John Masgalas, 45, shares with Men’s Health the changes that helped him transform his body, achieve his goals, and find a new outlook on life.

For 5 years, I worked out intensely, and was pretty muscular; I tracked my food intake, and loved to run Spartan races. I followed the “gym bro” cycle of bulking up in the winter, and cutting down in the summer. But I could never really cut down enough to even see my abs. The motivation simply wasn’t there. Going into last winter, I decided to start a lean bulk.

This soon turned into allowing myself to eat anything I wanted. My weight kept creeping up until I hit a high of 208 pounds. I’d gained 20 pounds in 5 months – needless to say, it was no longer a lean bulk. In addition, the Spartan races I enjoyed had been canceled due to Covid, and I had no goal to stay lean. I’d still train while working from home during quarantine, but my lifestyle was just less active in general. I felt terrible, cardio-wise. I was still strong in the gym, but would feel sluggish, tired and bloated all day.

While browsing YouTube, I stumbled across a Paul Revelia video where he talked about walking for fat loss, and mentioned Pro Physique’s 90-day transformation challenge. I discussed it with my wife, and told her this would give me a date and solid goal to finally get to where I wanted to be, physically. She said go for it, so I signed up.

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Prior to the start date, I set myself a goal weight of 180 pounds. I reasoned this would put me in the ballpark to be a top finisher in the challenge. I also planned out my workouts and cardio, set an initial calorie deficit, and decided to reduce calories as needed. I dropped my daily calories from 3,200 to 2,400, comprising 220 grams protein, 55 grams fat, and 280 grams carbs.

I bought a budget under-desk step machine, which I used for 40 minutes each morning while I worked. The gyms were still closed so I knew I would be working out from home. I started shopping around, and was able to purchase a squat rack, barbell, bench, adjustable dumbbells, and a door pull up bar. I knew this equipment would allow me to get all the required basics in.

Read more: Men’s Health