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SANDY — A man from Sandy lost 53 pounds in 12 weeks and gained $40,000 as a result in a national bodybuilding challenge.
Luke Petersen started the 5th annual Bodybuilding.com $200,000 Transformation Challenge on Jan. 10, weighing in at 232 pounds. After having stressful time with his job, he said he had given up on staying fit.
“Starting last fall, I could no longer fit into my ‘fat clothes.’ I called these my ‘fat clothes’ because they were a larger size than what I had worn for most of my adult life,” Petersen said in a bodybuilding.com press release. “Then I had to buy what I called my ‘FAT, fat clothes’ and even those were getting tight. I knew I didn't want to be the person I was physically."
The 35-year-old husband and father did a combination of home, gym and outdoor workouts to shed 53 pounds and 15 percent body fat. He told KSL.com he followed Lee Labrada's 12-week Body Trainer Program on bodybuilding.com.
"They were mostly simple, straightforward exercises like benchpress, dumbbell curls," he told KSL.com. "In addition I tried to just stay as active as I could, lifting boxes while on a break at work to get my heart rate going and things like that."
He woke up early every morning and worked out for at least an hour before work, then he'd work out from the minute we'd put our kids to bed at 8 until well past 11 or 12 at night. His diet was so strict and he didn't deviate from it one bit. Luke has more willpower and determination that anyone I know.
–Jessica Petersen
His wife Jessica told KSL.com she was amazed at how hard he worked every day.
"He woke up early every morning and worked out for at least an hour before work, then he'd work out from the minute we'd put our kids to bed at 8 until well past 11 or 12 at night," Jessica said. "His diet was so strict and he didn't deviate from it one bit. Luke has more willpower and determination that anyone I know."
Petersen also did high-intensity interval workouts that he found online and discovered he loved running and hiking on the trails in his own backyard.
"If I can have some good music going and can enjoy the beautiful mountains, it is wonderful," he told KSL.com.
Petersen said it took mental strength and his support system to keep going.
“There was a deep, internal desire to change. In my head I had set a goal and I was determined to reach it,” he said. “Without the support of my family and friends, I’m not sure if I would have progressed the way I did.”
Petersen didn't make any drastic changes to his diet, but ate smaller meals throughout the day and tried to focus on eating more protein and low carb and low fat foods.
"Trying to avoid all sugar was probably the most difficult part since sugar is in pretty much everything," Petersen said. "Overall I would try and eat as little as I felt I needed. I did not try and count calories each day because I felt like my body had to adjust depending on what type of workouts I was doing and how was feeling."
He says anyone can make the change as long as they're willing to change their lifestyle.
"Find out the reason why you want to be on the exercise routine and focus on that reason because 'you gotta want it,'" he said. "You have to want it more than unhealthy foods, more than sleep, and more than any other things that will get between you and your exercise routine."
He recommends setting specific goals with deadlines.
"The bodybuilding.com challenge really helped me with that," Petersen said. "Bodybuilding.com has challenges throughout the year as well."
Petersen won the first-ever People’s Choice award for the challenge. Chandler Camden from Missouri and Nina Nam from California won the top male and female prizes.
