Many of us on social media are fooled into thinking how a person can look because of filters, camera angles, and Photoshop. So when we receive suggestions on who to feature, we take a close look at their pictures to ensure they are who we say they are. We say all that to say, we received the picture above from a good number of women recommending that this man above be featured on #ManCrushMondays. Since his transformation was so remarkable, we took our time to research and found that the man in the picture, Zac Willis, is the real deal and we had to honor him with a feature.
A Virginia native, but having grown up in Dallas, Zac has an interesting story of weight loss. As a marketing major, after college graduation, he began to make money–more than he ever had before. And with that came more eating. So, as he says, it wasn’t just a meal anymore: it was dessert, it was more drinks, it was appetizers. It all added up until it got out of control.
In 2013, Zac, at 5-feet-8-inches tall, weighed in at about 245 pounds.
“I was huge,” said Zac. “It was a year after graduation, and I could barely see my toes. I was 75 pounds more than I was in college. I was huge until I woke up one morning and said something’s gotta change.”
“After I signed that check, and spent my money, things got real. I said ‘Ok, this is the game I have to prepare for.'” Using the payment as inspiration, Zac began to train hard.
All that hard work paid off, too. Zac finished 7th in his first competition ever out of 42 participants. Because he was so ecstatic, he signed up for another show three weeks later and not only took 2nd place out of 38 participants, but he also found a sponsor where he became the face of a brand and was paid to go around the country touring, showing off his new physique.
“It all started with focus,” recalls Zac. “Fall in love with the journey and don’t necessarily focus on the results, because day after day, if you put the work in, it’s a mathematical equation: it’s going to happen!”
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While he claims that he is not a certified personal trainer, he knows what works for him and his body, so he shares that in hopes that he can inspire more weight loss and healthy living.
His fitness and weight loss program is ZRX Fitness. Why ZRX? Well, Zac took the medical definition of “Rx” to mean prescription or recipe. So, it’s ZRX is simply Zac’s recipe or prescription for fitness.
“I just want to help people,” continues Zac. “Whether it’s in fitness or in life. It starts with the right mentality.”
When asked what he eats for fat loss, Zac simply details why his first meal of the day is so important in a video:
Veggie and cheese 5-Egg white omelet with grits
(veggies include red, orange, green, yellow and orange peppers along with spinach)
*only 28 grams of cheese per omelet
But before he eats anything in the morning, he takes a shot of apple cider vinegar. The reason for it, he says, is because apple cider vinegar jumpstarts the fat loss in his body
“I live my life by a simple quote, ‘Love Life and Lift Heavy,” explains Zac. “I want everyone to wake up with zeal and passion for life. What happens when an obstacle comes your way? You have to lift that weight. You have to lift those heavy objects out of your way.”
On Instagram, Zac says, “To the person walking in the gym determined to become their personal best, LET ME BE YOUR MOTIVATION! To the person that thinks their dream body is impossible, LET ME BE YOUR MOTIVATION! To the person shy about the gym, talk to me, LETS DO THIS TOGETHER!”
To find more videos of Zac, check out his YouTube channel here.
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