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Michael Sullivan was made fun of a lot In school.
By the time he hit 19, he was 240 pounds. He never watched what he ate.
“I started gaining weight when I was around 16,” says Michael. “When I started having a few cheeky beers with my friends. The problem was that I enjoyed it too much. I couldn’t just have one or two pints. I had to have seven or eight.”
He dropped out of school after he gained weight, due to all of the bullying he experienced. When he was 19, he decided to go back to college.
“It was a 20 minute walk to college and every day I would arrive there soaked in sweat,” said Michael. “I started leaving the house earlier and earlier every day so I could walk more slowly, but it made no difference. I’d still be wringing wet after a slow 10 minute walk. I had to sit all day in class wearing clothes soaked in sweat.”
One day, he decided he’d had enough. He began to go to the gym, and cut down his alcohol and food intake. He got skinny fast, but it made him feel just as self-conscious that he didn’t have any muscles.
So he began to research weight training. He found out that it wasn’t just working out that helped him gain muscle tone—it had to be in his diet, too.
“It took me more than a year to realize how big a role diet plays in what you look like. My abs are made in the kitchen and sculpted in the gym.”
Now he eats a strict protein diet and works out twice a day. It’s so strict, he doesn’t even bend for holidays or birthdays.
“I went to Egypt for two weeks with my girlfriend and I brought all my meals with me. I worked out every morning in the hotel gym and then took Tupperware to the hotel bar to fill it up with safe foods which I’d eat in my room.”
It affects his relationships too, but he says it’s just how it has to be.
“My girlfriend tells me she’s love me even if I was fat. I don’t like how my lifestyle impacts our relationship, but that’s just how it’s got to be.
“I’ve lost so many friends,” he continues. “It feels sad, but I know what I’m doing is better for me in the long run, both health-wise and for my finances. I just have to get used to missing family events and birthdays because I’m busy training or can’t eat the food there.”
He books modeling deals left and right though, and still says he’s the happiest he’s ever been.
