Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth - 330: Erica Lugo- From 320 Pounds To Fitness Star

Episode Date: July 18, 2016

Not long ago, Erica Lugo found herself weighing over 320 pounds (145 kg). Unable to muster the energy to play with her son, she realized that her diet and lifestyles had to change. From there she dropped over 150 pounds and is now a finalist in the Women's Health "The Next Fitness Star" competition. In this episode Sal, Adam & Justin interview Erica, and whether you want to learn how to lose a substantial amount of weight or would benefit from hearing a truly inspirational story, tune in! Go vote for Erica at http://thenextfitnessstar.com! Get MAPS Anabolic, MAPS Performance, MAPS Aesthetic and the Butt Builder Blueprint (The RGB Super Bundle) packaged together at a substantial DISCOUNT at www.mindpumpmedia.com. Please subscribe, rate and review this show! Each week our favorite reviewers are announced on the show and sent Mind Pump T-shirts!

what inspired it was, I keep getting, and it drives me crazy. I'm wondering how I'm in these class settings and I see like 30 people exercising doing the thing. And then I always can see the girl who's trying to work her butt. Yeah. Cause she's doing the jump.

Where's bands everywhere? Yeah, jump squats, where's bands? Okay, the group is doing all these weird, hinging movement. Jess, repetitions on that booty till you're gonna, into your blue in the face. And I know what they're, I know what they're trying to accomplish. And I just feel bad because I'm like, man, there's, there's such a better process to

us. And there's a lot of, I think for me, at least, and then you guys tell me if, if this is wrong, but for me, at least 90% of all my clients that ever like suffered from not being able to build their butt is because there was a poor neurological connection. One hundred percent. Yeah. The glutes are rarely a difficult muscle to build.

There are muscles in the body that are notoriously difficult like the calves for a lot of people. But the glutes, I can pretty much make anybody's butt grow, but the problem, like Adam said, is usually they're not setting it up. The middle is off. but the problem, like Adam said, is usually they're not setting it up properly. Yes, and so we have a Build Your But program on MindPumpMedia.com and it's a modification to both maps red and maps black. So it's a mod that you add to it, specifically designed to get your butt to wake up and fire properly. So then when you do our workouts, you build your ass. We've had a lot of people do the build your butt bundle already, and the results are coming in, and it's dramatic. The before and afters are pretty fricking dramatic.

It's nothing we haven't seen before, but I love seeing it still. Well, what we did with it, what was why I love it is that it's still six months of programming. Six months of it is important. Six months of it is important with all your staple movements and the things that we preach and talk about.

But then we've taught people how to integrate those exercise to get the most out of all those foundational workouts and to specifically target an area like that to grow, and the thing the steps that you need to take in order to make that happen. And when you're talking about a neurological connection, it's not just as simple as, oh, you should do this exercise, I know you should do that exercise because this house is butt.

You can't just jump your way there. Exactly, you have to, you have to, you have to teach it, retrain the brain, how to fire it properly, and there's steps and ways should do that exercise because this house is but can't just jump you way there exactly you have to you have to you have to Teach it retrain the brain how to fire it properly and there's steps and ways to do that and that's what inspired us to create this and it comes in two different Bundles you can get it in the RGB bundle the big bundle that comes with all the programs It's included in that and then it's also included in the booty bundle which includes it literally is called the Build your Butt bundle includes maps and aabolic, and maps, aesthetic. You follow them one after another, you add the modification in there, you build a butt. It's available at mindpumpmedia.com.

If you want to pump your body and expand your mind, there's only one place to go. Mind, up, up, up, with your hosts. Salda Stefano, Adam Schaefer, and Justin Andrews. Guys, can I say something? The interview we just did, probably one of my favorite people that we've interviewed so far. Yeah, I liked it too.

Because, okay, so we just interviewed Eric Illugo, very interesting story. She's relatively new on the fitness scene, has an amazing weight loss story, it lost over 150 pounds, but she has got the right attitude. Her message is just totally authentic and real. Extremely authentic, extremely real. She's very open about the struggles and her current struggles with maintaining what she's lost and that she's still learning and she's still growing. Well, can I, can I, I want to interrupt you for a second.

Yes. And, and share, I had, I had motives. So I reached out to Erica and part of what made me reach out. I can't even remember how I came across her page. Um, and I wanted to talk to her mainly because when I started reading her posts, the way she writes, um, I was just really impressed with her attitude. And it's very, very rare to come across someone like this in fitness and someone so, so green and so new and so open-minded

and then with such a great story. I really, I really, and I reached out first and I was hoping just to get her to listen to the show and she did. I remember she started listening to the show and then she started talking. I think in the episode she talks, she's listened to about eight episodes or whatever. I'm really excited for her to continue to go through Mindbump because of the fact that I could tell how open-minded she was. I can't wait for her to really dive in and allow us to influence and help her in her journey

because I feel like she's got so much ahead of her, like greatness as far as with her attitude and where she's coming from, and the fact that she has that mentality and she's so self-aware and open-minded to learn. I just can't wait. Well, her relatability is, I mean, if you're listening right now and you struggle

with weight loss, she was 320 pounds. 320 pounds and she lost over 150 pounds. I think 160. No, it's yeah, 160. And if you're listening right now, and you're in that category where you've got a significant amount of weight to lose or some significant changes to make, you're going to want to listen to the interview because she's got great insight on it. She's got great insight, and I asked her some questions. They weren't trick questions,

but I asked her questions because I'd like to I always want to see what the The psyche is behind what motivates a person to lose a lot of weight because I've seen two types of people lose that much weight I've seen the unsuccessful people who lost the weight but then gained it back and then I've seen a few people who lost that Way and then kept it off and the the difference the only difference between the two It's not the technique. It's not the, you know, how they worked out or whatever, those differences there as well, but the main difference between them was their attitude and it wasn't their attitude, it was their attitude

going into it, their attitude about themselves and she's got some incredible insight and I'm so glad she shared it and the interview you're about to hear because that's what you're gonna get, that's what's's going to take you where you want to go if you're in that particular situation. Is to be able to find empathy for yourself, to love yourself, and then to ask lots of questions, be open, and to tackle your fears because she even talks about how intimidating it was to walk into a gym at 322 pounds and having not worked out.

She's in the running for, on Women's Health, is running this contest called the Next Fitness Star. And she's one of the six women or five women who are competing for this title. And apparently, there's a lot of things that they have to do to win. And one of them is to get votes online. And so if you listen to this episode,

you listen to this interview, and she connects with you. And like I said, you know, take my word for it. She's a very real, she comes across, very real and authentic. And she's the right kind of person that mind pump wants to see other people emulate when it comes back. Exactly. You go to the next fitness star.com

and you can vote for her name is Erica Lugo. And then she also has her own website that you can check her out at, what is that? EricaFitLove.com. And she's also on Instagram at EricaFitLove. But, I mean, just a fantastic young lady, great personality, great attitude. Is that a YouTube channel?

EricaFitLove. Yep, she's got a YouTube channel. Facebook page, they're all EricaFitLove. I mean, just a fantastic young lady, great personality. Great attitude. Great attitude. Great attitude. Great attitude. Great personality. She's got great charisma. This is the kind of person that mind pump likes to see represent the fitness industry. So, without going into any more of it, check it out. Here you go. I'll just tell you guys now, I've listened to your podcast.

I know you're not formal whatsoever. That won't be it. Oh, God, that's just your relief. So how many episodes do you have under your belt? Have you listened to a few of them? How many got? I've sent to eight of them. I'm kind of like making my way through them right now.

So, but yeah, you guys are not formal whatsoever. So I didn't expect that by any means. Excellent. So, would have you, are you like bouncing around randomly or do you have any, or I always like to hear when people start first start listening how they decide to choose episodes? Literally, whatever struck my like the title,

so like the golden shower one, I'll have to admit, I totally clicked that one for. Oh my my god that's one of our worst episodes it is like the most random I don't think we had any it was the most random episode and then there was the pump pass and present the one I think about losing severance that I also listened to so those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head right now. Excellent thank Thank you. So Eric, tell us a little bit about, tell our audience a little bit about your story. It's absolutely fascinating. When I'm on your Instagram, the first thing, you know, obviously it says your name and then it says down 150 pounds. Tell us your story.

Yeah. Honestly, I've told the story so many times and I just feel like it almost gets a little cliche or corny, but for me it's honestly what did it for me. At the time my son was two and a half or three years old and I clearly remember the moment it happened for me. I was sitting on the couch watching TV. I know I was eating a box of just crap, you know, cheesies or goldfish, whatever it may have been. And my son was on the floor and he looks up at me and he's like mom will you

come play with me and the first thought i had was and like i don't want to get up i'm gonna have to get toys out i'm going to get off the couch not only that i'm going to act like i'm interested some to tired to be truly interested and i look like i'm gonna have to pick up toys and i told my son, no. And I don't know what it was.

It's just something in me just clicked and said, holy crap, you just told your son, no, you can't play with them because you were too tired and too exhausted to do it. And I stepped on the scale like the next day that evening, somewhere around that time frame. And it said 322 pounds and I swear like just even saying it now my heart just like it goes in your stomach you're like I'm in my 20s and I'm

320 pounds what am I doing with my life so yeah I just you know it was like perfect timing I heard planet fitness was opening like five miles away from my house at the time. And it was like the angels were singing like, oh, now is your time. So I went in and signed up. I had no idea what to do. Here I am, 322 pounds. Never really worked out in my life. I've never been athletic my whole life.

No, nothing about nutrition or food or what was good for me, but I just literally started with the basics. I did a little bit of research. You know, everyone says cardio-cardio-cardio so I looked into that. You know, I did some cardio but I read that doing a little bit of weight lifting at the end of your cardio sessions will prevent loose skin. Well, I mean, I had over a hundred pounds of loose. So I was like, well, I'll just kind of try that. But I did the basics. Less calories in, more calories out to start with.

And it's kind of just skyrocketed from there. My journey has been nothing but a learning process. I have done everything by myself. I've researched by myself. I taught myself nutrition and fitness. And now I'm down a little over 160 pounds three years later. That's a fantastic story. Congratulations. So you had no, because now you're currently in the running for, what is it like, the America's next fitness star, I believe.

Yeah, it's so cool. And that's through... There you cool. And that's true. There you go. Go ahead, continue. Sorry. Yeah, women's health. I had a follower in like November or December of last year reach out to me on direct message. And I never even checked those things that often.

Anyways, it was rare for me to read them. And she said, hey, have you ever heard of this competition? I think you'd be an awesome candidate for it. So I looked into it and honestly, I didn't think much of it. It was a big, long questionnaire. I had to submit my personal training certification to prove to them that I was a trainer. I had to show pictures and all sorts of good stuff. And again, I just, I click submit and I didn't think anything of it.

And then they reached out to me in January and said hey I'm with women's health. We are narrowing down finalists. Would you be interested in shooting us a video to help us Narrow down who we want to for top five and I said yeah, absolutely. What do you need it by and she said oh? We need it with them the next 24 hours Oh, so I went yeah, I went to my gym. I will always remember this. I had my eye phone in my hand and I told the guy, I walked out to some random guy at the gym. I said, I don't know you, but I need you to film this workout video of me real quick because I have to submit it for some. He was just like, okay. So yeah,

I submitted my video and they contacted me and said, congratulations, you're top five finalists for America's next competition for the next fitness star. So I have been doing that since January and it just got released this past month and voting goes until August 5th. So are you allowed to share anything about that stuff? I'm curious to like,

how does the competition work? Like, so you got paid and then like, what do you have to do? Like, is there anything you have to actually perform or do or prove or is it just solely based off of voting? Like, how does it work? No, I mean, good question. So, you know, it's kind of, it's,

you need competition. All of this girls, I don't know if you got a chance to look at us, we're all kind of different. We all bring something different to the table. You know me obviously I feel like they may have picked me just because I'm obviously that's got the transformation story and I'm probably a little bit more relatable to people. But the votes are a big part of it, but we actually have to prove that we can train people and we can relate to people and we can be up front and honest with people

uh... the editors are also judges there is uh... what is her name on the hallmark channel Debbie mononopolis the funny last name you know i'm talking about i don't I gotta watch what's easy. Oh, I know it's got a funny last name, but she is a judge on there We had to do workout videos. So there are workout videos right now posted weekly on the next fitness star.com We actually had to do our special team moves at a fusion fest in New York. It was a soft launch. We had all these people in the NAMEDA.

Interesting. We had to prove that we can train them things. It's more of just like, hey, vote for me. They actually want to prove that you can work with the everyday person and motivate people and inspire people. It's more than just basic votes. When you did it, was there a scoring for for it or was it just like they wanted to make sure you could just perform and do it or was it like, oh, you know, you did this creative

workout and she did this and she did that and this person got graded this and this and you guys were compared that way or was it just they wanted to make sure you could do it. Was there any sort of a scoring system? How did that work? You know, they are not letting us know that actually. Oh, well, you don't know. They won't let us know any of that until we actually all find out to win ourselves together

and we fly out to August, 6th, and then we film the piece and we find out who wins that week on TV on the insider. Fantastic. Erica, I want to talk to you a little bit more about your weight loss journey because I know we have people that listen to our show who are in a similar situation to where you were. I mean, I've been a trainer for almost 20 years and I've worked with lots of people who wanted to lose lots of weight, you know, over 100 pounds. And it's an interesting scenario and it's very difficult. I think we, a lot of times as trainers or people

in the industry or just Jim rats, we fail to truly appreciate the difficulty and the challenges that the people who want to lose in excess of a hundred pounds will encounter. One of the things you said that was very interesting to me was when after you, you know, you decided, okay, I wanted to, you know, you said no to your son, you decided to go weigh yourself. I've encountered this a lot. A lot of people in that situation don't even know how much they weighed. Had you not

weighed yourself for a very, very long time? Had you had you purposely kind of blocked it out or, or, you know, purposely made yourself ignorant to the fact that you may be over so many pounds. Oh my God, yeah. I mean, the scale was always hidden away in a closet. I mean, I didn't even look at my number for years. And honestly, I'm first off on 5-11, so I stick out like a sore thumb anyways. And I've always just felt bigger,

but I didn't know how big I was. And something just clicked in me, I was like, this is just not right. I've gotta do something and I jumped on. But no wait to me has, I've always ignored it. I've always been a big girl. I've always struggled with being a big girl. I come from a big Hispanic family.

We eat, we drink, we laugh, and we eat some more. And that's what we do. And I grew up with food as a reward. I've always packed on the pounds. And especially after my son, it just got progressively worse. So I never even thought I was like, you know what, I'm so far, I don't even need to know because it's just beyond repair at this point. So the scale was totally an enemy for a good part of my life.

Absolutely. Looking back, because it's easier now to look back and say, OK, I know why I did these things. Obviously, at the moment, at the time, you probably were unaware of it, right? Looking back, was it something, I mean, did you purposely think to yourself, or say to yourself, or just ignore a lot of the signs, like, I had clients that would tell me that they would

never get an undressed in front of the mirror, or they would never look at themselves in a full length mirror, because it was, and this was after they had lost the way, they would look back and say, wow, I realized I would do that to kind of almost like block out, you know, what I was doing to myself. Looking back, did you find you were you in a similar situation you know what's up and i have people asking that all the time and there is no for my weight loss there is no like sob story you know there was never

times where i was terrified to look in the mirror there i mean there were instances of course because when you're that much overweight you're gonna have difficulties in some areas of your life. You know, I remember key moments like wanting to walk into Forever 21, and when I did, I would get dirty looks from the staff, because they're probably like, wow, what is she doing in here? There's no way she could fit in here. Whether that was my own thought process, or they were really thinking that. But that's just something that pops up in my mind.

But I've never was that person that was, oh, I don't want to look at myself. Oh, I'm not okay. I'm not attractive or whatever it may be. I never talked down to myself because of my weight. But what clicked for me was, I couldn't keep up with my kid. My life was impacted. Not myself a steamer. If that makes sense, there's definitely a disconnect you know a lot of people when they're that overweight

they always have these stories like I don't want to look in the mirror and I never want to what I never went out and I you know avoided dating I avoided intimacy and whatever it was that wasn't who I was I wanted to change my life because I could see it truly affecting my physical well being fantastic you just do it strikes me on this right now is that um that's probably my life because I could see it truly affecting my physical wellbeing. Fantastic. This is what strikes me on this right now is that that's probably one of the key reasons why you were successful because you had, you still had a good sense of self or self esteem. It's very self-aware.

Yes, just listening to her talk, I feel like a lot of clients, and I know where you're going with this, I feel like a lot of our clients are not, they've kind of blocked a lot of that, or they're not aware. I feel like you're very self-aware. Since you are so self-aware, do you look back and are there certain things that you attribute that got you there, like as far as like, you know, bad eating, obviously there was bad eating habits, obviously there was lack of exercise, that's an obvious, but were there specific habits that you realized that came out of nowhere? I went through, I don't know if you've,

how far back on my page you went, but even as a trainer, I went through a whole transformation process where I fell out of shape for two years, and then it was after an injury. And I remember like, it just seemed like it crept up. I never really noticed it until one day I felt it and realized it was a real similar story. And I remember like thinking like,

wow, I was like eating a Ben and Jerry's thing of ice cream like every single night and like thinking that was no big deal. Because I was able to do that as a kid and it didn't put any weight on me. So I had justified that in my head that it was all right. Like, were you doing things like this that you look back now and you thought,

oh my God, I can't believe I was doing that? Oh my God, absolutely. I mean, we all call it the happy pounds. So when you get in a relationship, I'm divorced now, but when you get in a relationship, you get to that comfortability level. And you go out to eat and you're happy and life's great and you're married and you have a baby

and all of your, you kind of lose your own identity I guess I mean you're still happy and you know self-conscious of who you are and you're worth but you know you kind of fade a little bit in the background because you're taking care of everyone else and it's you know eating now all it's like man like when I order pizza you know because I don't deprive myself but when I order a pizza, you know, because I don't deprive myself, but when I order a pizza for me and my son for dinner one night, I eat one piece in a salad. Before I could eat that whole pizza by myself, a whole bag of chips and a two liter of coke, no problem.

And that happens to me all the time. I'm like, I can't believe that's what I was doing and I never recognized it. Or, you know, I'm very honest on my page. If you look, I am a binge eater. And that's something I was doing and I never recognized it. Or, you know, I'm very honest on my page, if you look, I am a binge eater. And that's something I still struggle with to this day, you know, knowing what my triggers are and what can bring those on.

But there were moments where I would eat breakfast before I left the house. And then I would go to McDonald's and get a, you know, number one meal, super size. So give me the largest coke you got, and then I would go to work and eat that two hours later. I was rummaging in my desk for a candy bar, and it just would spiral to where I was even eating going through fast food places before I went home to make dinner, eat that in the

car, hide the wrappers, eat dinner, and then I would pick at dinner when I was cleaning up dinner, if that makes sense. So, you know, when you're stuck in that habit and you're not really aware of your eating because you are happy with life and you are content with who you are, you don't realize all those little things that completely add up and you don't realize the habits that you formed because of it. I got a question for you. After like recognizing this pivotal moment where,

you basically came to that conclusion that I have to address this. And what were your steps as far as like, what sort of resources did you find? And what would you say helped you the most as far as placing you back into a fitness mentality. Yeah, honestly, it's learning to ask questions and learning to be open. When you deal with weight your whole life, you build that mindset like it's kind of a dirty little secret under

the rug that no one talks about, like you can visually see it, but no one talks about it and no one's open about it. And You feel like it's your own dirty little secret. You're hiding all these bad habits and I don't look that bad. No one has that anything. So it's okay. I think what made the big change for me and continues to help me now is the fact that I'm open and I ask questions. I am not scared to be judged by someone when I go up to them and the gym and say, hey,

I saw you do that. What does that work? Or why do you do it? Or where did you start off with that? I put myself out there. I mean, I was very, very honest about my journey. I let people know, no, guys, this is it. I'm going to do it.

I need your help. You know, where to barbecue? You need to tell me or you need to have some healthy options. Or I made friends at the gym, you know, and I would tell them, hey, I've lost 20 pounds word of barbecue you need to tell me or you need to have some healthy options or but i made friends at the gym you know and i would tell them hey i've lost twenty pounds so far do you want to work out with me sometimes i didn't shelter myself and i asked questions and i researched and i learned from others

i think there's so many of us out there and you guys know your tears we have this tons and millions of ways to lose weight. We all know that, hands down, and it gets so overwhelming that we do it ourselves because we're a little like, again, we feel like it's our dirty little secret that we're trying to lose weight or we're trying to be healthy, that we try to research all these methods and we get so overwhelmed and we just ignore it. We don't ask for help, we don reach out to people uh... we don't make friends in the community we don't surround ourselves with like minded people and then we fail

that i i truly feel like has has been the biggest reason why i think that's a because i just put myself out there i didn't hide it what inspired might pop that's exactly what inspired mind-pump a hundred percent your uh... your your openness and honesty is fantastic. I would consider how you're doing it to be the best way to promote the health and fitness, you know, the basically wellness and health to the masses because, you know, if I'm somebody who is having trouble losing weight or whatever and I go on, you know,

this person's fitness page and all I see is, you know, how they're perfect or how they're, you know, balls with a wall training and, you know, this and that. And then I go on yours, I can, number one, relate to you. And it's not just because you lost all that weight, it's because you're posts and the way you talk about it, you're very open. You even said now you still struggle a little bit with, you know, binge eating. And I want to ask you this question. Do you think, because I know what Mind Pump does for me, I know how talking on this podcast, I've said many times it's therapeutic for me.

Do you mind posting on social media and engaging with your audience to be also motivate you to continue doing what you're doing? Because I think when I've seen many times people lose weight, you know, that much weight and go through that. It doesn't, it's not like, oh, it's over. It's easy now. It's constantly kind of a challenge. Is this therapeutic for you?

You know, social media, it's not good and bad. You know, we're all human at the end of the day. You guys including, I mean, I follow your pages. I don't know, it's Justin on this call too. He's here. I'm here. Come on. I have some beef with you because he's the only one who doesn't follow me on Instagram. So I'm a little bit curved about that. Oh, yeah.

Put me on blast. I'm so following you, right? This instant. I know. Now he's going to click that follow. No, but we're all human. We all struggle, you know, and putting ourselves out there, yeah, it doesn't help me. Absolutely. Like, my goal is, sounds cheesy and sounds cliche as hell, but I want to change the way people look at fitness. Fitness, you know what, what you guys do in your body, your physics, how hard you work, it's hand down amazing.

But not everyone can live a life like that. Not everyone can start off right away just saying Hey, that's what I need to get to. How do I get there? Why can't you know someone like me who decides eight beyond the cover of fitness magazine? You know why why can't a normal everyday person? Be integrated in the fitness world so social media has really helped me in that because it holds me a channel But I'll be honest. There's sometimes where I'm just like oh screw it you know what I mean I'll use a picture from two weeks ago sometimes it rears it's ugly. He had like

sometimes you feel like it's just too much pressure and you go I'm supporting 222,000 people on social media on Instagram. Who's there to support me who's there to help me when i need it and you kind of go through like the bad side of social media because you're like you can't let everyone down but at the same time i'm a real human being too so there's pros and cons to it has it really helped me in the long run absolutely but has it also taught me a lot about the bad for sure well i found i found the whole social media aspect, and even through the podcast,

it's just, you know, having dealt with my own body image issues, you know, on the reverse side of what you've done, I've noticed that it just puts it out there. Like, I can't avoid it. It's in my face, it's out there, people see, people listen, and so I have to either deal with it, or like you're saying, there's that bad side that can potentially come out of it

where it makes you want to run the opposite direction. So, oh yeah. Yeah, so I commend you for your strength. Just talking with you, you've got the right, the absolute right attitude that I would tell other people who are in a similar situation or a similar situation to where you were to adopt. And one of the things I've always said to people

was before you lose weight, I want you to get healthy. And that means getting healthy with yourself and loving yourself and being empathetic towards yourself. Cause it sounds like that was the approach that you took when you started. How scary was it for you going into a gym at 320 pounds and going in and starting this journey that you had and you'd never done before? Was it intimidating?

How did you feel? It was scarier than hell. I mean, I mean, I, you know, looking back at old pictures because I mean, I was looking back at old pictures. You can go back to my first post and see how much I have grown as a person from this journey. For my first moment in the gym, I was wearing yoga pants, full length yoga pants. I had to wear four sports brawl just to hold my girl in. I wore crazy colors because I thought that was a cool thing to do. I just, I wasn't myself and I didn't feel comfortable, especially walking into even

planet fitness where they say no gym intimidation. But there's going to be fitness people who look great anywhere you go. And you're going to be intimidated anywhere you go if you're not comfortable with who you are or what your goal is. So yeah, I mean I was nervous. I mean I was, I felt, you know, when I was running on a treadmill and I could only run for two seconds before I had to put the treadmill speed back down and like, oh my gosh, I know someone here is looking at me thinking, oh, she's flowing down again.

I know she couldn't do it. You honestly learn that that's all in your own head. No one is losing sleep over what you did and did not do in the gym except yourself. I've just learned that you have to be confident in own your journey because I have talked to so many people in the gym who have in stories like me or who look like they may have not lost weight but they've already lost 60 pounds on their journey. You know so that's where I I timed the whole get to know where you are get to know people ask questions and it becomes less intimidating over time. I love I love that you said that because you know

people go to the gym I hear this all the time they're intimidated they feel like they're being judged or watched, they're afraid to use a machine because, oh my gosh, I don't know how to use it, what if I use it wrong and people are going to watch me laugh or whatever. And having been someone who's been in gyms most of his life, I'm very, very comfortable in gyms, but I'm also extremely aware that I don't really, you know who I watch, I'll watch trainers when they're training people in properly or they're about to hurt someone. But if I see someone who's a beginner

or overweight working out, if I notice them at all, the first thing I think to myself is, hell yeah, like looking at you kicking ass. Yeah. And now that you're on the fit side, now that you're on the fitness side of it, is that apparent to you?

I mean, when you see people who come into the gym, like you did when you first started, do you even notice them or if you do, what do you think? You know, honestly, I don't notice them, unless I see someone truly having an amazing workout. Like, that was a big eye opening thing for me. I'm like, I'm not noticing anyone. So, what would they be noticing me?

I don't just stare people down. Now, if I see someone walking past me and they are drenched in sweat, or if I see someone doing super sets and they are just like, go and ham, hell yeah, do I notice them. But, no, it's not, I don't think any of us go into the gym purposely thinking, who am I going to spot today or what can I watch today or what kind of people can I watch

today. If you do, you're there for a different reason than what you should be. But no, I really don't spot them out unless I see an amazing workout or something worth noticing. So just go in a gym and do your thing. No one's there purposely trying to watch you. Now, you have the unique opportunity to completely change the way you look in a relatively short period of time.

And that gives you the opportunity to see how people react to you from when you were 322 pounds to now. What do you notice differences? Do you get treated differently? you from when you were 322 pounds to now. Do you notice differences? Do you get treated differently? And I wanna talk about this because I would like people to be aware, I'll tell you why I'm asking this. I was in Disneyland last week and it always blows me away at the amount of people that are in scooters

who are able bodied, but because they're so overweight, they can't walk around Disneyland. And I find myself needing to look for empathy for these people. I want to find empathy for them, because even though they've technically put themselves in that situation, I'm not in their shoes, and I don't understand what they've been through. But I know there's definitely people, I'm sure there's definitely people that are going to treat them differently. As a result, what they've been through. But I know there's definitely people, I'm sure there's definitely people that are going to treat them differently as a result. What did you experience from, you know, when you started to now?

Do people treat you differently? Do you see different looks? Are you received differently? Absolutely. I hate to admit that, but absolutely hands down, am I? I don't want to even completely say the reason I'm treated differently is because of my physical appearance. I mean, obviously, I'm say the reason I'm treated differently is because of my physical appearance. I mean, obviously, I'm single now and divorced now, so it's different for me because I am at

that point where I'm actually getting noticed by the opposite sex, or I get complimented. So that's different because I was going through my divorce when I was overweight and I wasn't getting any stairs or any notices or any compliments. So has that changed? Absolutely. And the other regard when it just comes to people interaction, I don't think they're treating me different because of my physical appearance. I think they're treating me differently because how I am as a person.

If you are truly on the fitness and wellness path for the right reason. You are going to grow. In one area of your life, you are going to grow. Whether it be yourself worth, how you treat yourself the way you present yourself to people, how you talk to people, how you dress, how you move, how you walk, you are going to grow. And I feel like I have truly grown in a 360 degree way. It's like I am not the same person I was two years ago. Was I always happy with myself? Yes, did I have self-esteem back then?

Absolutely. All my before pictures, you always see me smiling. I was always having a good time, but I feel better as a person. I'm more confident in who I am because I have been through the trenches and I have proved to myself I am totally capable and totally worthy of kicking ass and I think that just that kind of comes through

when I meet people and when I talk to people I'm strong I don't second guess myself I'm not nervous I'm just more comfortable as who I am as a person so that's why I feel like people treat me differently not because of physical but just who I am as a person. So that's why I feel like people treat me differently, not because of physical, but just who I am as a person now. That reminds me, one of the things I noticed was, and I'm curious, because you sound like you have so much energy and seem so positive.

Did you notice that energy and change at all? Because when I go back, and I did actually do the video log of my whole transformation. So when I go back and I did actually do the video log of my whole transformation. So when I go back and I listen to myself talking to the camera, to me it was my normal voice. But when I look at it now, it sounds so different from me now. You could just hear the sexier now.

It's much sexier now. You could just, you could hear. You got the confidence right now. Yeah, absolutely, right? It comes off way more confident, my energy. I'm talking. Some people would say cocky, but it comes off. I wasn't going to say it.

I wasn't going to say it. What a glad you did. All right. Did you notice the saying? Did you notice that change or have you always been consistently like you are right now? Because I feel like you're just full of energy. Yeah, I mean, I've always, you know, people meet me and they always say like, I know no

stranger. I've always been a people person, but, you know, bubbly or outgoing or live, however you want to describe me, but the biggest thing is, is I don't second guess myself when I talk now. Like, I have may have been bubbly and outgoing and talkative, but I always in the back of my head have thought, and this sounds terrible, but I thought, wow, you know, I don't care about myself because of my weight or this or that, why would they? And that would be something that I would think in the back of my head and I'd constantly always be like, was that the right thing to say?

Or should I have joked that way? Or should I have gone up and said, hi, did that person the way I did? Now, there's no hold of like i don't i don't care so i think that's the biggest difference uh... and my more confident the way i approach people and it yeah absolutely uh... but i mean again if you're on the street for the right reasons you're gonna change on who you are in the inside not just on the outside

have you have you found that having going through that challenge because you sound very confident, you very self-aware, great energy, but it was a challenge. Anybody who does that transformation, you're going to go through some serious challenges and roadblocks. And having conquered that, do you now find yourself willing to take on other challenges? Different things, maybe before you were scared of, you know, speaking in front of people and now you, you're like, look, I lost 150 pounds,

I know I can stand in front of this crowd and talk now. Do you find that it's empowered you in other parts of your life? Yeah, oh my God, beyond belief. So I did a YouTube video of when I was, and this is prime example. So I did a YouTube video, I've been logging and this is prime example. So I did a YouTube video. I've been logging my whole women's health journey behind the scene for months, and I couldn't

release it until just recently when the competition was announced. So this is the perfect example. I have lost, you know, over 150 pounds, walking into this competition. Confident as I'll get out, feeling good about who I am, and where I am, and what I've put down, and what I've been able to accomplish, then I will walk into this room and meet these four other girls at a big women's health meeting, you know, in the corporate building, and I am thinking, holy shit, do I really belong here? I don't fit in. I am not good enough for these people. I am not good enough for this magazine.

And you think you're confident until you've had to be presented with different challenges. Like I thought I was confident until I had to sit at a round table with four gorgeous amazing girls who've been in fitness their whole life to be on the cover of a fitness magazine. I thought I was confident until I had to film

a commercial in New York, you know, when people are going quiet on that and there's 150 people looking at you and listening to you, that's a whole new level of confidence that I haven't encountered yet. So I believe that no matter what fitness or wellness, health, whatever you may be doing in your life, you're always going to be challenged to reach that next level. And what you put yourself through is only going to empower you more, so I even told the editor when we were doing the photo shoot, I said, you know what, I find myself not enjoying this moment whatsoever because I'm too busy comparing myself and just beating myself up because of my own mentality.

Did you really express that to them? You really said that to them? Yeah, and it's actually on the vlog, there's actually a piece in the magazine too, where she wrote that, I found myself comparing myself to the other girl there and it's honest. You can be as confident as can't until you really truly battle those inner demons for yourself you're never gonna get there well uh... but there's always opportunity to stop the bar i'm gonna say this i'm making this this uh... the sub-servation and uh... maybe i'm wrong

um... but you know i've worked with lots of people who've had to lose lots of weight and you're taught you you're saying something that's interesting that I think is probably one of the components of your success and it's that you're not afraid to express what you're feeling or you're not afraid to. Sure, that's a huge reason. Yeah, you're not afraid to express weakness or doubt to other people because that would be difficult for me to tell you embrace it instead. Yeah, like you're at this production, you're telling this producer person like, wow, I'm not feeling very confident

right now. I don't feel good. Like because I'm comparing myself to other people, that process alone has got to be helpful. Yeah, you're self-aware. It's all about being self-aware. You know, and again, I mean, if you look at the magazine too, if you're flipping through the pages, look on the cover. You know, I am not built like those other girls. I'm 5'11", and I'm kind of just a curvy fit. And I'm the one wearing pants.

I'm the one wearing a full tank top. I'm the one who said no to the sports wearing a full tank top i'm the one who said no to the sports brawl in the crop tops because i wasn't comfortable and i was very honest about that you know when we went to the wardrobe i walk in and they have all these out that's already made for us and uh... you know without even trying to make no uh... hell no that's not going to work and i'm like it's just not going to work

i said look at all these other girls that are five, four, and under have been fifth their whole life. And here I am, five, 11, and had just lost 150 pounds. And I was like, I was kind of had a little mini invite to tap in the dressing room because I was like, oh my god. Like, what are they expected of me? This is not right. I shouldn't be here.

They take the wrong person. So yeah, you just have have to really self-aware and and learn from it i think that's the biggest thing is so many people go through trials and tribulations but what do they take away they just go who i made it through a rough week but did they learn anything did they learn why they made it through the rough week or what their triggers were for the rough the rough week no they just move on

they're not being self-aware so being honest and open has as truly again that's honestly like you guys that i feel like it's why i've been so successful that you share that openly well i'll be honest with you i think yours your uh... you know you talk about being the only one in pants and a full tank top and i think to be honest with you i think that's gonna help you not that you were necessarily planning it to do it that way, but I think it makes you appear more approachable and real in your story as well.

And then just talking to you on the show. To be honest with you, I think America is ready for that kind of more genuine honesty. Yes, because we've been inundated with all super perfect looking, Nazi style training type of trainer and people are like, okay, where's the real person that I can relate to that knows that I'm going through? So I think that's your approach as real as it is,

is also a good strategy. No, it's our business strategy, you know, think about it. That's what, that was what was so important to all of us starting MindPump was that we were gonna keep this very upfront, you know, if we come across, if we give information out there and then we find out that later studies come out to prove that it's wrong,

that we would come forward and be like, this is what's new studies have came out and said and always admit our faults. And we try and humanize ourselves for our audience. So they understand that we struggle to and go through that. I think it's a very important message that not a lot of fitness people deliver. So I love hearing your story, which also makes me wonder, are you do you have plans for this business wise? Or do you have a strategy like in mind? Or are you currently using your certification? Like, what do you have a strategy like in mind or are you currently using your certification?

Like, what do you have anything like that in store? I'll look at you trying to get all the behind-the-scenes information. I like it. I like it. You know, honestly, yeah, I said this to you guys earlier, like my goal is truly to change the way the fitness community is viewed. And I just feel like I've been super lucky and blessed for the platform I have. And yeah, I'm currently filming, worked out DVDs that I'm going to be obviously putting on my website. The biggest thing that I love doing is I don't know if you guys got a chance to look at my YouTube or my post is my boot camps. They are named ESL Boot Camps. And if you guys have seen anything about these boot camps, they are literally hand down the most amazing experience you can ever have. I want to, I'm actually

in the talks with a couple companies right now, who are wanting to sponsor a actual tour next summer. So hitting, you know, at least 15, 20 states next summer, this event that I do, all shapes and sizes come to this event. It is more than just a workout. It is a bootcamp, but it's also something that you walk away with going, I can do this. I am strong enough to do this. We don't just work out. We actually do what I call motivational exercises.

So I want you to literally work your heart and your mind just as much as you do your body. Because if you don't, you're not going to really be in this for the long run. And it's not going to be something that you're going to be successful doing. So the boot camp is something I'm really passionate about because you meet these people face to face.

And it's probably the most humbling experience you can ever have having someone come up to you hug you cry and say you change my life or you changed the way my family views what health and fitness really should be or because of you I've lost 50 pounds or because of you I got out of a bad relationship because I realized I was good enough to do something for myself that like just saying that gives me goose bumps. I love you. I work well. So does America. You know I work.

That's the right message, Erica. That's the ex, that is the right message. I absolutely love what you're saying. So how's your daily life? I just, you know, everyone, so many people are exactly where I was when I started overweight. You know what? You don't have to be overweight. You just may be unfit and want to get fit and don't feel good about yourself just because you're not overweight by medical standards. There's nothing in that you don't feel comfortable in your body.

So so many people are to point in their lives where they want to change and take control of their physical wellbeing that they just don't know where to start and they don't know how to get started or or tap into that and i want to be that person to tap into the masses and be like you can do this um... and and you can change your heart is not physically but mentally and emotionally to and and that is what i want to take over the world i want to be like a really tall and sweeter Jillian Michael. Oh, please replace her.

A little bit of an Oprah Square in there. Oh, there you go. A little bit of Mexican Oprah. That kind of thing. So you're going to be a partner and crime described this. Yeah. How's the dating life now that the single life going for you? Oh my God. god dating is not existent it is so rough come on the trains i know you're getting it's not a big if got to be getting thrown at you constantly a quarter-month attention and yet and you you look amazing

confident sexy less than i'm going to be honest with you dating is such you when you're big on social media is non-existent. A, men are so intimidated by what I do because I'm going to be honest. I am a girl who literally wants to take over the world and I'm going to do it. B, when your life's so out there, people don't like to share you. They don't like to know that you're given everyone else to selfie.

They want me to check selfie to them and my honey, I don't got time for that. So, you know, when your life's on there, it's almost not existent, and I am not down with the DMs. So, I don't, I'm not checking them to see who's hitting on me or who's sagging me. So I should feel good that you creep my page a little bit then. Oh, I did.

I'm so glad I'm calling calling on there right now. Good because she called me out for not falling or so. You deserve that. So he just checked me out of the bus, ran me over. Reverse. He did it again. Yeah, he's the handsome one. I get it. I didn't even realize. I didn't even realize because I was like, oh, snap,

I just totally like this guy's picture. And he's in a relationship with some really cute girl. I better put a stop to this real quick. So, I just go for it. That's my advice. Well, you, okay, so yeah, you're a very fit, very motivated, very driven on social media. You just need a very confident, strong man

who can handle that because, and unfortunately, a lot of guys got rules. They don't make them like that. Yeah, there's a lot of fragile egos out there, unfortunately, but now that you're putting it out there, I'm sure. They'll be coming. They might be coming hugging kittens and doing pushups. You know, one last.

The way my heart is just doing that. Show up to my door, it's big with dozen, and you got me. You got me. One last thing, has your training evolved since you first started? Because your body, when you thing, you're, has your training evolved since you first started because your body It's when you look at your Instagram your body's evolved you went from losing the weight and being you know skinnier and lean To now it looks like you're you've got some more muscle. There's more tone You know more shape to your body. Have you incorporated more weight training as well? So I'll just use the word tone. I do.

Well, I have two though. He's like, how are you a tone? Now he's in that word. And that just shows you, we've talked about this. I don't know if you've caught this episode yet, Eric, but we, one of the first things we called out, I believe it was a female fitness miss, one of the first episodes we ever did.

And we talked about the made up word tone as if a muscle could get toned. And I actually used it in a later episode, caught myself and I just cut south, so I had to interrupt it. It's such a marketing turn. But she's like, now you're giving me a complex. I'm pretty sure I put the word tone

on a post like yesterday. So I've all done it. I'm gonna have to do that one. No, I'm excited. I'm actually, you're attitude that you have is so awesome. And the fact that you're really just now getting into Mind Pump, I can't wait to talk to you after you've put about 20, 30 episodes in your belt because you're going to be mind blown because I know you're very open-minded. Listen, and then when we start really dieting, you've listened to some kind of fun ones, but as you start

to dive into some really deep ones that we get into science and stuff like that and what's wrong with the fitness industry and you talk about wanting to be someone who changes it like we believe we're on the front end of that. That's a great face for that. Yeah, this is what we've been preaching for a long time and we actually we break down a lot of stuff that gets said in the finisher and we even admit that we were we were victims ourselves. We used to say this, we used to preach this because this is what we were being told, this is what we've been taught,

and we would just regurgitate what we've learned. And we've read a study, we saw something that back that we assumed it was right, or we read it in a book, so we figured it must be true. But so much of the propaganda out there is, it's just that it's propaganda, it's backed by companies that are biased and are have motives behind it.

And there's not a lot of good people out there giving out good information and good science. A lot of it's, you know, pro science or myth and the word tone is, you can't tone a muscle, it's impossible. It just builds or shrinks. But how is your training changed? Because your body has been changing still,

even though you lost the majority of the weight, you know, early on look you look different. Yeah no I completely yeah I've completely switched gears you know losing the weight I was more cardio focused I've always incorporated hit which I'm sure you guys obviously know high intensity interval training and that's what I really feel like has helped me with the loose skin because I wasn't incorporating weights throughout my workouts. But I've finished off with a couple light dumbbells, whatever, just something simple, just to be a little bit more proactive. Once I lost the weight, I was like, man, I have no ass.

And I was like, I have no legs. I am like, I felt just unshapely. And weights have always been something where I saw people working on them constantly. And again, this is where I told you earlier, I was completely okay with walking up to someone and being like, hey, why do you do that set? Or what does this do for your body? Can you maybe teach me or show me how you do that real quick? And I just, I learned from there.

So my, my whole routine is more weight intensive now. Don't get me wrong. I love that damn stairmaster. I could marry that thing as I would, but I'm more weight focused and my training because of it has switched. When I first got certified, I just, you know, nowadays that's another thing. There's so many damn certifications out there that, you know, there that anyone can say, oh, I got certified and took a five minute test. And I was guilty of that a year and a half ago because legality wise, when people wanted to work with me, I had to be some kind of certified trainer.

And I just, you know, I used my own life experience as building a program a year and a half ago. Now that I'm actually certified ISSA, and I'm actually working on my NASAM as well, along with the nutrition aspect of it, it's completely changed. There's science behind it. Everyone is different. Numbers are different. You learn to really break down the myths and go, oh, just because Dr. Oz says that's good

for me. You realize it's not really good for you. And because of that, my clients now, it's crazy. It's almost mind-blowing. You know, it's just right down the science and really working with people and getting on a personal level with them. My clients now, their bodies changed so much more progressively or in the right kind of way in smart versus before they were just losing a pound. And that process will keep you. And you guys did a podcast and I completely agree with this. And I will still agree with this, even if it's my business,

if you guys did a podcast where you talked about no matter what, no matter what program that you have from an Instagram person or a trainer in the gym, you can't tell that person that that program didn't work because it was something different for their body. So it's gonna work. you know what I mean? It's something different that their body had to adapt to. So they're gonna lose weight, they're gonna lose inches and you can't tell them otherwise

that that program wasn't scientifically based or proven in any which way. I was just gonna tell you, sorry to interrupt you there. I was just gonna tell you that process, it keeps refining. And so, you maintain that open mind as far as like going up to people asking questions and keep researching. Looking at finding new spins and new different ways to approach training your clients and also just experiencing fitness, remain open. That's such the best mentality to have in. That's what you're gonna do very well. That's why you're gonna do well.

And that's why I think that this show that we've created is really about that. It's about us seeking how to optimize all these different pathways. It's totally geared to someone like you. It could be more geared towards you. It's exactly what it's totally geared to someone like you. I could actually, it couldn't be more geared towards you. It's exactly what our demographic really is, is trainers that are up and coming in the industry,

they have an open mind enough to know that there's a lot of information out there. How do I weed through what's right, what's wrong, and constantly growing and learning? And we do that with, with our audiences. There's, like I said before, that we're always seeking, we're always on the newest studies, the newest things that are coming out,

not only on just the fitness stuff, but technology that's related to fitness and nutrition. And I mean, we're big on that. And we're big on sharing that with our audience and helping them read through this stuff and filter through what is good and how beneficial things are that are being fed to all of us. Did we just gone there?

I think we just found it. Thank you for listening to Mind Pump. If your goal is to build and shape your body, dramatically improve your health and energy, and maximize your overall performance, check out our discounted RGB Superbundle at Mind Pump Media dot com. Check out our discounted RGB Superbundle at MindPumpMedia.com. The RGB Superbundle includes maps and a ballad, maps performance, and maps aesthetic. Nine months of phased, expert exercise programming

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