Rob Cooper - From as Wide as High to Former Fat Guy

This was not always the case.

I Once Weighed Almost a Quarter Ton.



That's right, in 1990 I weighted nearly a quarter ton. I was 475 pounds at what I approximate to be over 70% fat. I was addicted to drugs and alcohol and the only exercise I got was walking from my home to my car and from my car to the restaurant. I was 22 years old and was quickly leading to at the very least coronary heart disease, cancer and at the worst, death.

» Listen to our interview with Rob Cooper:



I decided to do something about my health in the late fall of 1989. After what I call “my episode” which was similar to a heart attack, I took it upon myself to do something about my weight and my physical fitness. I knew nothing about either health or fitness except for what was advertised on TV. You know the stuff, Jenny Craig, Richard Simmons, salt is bad, fried foods are bad etc. It became my mission to learn all that I could learn about health, fitness and nutrition by reading various books, magazines, articles and then putting them into practice.

15 years later, I have come to place where I eventually burnt nearly 300 pounds of fat, built over 50 pounds of lean muscle, exercise daily doing cardiovascular and weight training and incorporate some martial arts. I quit smoking, quit drinking, gave up coffee and pop and even became vegetarian for over 12 years. I have since chosen to add animal protein back into my diet, but what’s most important to note is that health, fitness and nutrition have become a lifestyle for me. It’s so ingrained in my way of thinking and philosophy that it’s automatic.

During my “learning phase” I adopted some pretty unusual methods to drop the weight. I began food combining, practiced macrobiotics, did juice fasts and water fasts, vegetarianism and got into body type eating through an Indian philosophy of Ayurveda. I settled in on a whole food nutritional program incorporating Sunrider Chinese herbal foods along with a balance of whole foods. Vegetarianism has since left my life after serving me for over 12 years, and I once again am eating animal protein. My years of vegetarianism and bodybuilding have taught me a great deal about the role nutrition plays in our health. I find that my knowledge gained through my eating practices and bodybuilding help me better serve my clients. Today still, I take it upon myself to learn more and more about health and fitness and put them into practice.

It was 1993 when I switched from narcotic drug use to bodybuilding and have been able to put on over 50 pounds of lean muscle in the years since.

Through my website formerfatguy.com, I have met quite a few other people who have taken it upon themselves to improve their lives as the years go on and not let life simply slide by. I find their stories to be inspirational to myself and help me to continue my own program.

I am so inspired by being around like minded people that it pushes me to become even better. I know that I am not alone and that life transformations can occur as I see it all the time and enjoy being a part of some of them.

I have always said that “the body is the only machine that gets stronger the more you use it” and that applies at any age. Studies have shown that even people in their 80’s who begin weight training show immediate results in bone density, strength and endurance. These improvements go on to improve sleep, immune system functioning, reduction of injuries in later life and an increase in sexual drive. There is absolutely no reason that a person cannot take on the challenge of improving their lifestyle at 40, 50, 60 or older.

As host of a Fitness Talk Radio show called “Fit, Wise and Well”, I have the opportunity to speak with various bodybuilders and fitness personalities from all ages. Two of my most popular interviews are with 5 times Mr Universe Bill Pearl and Clarence Bass. Bill Pearl at age 73, still gets up at 2:30 each morning to do his daily workout at 4:00 in his barn with friends and neighbors a lot of whom are over 60 themselves. Clarence Bass who wrote a monthly question-and-answer column in Muscle & Fitness, the world's most widely read bodybuilding magazine, for 16 years (until 1996.) when approaching 40, turned his attention to bodybuilding, where he won his height class in the Past-40 Mr. America contest in 1978 and in the Past-40 Mr. U.S.A. the following year. In the U.S.A. competition he also won the 'Most Muscular Man' award as well as 'Best Legs' and 'Best Abdominals.' These are men in their 60’s and beyond.

I believe that knowledge in action is power. One must continue to learn and put that knowledge into practice in their own life to see what works for them. “Use what works and discard what doesn’t”

I am a big believer in role models. Why would I want to put years of effort into finding out what doesn’t’ work, when I can model people who’ve been there and done that, and skip all the crap and go straight to the results. That was the philosophy that inspired my Fitness talk Radio show Fit, Wise and Well – the Former Fat Guy show on www.fitwisewell.com.

Role models and mentoring are a very important part to any one’s personal growth.

The five most important things a person can ever do for themselves:

Continue to learn about health, fitness and nutrition from a wide variety of sources

Find a mentor. Someone who’s been there and that you can model

Apply the knowledge you learn on a daily basis

Repeat steps 1, 2 and 3

Never give up.

It’s been 15 years since I made my “decision” to do something about my health and fitness which have now become a lifestyle for me. I dropped over 300 pounds of fat and put on over 50 pounds of muscle. I now use this body I’ve built to enjoy life by doing some of my favorite things: backpacking, mountain climbing, skydiving and martial arts. My approach to fitness is health oriented using only the best quality foods, macronutrients and daily training both cardio and resistance. My weight is under control. I am in charge of my body and for that reason I will always be a "Former Fat Guy".

Rob Cooper, the Former Fat Guy
www.formerfatguy.com
www.fitwisewell.com