Weighing over 400 pounds made me feel very nervous when walking into any place, let alone the gym. I always thought everyone was staring and judging me. It can be incredibly intimidating. But don't think you have to be in shape to join a gym. I wasn't and I lost over 200 pounds! Let me tell you a story.

I have been going to the gym for over five years now. And, just like the show Cheers, it’s a place where everybody knows your name. But, lately, I have been spotting more and more newbies in the crowd. It seems odd to me because New Year's has come and gone. And then I wonder, what is their motivation for being here?

I've been open and honest with you about my daily weight loss struggles -- everything from food addiction to making excuses for not working out. And I have shared with you how weight loss isn't easy. But here are 3 things that rarely get brought up during a weight loss discussion.

I think I give people the wrong idea.

I always talk about how hard it was to put on a seat belt and wipe my butt when I was obese.

I have been in restaurants for over 10 years!

I have been a chef, manager, general manager, and managing partner. I have worked for some well known companies like Applebee's and some you have never heard of. I have worked with some wonderful chefs and some mean managers. But wherever I go, I know I can still eat healthy. And you can, too!

Being a member of an Anytime Fitness club is an awesome thing. The 24 hour access to the club and Anytime Health are the reasons I joined.

I was going to give a nice list of things that would make your experience in the club better but instead… I am just going to give you one tip.

Ahhhh, Halloween is here!! You know what that means. Kids dressed as princesses and pirates. Guys dressed as Bill Clinton and the Captain Morgan Man. Women dressed as a "naughty (fill in the blank)".

But for most of us, Halloween is about candy. Where we either go trick or treating, sneak some from our kids, buy tons of candy and then have one person come over only to have so much left for us. It's when “fun size” chocolate turns into “king size” after eating all of it.

As you may or may not know, I love working out. This is from someone who has spent most of his life in the “morbidly obese” category. About four years back when I was able to be more active, I made a promise never to stop. I have not and I love the gym more and more each day.

February 24th, 2008 is not a special day for most. It was a Sunday. I could not tell you what the weather was like here in Orlando that day. In fact, I do not remember a whole lot about that day.

The only thing I remember is that was the day I decided to change my life forever.

A little over four years ago, someone called me worthless. It was one of the worst insults I ever got and that is saying a lot. At 420 pounds, I had a lot of things to work on. I was 200+ pounds overweight, a food addict, and I did not think I could do anything substantial with my life.

So I took every bit of courage and drive I had and I worked on it. I lost weight. A lot of weight. I lost 221 pounds. I went to the gym and gained muscle. A lot of muscle.

Funny thing is some people call me an inspiration...