This whole “journey” started about 4 years ago. I weighed 296LBS, smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, and just felt generally bad. I started powerlifting with zero expectation of competing. Fast forward to now, and I’m in love with the sport. However, in my “off season”, I sometimes struggle with staying fully focused on nutrition, so when this fitness challenge came along, I figured this would be a good motivator to stay more strict with my diet.

In addition to this, I had a little friendly competition with one of my friends from the gym. Overall I’m pleased with my results, whether I win, or not. At the end of the day, this gym and lifestyle has been transformative for me, and I plan to continue this lifestyle for as long as possible.

Discipline is not something with which I would say I have struggled. The only exception to this would be my nutrition. I've tipped the scale at over 200 pounds before and I never want to get back to that uncomfortable and unhappy Bernice. Unfortunately, I am a lover of Oreos, ice cream, and a mid-afternoon cookie to get through the rest of my work day. Eliminating my love for those special treats has challenged me to turn over the packaging and start calculating the macros.

I am a lover of coupons and great deals and the nutritional "coupon" I would be getting from eating those aforementioned sweet treats was actually a rip off! Chicken breast, veggies, rice, and improvising with some cottage cheese have been the best nutritional coupons I have discovered that both satisfy my hunger AND nourish my body. The best BOGO there is! Those small habits have snowballed into a healthier relationship I now have with food. I view food as nourishment to my body. Diligently tracking my macros the last 12 weeks has been challenging yet rewarding.

Commuting thirty minutes one-way to get to the gym at 5 AM so I can keep myself accountable in terms of getting my workouts done before work has been tiring yet the only way I know I will stay accountable. I had a goal of reaching a specific body weight while maintaining muscle mass and to have achieved that goal throughout the process of this challenge has been invigorating.

I joined SSF a year ago. In that year, I accomplished a goal I never thought I would. Thanks to Jordan and his guidance, I now have the discipline to achieve my goals and stay on track with my nutrition. This challenge has transformed my perception of food and the decisions I make regarding my health. Though the physical transformation is great, the emotional satisfaction of achieving a goal and unlocking a new potential within myself have been much more rewarding and will have more of a lasting impact on me.

Since my fitness journey began long before this challenge, I asked myself, “What’s the point of doing this challenge when I’m already disciplined about tracking my macros and working out? What difference is it going to make?” But I figured I had nothing to lose by joining and ended up learning a lot in return. This challenge pushed me to new levels of discipline and gave me valuable insight into the number I see on the scale at home.

There were times when I saw my weight going up, but instead of being discouraged, I realized from the biweekly InBody scans that I was gaining muscle and reshaping my body in ways that don’t always show up as weight loss. It taught me that transformation is more than just the numbers—it’s about strength, endurance, and becoming the best version of myself. This challenge also motivated me to stay 100% disciplined with my nutrition over the past three months. Although I was disciplined with nutrition before, there were a few weekends where I was a little lenient with tracking my macros.

I learned that going off track for just a day or two every week or so actually makes a big impact! I also found myself making no excuses for missing a workout, even resorting to bodyweight exercises in a hotel room when a gym wasn’t accessible during international travel. A past version of myself would not have come close to that level of dedication. Seeing what my body was capable of in the gym over the past three months is another measure of growth I wasn’t expecting, as I was amazed week by week at how much more I could do compared to when I first started at Showcase.

This challenge has made me stronger, both physically and mentally, and I’m proud of the dedication and progress I’ve made. I’m walking away with a deeper sense of self-confidence and the knowledge that there are no limits to what I can achieve when I fully commit to my goals. This experience reminded me that there’s always more to learn and achieve, no matter how far along the journey I may be. I can’t wait for the next challenge!

I decided to take on this challenge with Showcase and taking on a fitness challenge was a challenging journey that reshaped my physical and mental health, not only did I do this for myself but also for my family. I was determined to show my kids we can all do hard things, I set a personal goal to enhance my fitness while inspiring my girls to join me on this path toward a healthier lifestyle.

The challenge started with small, manageable steps as I have been working on my fitness for a couple of years now. At first, it was tough to find the motivation, but I reminded myself of the importance of leading by example for my family. I incorporated family activities into my routine, such as evening walks and weekend walks, which allowed us to bond while being active. This not only improved my physical health but also fostered a sense of togetherness, as we cheered each other on and celebrated small victories. We also got to create meals together that all fit into my macros.

As the weeks progressed, I began to notice significant changes in both my body and mindset. I felt more energetic and confident, and my mood improved dramatically. The mental clarity I gained from regular exercise helped me manage stress and anxiety, making me a more patient and present family member.

Ultimately, this challenge was not just about achieving fitness goals; it was about knowing that you can achieve anything lifestyle of health and well-being for myself and my family. The journey taught us the value of perseverance and the importance of prioritizing our health.

My name is Brian Gibbons. I'm married to my best friend and am a proud father of 5 . My Wife and I started our business 21 years ago and time is something we don’t have much of. Our kids being in sports and keeping up with our business doesn’t leave much for anything else. I’ve always wanted to work out and choose a healthily lifestyle but my lack of motivation and excuses , blocked me from making those changes . My son started a youth program at showcase gym and was working very hard to better himself. At this point I was 265 pounds.

The gym he was going to was offering a transformation challenge so with my Wife’s support and being inspired by my son’s efforts I committed to the challenge. I changed my diet by meal prepping and I started working out 3 times a week, 30 min each day with Jordan. To put it in perspective, a typical daily diet would consist of a breakfast from the gas station could be hotdogs, taquitos followed by candy bar and a monster drink. Lunch for me could be McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Arby’s, or any one of those fast food chains.

I typically would order more than I needed. Because of the busy schedule with our kids, soccer and other various things that they are involved with. For Dinner it could be McDonald’s or going out to eat to a restaurant sit down . Most nights I would come home and I would have a snack before dinner and usually I would have multiple of whatever I chose. With the start of this challenge I cut out all of that completely and this included most bread, which is one of my favorite things and a large part of my old diet.

The biggest thing with the food prepping is making sure that you keep things simple, enjoy the food that you are eating and pay attention to the portions. I now feel satisfied with every meal and no longer feel guilty for my choices. With everyone’s help and a consistent schedule I was able to lose 42lbs. I feel much better and I look forward to seeing what more I can accomplish and how far I can go with my goals. This was a huge life change and something very new and different for me. Jordans assistance and guidance made the transition in the gym easier.

The environment at Showcase made me feel comfortable. I never once felt out of place or as if I didn’t belong. This was something that I always struggled with and was intimidated by. I am glad I committed to the process and look forward to continuing.