My Fedex Poster Boy

I was not going to post a blog tonite, but I happen to go on bb.com to message one of my friends and found one of my most favorite cyber buddies comment to another friend of mine. He had posted some updated pictures that made me smile and made me proud. This blog is not about me but about a friend who decided to make a change.




This is Ari, aka juniorboston. I met Ari online back in January this year. We both entered a bb.com body transformation contest. I remembered the first time I saw Juniorboston something about him struck a chord with me. The minute I saw him I messaged him and told him that I had a feeling that he was going to be one of the few who would truly transform. I just had that feeling from the very beginning.

I think I had more confidence in Ari then he had in himself at first. I recall several of his posts of frustration. The changes were not happening fast enough for him. But there were several of us challengers that stuck by each other through the ups and downs of the challenges and we cheered each other on.

Here is a before picture of Ari. When I first saw this picture, I could see a teddy bear inside non smiling face.





This picture was taken Jan 30th I believe. During the 12 weeks of the contest we kept in contact daily on the forums for support. Juniorboston would always say something super sweet and encouraging to me and others in the challenge. Everybody liked him. He looked like this 12 weeks later....




We had to post an essay after the challenge. Originally he posted his essay stating how disappointed he was and that he did not see much progress. His first essay pissed me off and I told him to rewrite it....which he did. He had made amazing progress, yet could not see it himself......something that many of us go through.

Here is the essay he posted...

$100.00 ON body transformation challenge essay
Apr 24, 2011 5:18PM

Hi everyone, I was gonna make this essay really simple, but one of my mentor made me change it, and I don't like to mess with her cuz she used to be a captain in the army, everything came down to eating clean, workout a lot and make some real friends.


I've got to say that I am very disappointed with the final results as I gave my all to this challenge, I gave my heart, my sweat and even my soul.


But let's give more info about my transformation. First, I had to visualize who I wanted to be and where to get to, my goal for this contest was to get to the 14%, I couldn't make it, but what the heck, now I want to get to the 10%, why limit ourselves? after I hit 10%, I wanna hit 6%, which is set to happen by the end of 2011.


My training consisted of doing lots of cardios, so for the first 10 weeks I woke up at 3:30 am, 6 days a week, prepared my food in the morning for the whole day and was heading to the gym at 4:45 am, so I jumped into the elliptical for half hour of intensive cardio and started following the training that bodybuilding.com designed for fat loss (20-39 years old), after 3 weeks and losing about 2 pounds a week, I hit a plateau and started adding my own routine on the top of bb.com designed.


On the 5th week, I noticed my carbs intake was way to high and try to switch to a more ketogenic dieting, but then I noticed I wasn't on keto mode because I had some carbs coming in my diet hidden in some foods I was eating, sabotaging my whole plan, but I started seeing progress, although I was feeling like a piece of crap all day long, I couldn't focus or couldn't function right due to the carb depletion, so I decided to go on the Oxyelite pills for better fat burning and energy levels, and it did work.


After the 8th week, I started hitting the gym in the morning for 1 hour and a half and after work for another 1 hours, so I maximized my cardio to 1 hour a day and incremented more lifting and abs, also, I settled my solid relationship with Ms. Broccoli as I tasted her every single day, even blending it with my protein shake and it did taste all right.


Every single morning, when I woke up, I ate my breakfast enjoying the threads posted on the body groups by my fellow friends, I tried to encourage them with all my heart as they encouraged day by day. I had personal problems, I had Murphy's law circling me all the time ready to sabotage my plan but I didn't think twice in pouring out my heart at the BodySpace forum and get help and encouragement from people, they helped me and Murphy's law didn't make a dent of my plans other than bother me here and there, but hay, who doesn't have problems?


Also, I would like to say that I didn't give room for pride or negativity, I genuinely cheered every result my friends and non friends posted, I just could picture the positives details, the negatives one was inexistent to my view because I saw every body striving for success and it wasn't gonna be me who was gonna bring them down.


During this challenge, I cried, I laughed, I felt discouraged and felt enpowered, sometimes lonely, but most of the times supported.


Another thing, I used to have "nice pictures" on my inspirational members section, just for the looks, just like a meaningless picture of someone hanging on the wall, but I will be honest, I never really felt inspired by any of them, I met real inspirational members, people who cheered me saying "Junior, you can do it, Junior, do this, do that" people who made me go above and beyonde, real mentors, real ordinary people that for me, became extraordinary, super heroes, hot asses, hot muscles, hot minds and hot inteligences, I think about them every time I need the extra pump.


And for my hero duties, I became hero for my little daughter who kept saying to her friends at school that her dad was gonna win a contest for us to buy a bulldog, she's so inspiring for me.


But I am gonna finish my essay right now. All I have to say is thanks ON nutrition for putting together a life changing contest, thanks BB.Com and thanks to all my lovely friends who kept going further and further.


All the best to all and I can't wait to see one of my bb.com family win this contest....


Never settle for the comfort zone, there's always room for improvement!


Ari DeMatos Jr.

Now, that was Ari then. Now let's fast forward to the now. Since April, Ari has had some SIGNIFICANT personal challenges and crisis's in his life...big enough that the average person would have wallowed in his sadness and ate himself in oblivion. But not Ari....he has continued to push forward with his body transformation plans and has inspired and touched many people through his efforts despite it all. Look at him now...



My handsome inspiring friend who has all his Fedex customers googling over him. How awesome is that. I knew he could and would do it and I know he has much more in store for all of us.

Click here to see all of his transformation pictures Click Here

I love you Juniorboston with all my heart and thanks for being part of my life. I know your wife and daughter are proud!!

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