every day, and lose 100 pounds!”
That kind of thinking will almost always end up in giving up and reverting back to your old ways. Make little changes at a time.
Don’t avoid weights. I think a lot of people are afraid of lifting because they think that it is only for meatheads and bodybuilders.
However, it is not. Your body needs muscle. Ten pounds of muscle will do wonders for burning calories. It will not make you huge.
Don’t neglect nutrition! I really think eating right is the key that so many miss. Your body has to have the right stuff to give you the results you want. Ditch the junk food and start eating right. You will not be sorry.
Are YOU the next Exercise.com user success story?
Exercise.com is all about helping people become healthier and more fit. We have seen some great transformations of Exercise.com users. It just goes to show how starting a workout plan, following that workout plan, and tracking your workout can go a long way!
Doug did all of the necessary steps to really lose the weight. You have seen an example of his tracked workouts, but check out some of the Exercise.com Challenges he did.
Do you think you could do the 1,000 Jumping Jacks Challenge and compete with Doug? Look how he even took “sweets” out of his daily food intake for a whole month with the Exercise.com 1 Month No Sweets Challenge.
Little steps like these go a long way! So what are you waiting for? Get started with one of our workout plans and get tracking.
After all….Better Data = Better Workouts! While you are tracking your workouts, go ahead and FOLLOW “TheRaptor” and keep him accountable.