My weight had increased to 240 pounds. "I'm fat. I can't let people see me like this," I said to my girlfriend.

Suddenly, it struck me that my weight and fitness had to become my priority again.

It was almost as if some sensible, responsible person stepped out of me. He said, "You're a sad, disgusting being."

My girlfriend Jess said, "Come on, you're not that bad."

But she was being an enabler. I was that bad.

I wanted to join the Navy SEALs.

I started preparing myself for the challenge. I found out that I had until I was thirty years old to make it.

I researched what was required to become a SEAL. I spent hours watching videos and researching BUDS -- the intense SEALs training course. I made getting into BUDS and becoming a SEAL my whole life.

I developed a punishing schedule of heavy compound movements, like squats to develop muscle, sprints, conditioning swimming and ultra-long runs. I could dead-lift 600 pounds. I ran 4 miles in under 32 minutes. Although real strength takes years to develop, cardio conditioning develops very quickly. I was building a lot of muscle. Actually, a lot of my calorie intake went toward that goal. Remember, the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism because muscle burns a lot more than fat.

Read to find out how I turned it all around.