Hi, my name is Joshua and this is my story. Now to start this off I’m not going to claim to have been into working out my entire life as clearly that’s just not the case, however I was always involved in some kind of sport (be that football, swimming, basketball etc,) when I was younger. As I hit my teens I became less involved in these sports and fell down a much darker path, one that effected me both mentally, emotionally and physically. Like most I became involved in drugs, violence and other shady stuff, however I managed to stop it all and walk away but it was not easy however I did not want my children growing up in that world. I’m a solo parent as the mother isn’t involved ATALL and hasn’t been for 3 years nearly, so clearly finding time to work out is difficult but it is still manageable. Going over the pictures you see, the one where I’m clearly much larger, unhealthy and actually very very depressed (they do say it hides behind smiles). I was 18.8st and I absolutely hated what I had become, Lazy, Fat, ambitionless and many more words I could use to describe myself at that point… However that was not to last, despite everything I had been through this was just another challenge I had to face and I was going to hit this one head on. I became fascinated with that “”Men’s Physique”” look and I wanted it, so I began to learn how I would obtain it.. Entre “”Calorie Deficit””. That is literally how I dropped 5st in a year gradually and stripped back to my foundation where I could then start to build up a strong foundation for muscle growth and obtain what I had set out for what seems like a lifetime ago. A simple HEALTHY calorie deficit, tracked and managed lost me my weight and got me to the point I was able to start my first real “”CleanLean Bulk”” which I must say (yes I’m going to toot my own horn) is working really well and my body is reacting exactly how I want to it. That’s all anyone really needs who is starting out and wondering how they “”LOSE FAT””, a healthy calorie deficit which you enjoy, can maintain and hold yourself accountable for as accountability, enjoyment, Discipline and Mindset are everything!. Why wait until now to mention Discipline? Because people always bang on about motivation and yes granted that’s great to begin with but what about when you have non? You simply not going to train? The answer to that in your mind should have been NO, because you have the discipline to carry on and workout knowing you have to do it to obtain that body you’re after, knowing that even though you lack the motivation, you’re mindset is strong enough to discipline yourself into doing it knowing the outcome is far better than if you hadn’t worked out at all! ;) The picture on the right is me 5st! lighter and in better shape than I was although it wasn’t what I was aiming for, I was still happy knowing the real journey was about to begin :) As this first year of training has passed I have Obtained a love for the gym, it truly is my own kind of therapy. It has helped my mindset drastically and has carved the way for my future as I am now training to be a personal trainer and help everyone I can attain that same level of pride and mindset that I have everyday now. I have started to really show progress so if you would be interested then please drop my Instagram account a follow and comment telling me you’re part of the JRF Fam and I’ll be sure to check you out too. regularly post some form of motivational speech or thought with near enough every post I make so if you need that then please check the previous pictures where you WILL find all the motivation you need once you see IT IS POSSIBLE! Thanks to Josef and the rest of the Team for asking me to do this and showing continued support, such an amazing group we have on Facebook and I’m proud to be part of that :D Just focus on you’re goal and let NO-ONE tell you, you cannot do it… KNOW & SHOW THEM, YOU CAN!!!!