Jon Childress

From bulimia to bodybuilding, this JYM Army member has broken through with hard work, education and a great support system.

Written By Jim Stoppani, PhD

Updated September 28, 2023

Written by Jon Childress

My journey began at a very young age. Throughout my life I was bullied for being overweight. During my junior year of high school, I lost 35 pounds. During my senior year, I gained it back — and then some. What came with it was something worse than I ever had to deal with before: bulimia.

When I found Jim Stoppani and JYM Supplement Science, that’s the mess I was in. Although I had dropped to 205 pounds from 245 pounds over a two-year span, I was stuck in a seemingly never-ending yo-yo diet cycle. I’d lose just enough, then gain it back. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

I had been following Jim Stoppani for about a year, doing his Shortcut to Size program over and over, trying to track my macros and failing. I was still very much plagued by my eating disorder, and one night after a very bad binge, I tweeted Jim and asked, “What is the key to sticking to your diet?” I’ll never forget his response: “You have to learn to eat to fuel your body, instead of your taste buds.” It changed how I viewed food and my relationship with food. I'm happy to say that I've been free of bulimia for over a year. After that “a-ha” moment, I dived head-first into everything JYM Supplement Science. My wife Erika and I have been following Jim’s programs, nutrition advice and using JYM Supplements for over a year now.

Since going all in, I've completed Shortcut to Size twice, Shortcut to Shred and Super Shredded 8 twice. I had a tough time finishing programs — I’ve “started” Down and Up Mass, Fitter Faster Leaner and Daily Grind. But recently, I completed Super Shredded 8 during the Summer Shred Challenge of 2016. This is the program that finally pushed me across the line.

When I began the Summer Shred Challenge, I weighed 210 pounds and was 18%-20% bodyfat. When I finished the eight-week challenge, I weighed 186.8 pounds at 7%-8% BF.

My biggest motivation is to be the best “me” in all areas of life, not just fitness. To no longer live with the depression and self-hatred that once haunted me. To be able to live free, not just for me, but also for my wife and my future children. The biggest key to my success is the support system that I have in my wife and in the JYM Army. When everyone else is telling me my goals are crazy and that I need to stop, I have Erika and the JYM Army right next to me, telling me to keep pushing my limits.

My advice to anyone who is on the fence about a lifestyle change is to go all in and make the changes necessary to accomplish what you desire. At the end of the day, nobody really has time to work out and eat right. They make time to do it because it’s a priority in their life. Rearrange your priorities and decide what’s most important to you. That’s what I had to do, and you can do it too.

Related Articles

Foundations