Really great work and legit transformation.
Just a little confused. You’ve been reading since 1998 and only put the info into action 26 months ago? Or you started training 26 months ago and went back to read everything starting from 1998?
Also, any input on the programs/diets you read that clicked for you?
Ok, so life happens!
I started are reading as a 16 year old, starting out. Luckily Ian King is the man of that moment and as a beginner I start to emphasize TUT and balance between my limbs.
Then I read Berandi’s take on diet and I try to keep my meals so they don’t contain high fat and high carb, unless when cheating.
I progress well, around 2001 I feel like I could compete, but alas, pneumonia and a virus conspire to make me loose 15kgs of muscle in like 3 weeks.
I decide bodybuilding is too transient, and that powerlifting is a practice that builds something more that lasts, strength.
Charles Poliquin and then Dave Tate appears and starts to write very useful articles, I start to compete as an amateur a handful of times.
Christian Thibaudeau and Paul Carter start to add to the mix. I look at Christian’s transformation and I think to myself, god damn, I wish I could do that.
All along TC Luma writes great takes on various topics and the Shugarts both always offer invaluable insights.
Shoulder injury, but mostly a terrible relationship, had me stuck in a rut, but I kept training and reading and lying to myself about my shape. I mean, I was pretty strong, I got a silver medal at the Icelandic national powerlifting meet.
Then we break up after 13 years.
I get back on the market, fat, half dead inside with #MeToo and Donald Trump having quite the effect on the dating market here in Iceland (or so I thought to myself). I felt invisible and lost.
I already had a good job, education and was luckily well set after the breakup. So what should I do with myself? What were my goals when I was a single young man?
Ah, bodybuilding. Hmm, try and compete?
I decided now that I had all this time to myself, and I could control completely my diet to f*cking do this. Finish what I started when I was younger.
Feeling like time was running out, that I had to be at my best health for my kids and to look my absolutely best, I really, truly started to commit myself 100%. I didn’t believe that I could get this far when I started, but here I am.
But yes, this is transient, nothing lasts for ever, but I’m going to enjoy this and try to keep this shape as long as I can.
When anyone asks me about training advice, I usually wind up referring them to read up at t-mag.com and use and develop their critical thinking ability, there’s just been too much good information (given the best knowledge at the time) put out on this site to choose anything in particular.
That’s a wild story, man. Ups, downs, twists, turns. Great to hear you came through it all.
Definitely stick around the forum and share your input.
Thank you, I will.
What a fantastic post.
If you stick around then you’ll see that this doesn’t happen often. 
Nice work! As you said, this is a fleeting hobby that requires constant effort.
Sensational transformation.
Do you know what your numbers were?
This was without any powerlifting gear (classical powerlifting)
I hate to reply with a plain “nice”, but nice!
Yeah, a total of 1289 pounds is pretty nice for a family man who works at an office, nothing special, but nice!
Far above average for a family man with an office job. Most men I know that fit that category can’t even lift their own weight in any exercise.
Whoa… you’re 37? Those first pics had me thinking you were way older than that. Good for you to get back in shape and of course then blow it out of the water. What a great transformation.
Another inspiration on the boards!
That is certainly a very wild story! Hope that life will treat you kind from now on, you’ve definitely deserved it! And hope that you meet someone amazing!
Just a female perspective here, sorry I don’t know how to behave normally at this forum, I originally came here to get help identifying a muscle on my back.