This powerlifter corrected his diet and went from fat to form

When Aldon Tibbs started gaining weight in 2013, his goal was to do weight training. But as Tibbs soon discovered, it's sometimes hard to separate strength and size. Tibbs, 38, who works as a personal trainer in St. Paul, Minnesota, remembers that he had become passionate about powerlifting at the time. While he remained constant in the gym, he was doing too much while he was refueling, undermining his winnings.

Like a lot of people, it took frank photography for reality to take hold: "My boss took the staff to a Timberwolves game for Christmas, many pictures were taken that night and when I saw myself I realized that I was not only strong, I was fat, "says Tibbs." It was the first time I saw myself as anything other than a big, muscular guy, and I realized that even though I was strong, I was really not healthy. "Here's how Tibbs took control of his diet and got in shape.

Many people would find it surprising that you gained weight while you were a regular at the gym. What was the main contributor?
Diet, absolutely. My workouts have always been very consistent and I never miss time at the gym. But I started eating more – probably double or triple the calories I had eaten before. A normal meal day consisted of a hamburger box, Chipotle, and a Byerly hot bar and salad bar. Salads alone probably accounted for about 3,000 calories.

When did you reach your summit? What was the turning point?
I was 36 or 37 years old at the heaviest, which was worth 270 pounds. I felt incredibly strong, but that was the magnitude of any positive feeling. Simple tasks like leaning over to fasten my shoes and climbing the stairs have become difficult. The mere fact of finding clothes that went to her became an unpleasant chore.

How has your training evolved? Have you introduced more cardio to help burn fat?
The time I spent at the gym did not really change. I switched to a weight training style workout rather than a powerlifting workout session. I started doing three steps of 10 minutes a day and I changed diets. I had eaten anything and everything I wanted. When I realized that I needed to lose weight, I started with the keto diet, followed by the diet "if it suits your macros", and finally the vertical diet, that I'm still today .

I have never counted calories, but I am very intuitive about portions. I decreased the amount of food I ate in addition to changing the foods I ate. I still ate pizzas and burritos while losing weight, but I went from all the pizza to two slices. My goal was to drop to 242 pounds. When I reached that goal, I felt better and stayed the course. Now, I'm 190 pounds.

So, the big changes have been made to your diet. Not necessarily more or different.
In the process of losing 80 pounds, I have never done a cardio day. My workouts have always been consistent. Eating fewer calories was the main factor in weight loss. Because I am a personal trainer, the workout is part of my life and I have never lost the motivation for it. I get up five days a week, I walk three times a day. It's not something I think I'm doing, it's a habit rooted in my routine.

How long have you put yourself back into shape?
I lost a total of 80 pounds in about a year. It's great, obviously. I've lost a lot of strength during the process, but losing weight and seeing the pounds lost really makes me happy. I can easily climb four stairs to my apartment, and cut my nails is no longer difficult. The food I eat makes me feel better all day long. I have more energy and feel less swollen. Losing weight has definitely given me confidence in my appearance. My family travels to Florida every year and now I can sit on the beach without a shirt and feel confident.