Body transformation: how chubby, bullied teen became muscle model, beating depression on the way
- Timothy Skinner suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure as a teenager, and was pushed around and laughed at by his classmates
- Now he’s a fitness model and personal trainer, happy and at peace. Here’s how he did it
A common assumption about people who are in good shape is that it is probably genetic and that they have a been blessed with a metabolism that renders them immune to fluctuating weight.
Not for Timothy Skinner. He had to work hard for his shape.
And forget those stories in health magazines about getting a six-pack in six weeks – that’s not going to happen.
Try six years, a complete change in lifestyle and throw in a healthy dose of motivation, and you might get somewhere in the eight- to 10-pack region of Skinner, whose body-fat count mirrors that of an Olympic athlete.
While his name may not ring bells, you’ve probably seen his body: the 29-year-old Hong Kong fitness model and personal trainer has been snapped several times for adverts and magazine shoots. But when he shows images of his past, as a chubby teen who was bullied, it’s clear the path has been a long one.
“I started my transformation journey in high school, when I received news from my doctor that I had high blood pressure,” he recalls. “I was diabetic and every time I did even a mild form of exercise, I was winded. And this was at age 12.”