When Dez was around 18 years old, he realized there was a problem.

“I was around 300lbs around 18 years old”, Dez said during my interview with him. “Even when my parents would put me in a sport, I couldn’t keep up with people who were middle aged and I was a teenage boy having trouble keeping up with people in their 40s. So that was one sort of shock to me. I was like ‘yeah something’s not right here if I’m having trouble keeping up with someone who’s much older.’”

That ended up being one catalyst for a mindset shift in Dez’s life. Up until this point, Dez had continued on as he always had.

“I just kept getting bigger and bigger. Pretty much I was always teetering on obese and I just kept getting bigger and I didn’t really have any good eating habits.”

Dez was born in Auckland, New Zealand and was raised in Australia until he was around 18, when he and his family moved to Arizona. Having come from a strong Indian heritage, Dez told me his weight gain was partially a function of his cultural background.

“In Indian culture you have to eat absolutely everything that’s on the plate otherwise it’s considered disrespectful. So I was always taught ‘eat everything on your plate’ and I just got bigger from there because I thought it was always considered rude. I ended up eating whatever my mum gave me.”

Unfortunately, this ended up leading to a massive amount of weight gain as he aged into his teenage years. Dez steadily climbed in weight to between 250-300lbs up until the ages of 16-18 years old. He then continued to “yo-yo” diet for several years up until the age of 25. However, Dez knew he was setting himself up for major issues in the future.

“I didn’t want to have health problems. My dad had a stroke a few years ago, and then my grandmother also had a stroke. I was like ‘okay this runs in my family…am I gonna have a stroke?’ So that was one thing that sort of scared me. I didn’t want to have a heart attack before I was 30. So that was the main thing, I didn’t want to have health problems.”

Dez also says his weight and appearance limited him socially.

“The way I thought was I couldn’t even speak to people because I thought I was constantly being judged on the way I looked all the time. Especially if you’re a young person, I understand it’s very hard to communicate with people. At that age, everything is about appearances, and I felt like just being overweight kind of limited me in being able to socialize with people. I felt like I could have gone further in that aspect of my life if I actually took the initiative and lost weight.”

Then one day at 18, Dez had a moment where he decided that he wanted to change.

“I remember when I was 18 and we were playing paintball I had to stop because I got too tired because I couldn’t carry the weight of the gun. And I had to sit down for 20 minutes because my heart couldn’t take it. And it was one of those things where I had a breakdown at that point and I said I needed to get something going.”

Dez initially started with a personal trainer, but it didn’t go as he expected and no major changes resulted.

“I did go to a personal trainer initially, then I lost a little weight, but I kept stagnating because I didn’t know how to eat properly. I had the exercise down, but I didn’t know how to eat so I was losing weight at a slower pace.”

After having little success, Dez stopped with his personal trainer and dieted on and off for 7 years on his own until finally finding Lift Like Lincoln online. That’s when Dez finally started getting serious. Asked about what makes Lift Like Lincoln different, Dez told me:

“You definitely push me…so that’s what I like. So, I’m always pushed to the limit so I know I’m getting results…you keep me accountable. A personal trainer can always push you to do a little bit more than you realize you can do. If you’re training on your own…you’re always easier on yourself mentally than if you have a 3^rd party looking at you and seeing how you’re doing. Having [Austin] there is a way to see if I’m actually doing the technique right so I don’t injure myself…[Austin is] a great trainer”

He also added “I’ve gained a lot of education working with you.”

Now, with over 100 pounds lost, Dez says he’s never going back to where he was before.

“My life has changed by being able to sleep better, energy is better throughout the day. I can buy the clothes that I want. I don’t have to go to “Big and Tall” Stores anymore. I can fit into a medium shirt so that’s the nice thing that’s never happened before. It’s always been XL, XXXL all that sort of stuff… I feel more confident. I talk to people more easily. I’m more open with people. I feel more in control of my weight and health.”

Even his doctors are impressed.

“My doctor said he was proud of me because I did lose a lot of weight.”

Overall, Dez’s life has changed so much. From being able to go on hikes, to doing his first push-ups, Dez has achieved many milestones over the course of training with Lift Like Lincoln.

“I’m already a representation of why you should [work with Austin]. I’ve already lost all this weight over 100+ pounds. Obviously having a trainer there is great. Austin is a great trainer… You don’t have to feel like you’re doing this all on your own. So someone is there to help you. And if you feel like you need that mental push a trainer is definitely necessary. I recommend [Austin].”

Dez’s had some advice for people looking to lose weight and transform their life, as well.

“Don’t let it keep going on because it’s going to limit you in terms of health problems.”

Marshall knew that he had to make a change. After gaining several dozen pounds over the course of a year, he was ready to do something different. He was usually very active; having practiced martial arts for over 10 years. Being in theater and the arts, he was also usually moving around a lot. But when the lockdowns and crazy world of 2020 hit, theater’s completely stopped productions and shows. Without anything to keep him active, Marshall gained weight and quickly lost a consistent schedule which wasn’t conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Not only this, but he had big dreams about his future acting career. He wanted to be a certified stage weapon-master, which is a specialized skill that makes stage combat seem realistic.

However, without his health in check, Marshall knew he wasn’t going to have the amount of stamina needed for the rigorous movements that weapon fighting required. That’s when he came to Lift Like Lincoln. Pouring his same intense discipline of Wushu into his diet and training plan, Marshall consistently lost 1.5lbs per week and was able to lose 40 pounds in just 6 months. I am so incredibly proud of his progress. He is now enrolled in stage-fighting classes and now has the stamina to train hard for his future career. Congratulations Marshall!