Belly Off! Club:  

THE MEN'S HEALTH BELLY OFF! CLUB HAS HELPED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF men transform their bodies. What's more, these guys did it without the assistance of Hollywood celebrity trainers, convoluted exercise plans, or unrealistic diet regimens. Although each Belly Off! member has a different success story, most of them have realized that there's no secret formula for weight loss; they achieved their goals just by sticking to a few critical lessons they learned along the way. The concepts are simple—simple enough to follow for life. Read their stories, channel their inspiration, and then choose the strategies that work best for you. And for al the tools you need to be a Bell-Off All-Star, check out Belly-Off Pro on Men's Health Personal Trainer. There you’ll find the complete Belly-Off Workout Plan, and have access to our customizable nutrition program—which will help you create the best Belly-Off Diet for your goals, lifestyle, and preferences.

Belly Off! Lesson #1

Once the weight comes off, build muscle

KHOUREY ROYAL
AGE: 31
HEIGHT: 6'3"
LIVES IN: Charlottesville, VA
OCCUPATION: Fitness consultant
REACHED GOAL IN: 18 months
WEIGHT BEFORE: 420
WEIGHT AFTER: 211

YOU'D THINK THAT AFTER KHOUREY ROYAL dropped 200-plus pounds, he'd be satisfied. Nope. "I'm having too much fun in the gym," he says. "Now I'm looking for more muscle definition." That makes sense, since weight training kicked his loss into overdrive in the first place. "New challenges keep me hungry," he says.

Hungry in the figurative sense, of course. Royal grew up a chubby kid, with a dad who was bedridden with weight-related heart problems. He vowed not to end up like his father.

So he started to pay attention to what he ate. "I'd make sure my meals included lean meats, fruits or vegetables, and whole grains," he says. He walked until he could jog, and then jogged until he could run a 10-K race. But it wasn't until he hit the gym that Royal became focused on building muscle. "I have a good friend who introduced me to weights, and it changed my life," he says.

Royal changed his body, too: bigger chest, smaller waist, defined arms, trimmer legs. Now a typical week's program includes lunges, box jumps, and stepups for his lower body, along with curls, dumbbell kickbacks, and bench presses for his upper body. With lifting, Royal came to realize, you can control your weight and body shape—instead of letting them control you. "I've gained confidence along with the muscle," he says.

ROYAL'S JERK CHICKEN
Make a big batch on the weekend and eat well all week long. Royal uses thighs for the extra flavor and works the rub under the skin to help infuse the meat.

What you'll need

1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp ground allspice
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 lb skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs

How to make it

1. In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients except the chicken. Then dump the spice rub and the chicken into a resealable bag, shake to coat, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Heat a grill pan on medium and grill the chicken until it's cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes on each side. Serve it with brown rice, grilled vegetables, or a mixed-greens salad with sliced avocado and mango.

Belly Off! Lesson #2

Set a reachable goal... and then another

ADAM OUELLETTE
AGE: 34
HEIGHT: 5'10"
LIVES IN: Toronto, ON
OCCUPATION: Merchandising
REACHED GOAL IN: 11 months
WEIGHT BEFORE: 272
WEIGHT AFTER: 190

THERE WAS NO DRAMATIC EPIPHANY FOR Adam Ouellette, just a slow buildup of awareness as years of excuses piled on the pounds. "I always knew I needed to lose weight, but I never actually made the commitment," he says. "I told myself I didn't have any energy to work out—even though I knew my inactivity was causing my drop in energy."

The pounds piled on, and so did the complications. He'd call in sick from work and decline invitations to summer beach trips. Finally, Ouellette's doctor told him he'd have diabetes within 2 years. So for his fiancee, his future kids, and himself, he cut the bull and plunked down the registration fee for a 10-K.

"At first I would just pick a street corner and run to it. Then, the next time, I'd go for the next-farthest corner," he says. Coupled with a dumbbell workout three times a week, the running routine built Ouellette's endurance, boosted his strength, and began to knock back the numbers on the scale.

After he finished his first 10-K, he took up karate. "It holds me accountable. Plus, every workout is a new challenge." Ouellette's newfound energy has turned his pizza-and-TV weekends into time spent hiking, bike riding, and cooking. He's avoided a diabetes diagnosis. And the destination for his honeymoon? The sunny beaches of Jamaica.

ROCK THE 'BELLS
If you don't think your body is gym-ready just yet, pick up a set of dumbbells and do these exercises at home, as recommended by Belly Off! trainer David Jack.

Goblet squat
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed forward. Hold a dumbbell vertically against your chest with both hands, cupping the dumbbell head like a goblet. Squat deeply, keeping your knees out, back flat, chest up, and heels on the floor. Pause, and then push back to the starting position. Do 10 reps, using enough weight to make the last 2 reps challenging.

Half-kneeling single-arm shoulder press
Holding a dumbbell in your right hand, move your body into a half-kneeling position, with your right knee touching the floor and your left foot pointing forward. While maintaining a strong core and a stable posture, press the dumbbell up from your shoulder and over your head, keeping your biceps in line with your ear. Do 8 reps on each side.

Belly Off! Lesson #3

Share your success, keep off the pounds

ANDY HAYES
AGE: 26
HEIGHT: 6'2"
LIVES IN: Branson, MO
OCCUPATION: Fitness instructor
REACHED GOAL IN: 11 Months
WEIGHT BEFORE: 300
WEIGHT AFTER: 190

ANDY HAYES NEVER HAD A BIG APPETITE—until he had his tonsils removed as a high schooler. The chronic soreness in his throat vanished, and his eating marathon began. "My favorite after-school snack was three Wendy's bacon cheeseburgers, fries, a Frosty, and a soda," says Hayes. "Then I'd have dinner."

By his junior year, Hayes weighed 300 pounds. "I'd go watch my friends play sports and was just so jealous—I wanted to be like that," he says. "So I took the summer before my senior year to change my life."

He found a caretaker job at a resort where he could use the gym before and after work. Every day he'd run 2 miles in intervals (1-minute sprint, 2-minute rest, repeat). Along with his cardio, he alternated daily workouts between upper body (3 sets of lat pulldowns, bench presses, and shoulder presses) and lower body (3 sets of leg presses, squats, and lunges).

He ditched junk food and cooked simple meals, like turkey with steamed vegetables. To control cravings, he ate two servings of fruit a day. In less than a year, by age 17, his new lifestyle had shaved 100 pounds off his body.

Now Hayes makes the most of his athletic skills by helping others as a fitness instructor. "The key is doing something you love. If you make the gym a chore, you're more likely to fall off the wagon," he says.

TAP MORE MOTIVATION
Dropping pounds is tough—you need momentum to sustain a weight-loss journey. Steal the strategies that keep Hayes going strong, no matter what.

Develop a mantra
During a tough phase, Hayes jotted this down: "In your life up until this point, you have been one person. It is time to show the world who you can be." Find your own inspirational phrase and deploy it as needed.

Use your fears
Hayes's parents both developed cancer. He knew that if he didn't change his diet, his eating habits were likely to lead him to a similarly dire diagnosis. Your worries can propel you as effectively as your aspirations can.

Power through boredom
"Do lighter-weight reps at higher velocity. You'll develop fast-twitch muscle fibers to push you through strength plateaus. Squat jumps and explosive pushups are great for building power," Hayes says.

Belly Off! Lesson #4

Think health, not just weight

PHILIP WILSON
AGE: 34
HEIGHT: 5'11"
LIVES IN: Youngstown, OH
OCCUPATION: Logistics engineer
REACHED GOAL IN: 2 Years
WEIGHT BEFORE: 295
WEIGHT AFTER: 192

THINK LOSING 100 POUNDS IS A CHALLENGE? Try losing 100 pounds and quitting smoking at the same time, as Philip Wilson did. "I figured if I was going to improve my health, I needed to go all in," he says.

So Wilson started swapping bad habits for good ones. Instead of smoking during his morning commute, he ate a packet of sunflower seeds. Instead of snacking mindlessly in front of the TV after work, he did dumbbell lifts right in his living room. And instead of comforting himself with fast food, he went for long walks to clear his mind.

The more he changed, the easier the new lifestyle became. He stopped the knee-jerk visits to the drive-thru and started baking Cajun salmon at home. He stopped inhaling bags of chips and started cracking nuts to slow his snacking. Small changes gave Wilson the power to make larger transformations. He began a resistance-band strength training program at home and soon upgraded to pushups, squats, and cardio. Soreness and frustration quickly gave way to strength and confidence.

With the dangers of obesity and smoking thwarted, Wilson discovered other benefits. "I used to dread going to meetings at work because I was embarrassed about my weight and appearance. Now I've moved up the ladder because people see me as an achiever."

CRUSH YOUR CRAVINGS
Wilson's triumph over his unhealthy diet and his smoking habit wasn't superhuman. It's about rerouting brain circuitry to ease cravings, researchers say.

Use mind control
To stop thinking about that drive-thru, start thinking about going for a quiet run in the park. In a recent study in the journal Appetite, the intensity of people's food cravings declined when they imagined themselves engaging in their favorite activities. Cravings are based on mental imagery, so focusing your attention elsewhere reduces your desire to binge, according to the study. But it doesn't have to be a run—just conjure up something you find pleasant. So go ahead, let your mind wander to thoughts of Scarlett Johansson. Or better yet, immerse yourself in that fantasy of you out running with Scarlett Johansson.

Ready to make your own transformation? Sign up for Belly-Off Pro today!

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