Turning new page, my road to redemption.

This article is also being posted on my workout/diet log on Bodybuilding.com in the forums. Username is RickAGriffith, so look me up if interested in future updates.

So I am starting my journey with Team Scivation's diet and workout program today and I am very excited. To say the last few years of my life have been tough is an understatement and it is time for me to take charge of my life and get back to having a great physique.

To let you know a bit about me and my story I'll give a brief timeline of the past few years. I could write about 40 pages describing this but in the intrest of saving time lets make it quick.

Growing up I was always overweight. I went on weight watchers countless times and tried everything I could before I was even 12 years old. Finally in my junior year of high school I started to Body for Life program, which worked very well for me. I went from 245 lbs, to 180 lbs in less that 5 months. I said right then that I would never let myself gain the weight back again, and I didn't for quite a while.

looking good in my senior pics...

I always struggled with acne in high school on my face back and chest and made the decision to go on Accutane (which I don't recommend to anyone). The doctor made me stop lifting weight, which I was now addicted too, and started me on the medication. My prom night was about 1 month into when I had been taking the medication and I ended up having to leave the prom to go home and eventually to the walk-in clinic.

My face had swollen up very big and I had no idea what was going on. I felt like I had been robbed of the senior prom I had worked so hard and lost tons of weight too look good at. I ended up spending 2 days in the hospital before being released after they were sure it wasn't mrsa.

My body started reacting very bad to the accutane and my entire back got tons of acne. I would bleed through any shirt I would wear and I would wake up each morning pulling my bed sheets out of what now looked like open wounds on my back(very painful to say the least). I missed most of the days of school the rest of the year and a severe depression was setting in.

The Accutane eventually stopped any acne from showing up anywhere. While it had done it's job, the severe reaction on my back left permanent scarring all over. I would end up gaining over 50 lbs by the time I finished my dosage. Feeling very ashamed and depressed I would gain over 150 lbs in less than 3 years. Mixed with some very toxic relationships I let other things in my life go to waste as well. My once successful Real Estate business went down with the market and I was in a bad place.

Me currently 45lbs down from my highest weight.

After getting cheated on twice by the girl I lived with and planned on marrying I ended the relationship and decided it was time to get back on my feet. Over the past two months I have lost 45 lbs and have made a commitment to myself that I will never be defeated again.

I have joined Team Scivation for the support and knowledge that I need to get through the tough times. I am started the CHA diet along with the workout I was sent and will be updating my progress and posting results frequently.

I'm not writing this because I want pity or people to feel sorry, just because I want them to know that I am on a mission to change things for the better. Not to judge me from the past, but from what I am going to achieve in the future...

7 months to a new me

Well as you know if you've been following my blog, I am on a mission over the next 2 years of my life to complete 25 life changing tasks. I have broken them into 4 terms to simplify them and ensure that I actually complete them.

For next 7 months, I have broken down my list to 7 main goals. They are as follows:

1. Lose 90 lbs and get into excellent shape.
2. Complete a 5 k Run with a respectable time.
3. Build my website to a $2,000.00 a month profit margin
4. Study the Bible, go to church every Sunday and learn about my religion.
5. Learn to speak Spanish fluently, or enough to hold conversations.
6. Make 1 lifelong friend.
7. Donate or raise $500.00 for charity

My future blog posts will cover my progress as well as other adventures and fun facts I'm sure.

So how is the first week going? Well it's only been 3 full days since I turned 23, but I have made some major steps in the right direction. I have started on my new workout regimen which is going very well, as well as a strict diet and no alcohol policy.


I really don't want to look at all like this.

Here's an example of my workouts so far:

Monday- Chest & Back with 15 min cardio warm up before hand. Cardio is 15 minutes of walking on the treadmill anywhere from 3.2 to 3.8 MPH with an incline of 0-7 to maximize fat loss and minimize muscle loss. I will progress to higher intensity cardio after i lose a bit more weight and start preparing for the 5K.

Dumbbell Bench press- 3 Sets descending reps 55X15, 60X12, 60X8

Dumbbell Incline flyes- 3 sets descending reps 30X15, 35X12, 35X8

Lat-Pull downs (wide grip)- 3 sets descending reps 130X15, 130X12, 140X8

Dumbbell Rows- 3 sets descending reps 60X15, 60X12, 65X8

Tuesday- Shoulders & Cardio. 20 min Cardio, walking on treadmill

Overhead dumbbell shoulder press-3 sets 35X15, 40X12, 45X8

Machine military overhead press (finishing exercise) 1 set 120X13

Wednesday- Bi's, Tri's and cardio- 20 min cardio on treadmill.

Dumbbell Bicep curls- 3 sets 30X15, 35X12, 40X10

Preacher curls machine- 3sets 90X15, 110X12, 120X10

Tricep Push outs(standing overhead)- 3 sets 90X15, 90X12, 100X9

Machine tricep push downs- 3 sets 90X15, 110X12, 130X8

Thursday Leg Day- No cardio

One legged leg press- 3 sets 90X15, 180X12, 230 X 10

Quad extensions- 3 sets 90X15, 110X12, 120 X10

Hamstring Curls- 3 sets 90X15, 120X10, 140X8

Calf Raises- 3 sets 150X15, 170X12, 190X9

So as you can see nothing too fancy here, I'm trying to ease myself back in and avoid injury set backs. The final sets many times I will work to failure, this is why the rep counts change.

If you would like to follow my workout progress or track your own also be sure to visit www.Bodyspace.com lots of cool gadgets to track your progress. I personally like the weight loss graph, at least I do when it is going down.

Now this next part I wasn't going to include for the public to see but I decided to anyway because I'm shameless. It is always embarrassing for a big guy to share his weight especially for me. But in order to complete my challenge I figure it will give me a little motivation. So here it goes...

My highest point (aka wanting to kill myself)- 331lbs

Currently- 313lbs

Goal- 240lbs

Total lost- 18lbs Still to go 73lbs

So there it is. If I wasn't 100% confident I will complete this challenge I wouldn't have written that believe me.

As far as the other goals go?

Well I worked at a call center Monday for 7 hours and raised about $900.00 for breast cancer prevention cold calling. I guess I can cross off Number 7 on the list. The website is coming along, albeit very slowly with way too many dumb issues. And I'm looking for that new lifelong friend(no homo) so holler at a player if you see him in the streets.

More updates soon...