There was a time when Jay Fawcett would only last five minutes playing on the trampoline before he would have to tell his sons daddy needs to take a break.
“It broke my heart when I wasn’t able to hang out with them,” Fawcett said.
Fawcett, a 38-year-old Corner Brook resident, didn’t want to miss out on any time with his family so he decided it was time to shed some pounds and start making some lifestyle changes.
In November 2016 when he was at his heaviest — 198.8 pounds on a five-foot-seven frame — he began an incredible journey towards transforming his physique.
A year later he competed in his first provincial bodybuilding competition with a stage weight of 136 pounds — the smallest he’s ever been and more of a mirror of his former self when he had led a more active life.
His two boys — Draco, 8 and Odin, 10 — were reason enough to turn his life around. But it was wife Becky, a Prince Edward Island native, who inspired him to push himself to do something about his ballooning weight.
Becky had started her own transformation early in 2016. She had some extra pounds she wanted to lose and four or five months later competed in her first provincial bodybuilding event.
Her proud husband watched her perform and that night said he was going to be competing in the same event the next year.
He never envisioned such a dramatic change in his physical and mental well-being. He just figured he would lose a few pounds and his clothes would fit more comfortably, but once he started the pounds shedding he got excited.
He became a disciplined soul on a mission, changing his eating habits and putting better grub in the belly and complimenting it with regular trips to the gym for weight training and cardio workouts, some of them in the early morning hours to ensure it didn’t interfere with his work and family responsibilities.
His physical appearance gives you an idea of the work he’s done, but more importantly the mortgage specialist with BMO in Corner Brook is grateful for the healthier mind he has because of his commitment.
He’s more confident in everything he does and he’s excited about taking on other challenges in life because he knows anything is possible if you are willing to discipline yourself.
“I’m able to handle stress a lot better. Anytime I’m struggling I’m able to channel that into exercise,” he said.
There was a time when he would head off to the bowling alley for his escape from the stresses of life and his wife would look forward to her yoga class for an outlet.
Now, because of the journey chosen by both, they get to spend more quality time as a couple and he appreciates those precious moments more than ever now.
“Having more meals together is a big piece of it,” he said.
He believes anybody can make the changes they want to make if they commit. He admits there were days when he didn’t want to get out of bed, but he just pushed himself because he knew it was best for him and his family.
“You can’t give up at the first stumble. You just have to keep going,” he said.
His life is so much better because he was willing to do whatever it took to get the results he wanted. He hopes others decide to change their life like he did because it was certainly worth the investment.
Nowadays, he no longer worries about needing a break from the trampoline.
