Last Updated on October 11, 2012.
TSMMA Marlboro Students Loses 92 Lbs Kickboxing
BY: TSMMA Marlboro
Ever since I could remember I have always been Big. Even when I was a child I was always heavier than the other kids and I was tormented for it growing up. I lacked the self confidence that one must possess in order to live a happy life. This lack of Confidence is what led me to continue to gain weight over the years until I reached my heaviest weight of 380 pounds. I would go from doctor to doctor and they all would say I needed to lose weight or I was going to be dead by the time I was 30. I tried on numerous occasions to get healthy but they all ended up failing after about a month. Finally, last February 2011, I said to myself that I was going to do it this time, no matter what. I went out the very next day and got a gym membership and started working out every day.
I dropped from 380 to 270 pounds and I was so proud of myself for all the work I put in. I was actually starting to like what I saw in the mirror but as quick as I lost it I started gaining even quicker. I became lazy and started to get bored of the same old gym routine. I stopped going to the gym and began eating even worse than I already was. I became extremely depressed and got back up to 300 pounds. I started to lose the little bit of confidence I gained and I felt that it was inevitable that I was going to be big forever.
Then, one day I met Joshu Rutherford and told him my story. He told me about how he teaches Kickboxing for Tiger Schulmann’s Mixed Martial Arts in Marlboro. He told me to come in for a class. I was skeptical about it at first because I was afraid of what people would think of me at the school. He reassured me of my doubts and told me to give him one class and if I did not think it was for me I did not have to commit to anything. I ended up agreeing and went to one of his classes. Not only was it the most intense workout I ever did in my life it was also a great deal of fun. Joshu Rutherford kept pushing me during that class and never let me give up. I signed up to train at the Marlboro school from that point forward. I started with Beginner classes and ended up doing Grappling as well as the Intermediate/Advanced Kickboxing Classes. No matter how frustrated I started to get and no matter how bad I wanted to give up over the course of my time there, Joshu Rutherford kept me motivated. He told me he believed in me even when I did not believe in myself. He guided me through my ups, downs, and plateaus with my weight and my training. He was always there if I needed to talk or needed a little extra help with my training techniques. He even helped me by writing out a daily meal guideline to help me get the full health experience.
I was 300 lbs. and had given up hope when I arrived at Tiger Schulmann’s Marlboro and with the guidance of Joshu Rutherford and all of the people who train at Tiger Schulmann’s Marlboro.Those people are like a family to me now. Now I am 208 pounds and I am happier than I ever have been before in my entire life. I am not only in the best shape of my life but I also have the Self Confidence, Determination, and Structure to live a happy and healthy life. I owe so much to Joshu Rutherford and Tiger Schulmann’s Marlboro because I can honestly say without them I would not be where I am today and for that I am truly grateful!
~Thomas Arminio