A former Mr USA bodybuilding champion has revealed the brutal cost of building the “perfect” body to then see his health spiral – as he gorged on burgers and pizza “every day”.
Nicholas Trigili was shocked when a doctor warned he could be “dead by 40”.
The international fitness star had spent 15 years honing his physique, having earned himself an International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation professional title card.
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But after years of constantly working out, eating massive amounts of food to bulk up and taking anabolic steroids, Nicholas saw his health fall apart.
By the age of 30, he weighed more than 360lbs, wore a 5XL shirt and size 48 trousers, and was battling severe sleep apnoea, high blood pressure, joint pain, exhaustion and a complete loss of sex drive.
After a humiliating clothing mishap and a full medical assessment, Nicholas got the terrifying wake-up call he so desperately needed.
“My doctor told me straight out that if I did not make changes right then, I was probably not going to live past 40,” said Nicholas who boasts over 507,000 Instagram (@realnicktrigili)
“There is no gentler way to hear this news and there shouldn’t be.
“When I won the Mr USA title, everything came to an end for me.
“Right after that show was my darkest moment because I felt completely lost.
“I hit the goal I had worked for my entire life, since I was just 15, and suddenly the structure that had organised my entire life just vanished.
“Fifteen years of extreme control over how my body looked flipped into no control at all.
“I began eating burgers and pizza every day.
“The moment I truly realised just how big I had become wasn’t at the doctor’s office.
“There was not a hospital moment and nobody called an ambulance – it happened on a night out.
“I was with my wife, Charlotte (39) and my best friend, wearing a 5XL shirt and size 48 pants, and they were both so tight on me that my friends were ripping on me about it all night.
“I had bought the biggest size I could find and it still hadn’t been big enough to fit me.
“That was the night I changed everything.”
Nicholas, now 39, was just 30 years old at the time.
The following morning, the former bodybuilder booked a doctor’s appointment to undergo blood tests and scans to find out what was happening inside his body.
He claims the A1c test – which measures blood sugar levels – was through the roof, and his kidney and liver markers were also badly affected.
Nicholas, from New Jersey, US, was already taking medication for blood pressure, cholesterol and his thyroid, alongside antidepressants, as well as taking Xanax for panic attacks and Adderall to stay awake at work as a personal trainer.
He said: “That is a full pharmacy for a 30-year-old who had been a national champion three years earlier.
“Nobody looking at me knew any of this, people just saw a big guy who used to be a pro.
“They had no idea that I needed a stimulant to make it through a workday and a benzodiazepine to come down at night.
“The weight was not the scary part; it was watching myself become a man who no longer recognised himself.”
It took Nicholas a year to transform his body and lose 135lbs.
He started by cutting out junk food, high-calorie restaurant meals and rebuilding his overall lifestyle and attitude towards health.
Nicholas’s routine included weekly cardio, weight training, and, most importantly, eating a whole-food diet.
Sadly, not every issue can be reversed.
Due to extended steroid abuse in his younger years, Nicholas has to remain on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for the rest of his life
Nicholas said: “Back when I was considered ‘fit’, I used every steroid on the market at one point or another.
“One of the lasting consequences of abusing my body was that it permanently shut down my natural testosterone production.
“I can’t have kids. Me and Charlotte were on the same page”
“My photos looked great but my body was suffering even when I was strong.”
Although he has to remain on TRT and uses a CPAP machine. Nicholas no longer takes blood pressure, cholesterol or thyroid medication, antidepressants, Xanax or Adderall.
He is sharing his story to highlight that anyone – regardless of their past or body type – can struggle with weight and health issues.
But the former bodybuilder, who now works as a performance and longevity coach, wants people to know that there is a way out.
He said: “One of my previous bodies was praised and won a trophy – but it cost me the chance to have children.
“The body that followed nearly cost me my life.
“Today I am the healthiest I have ever been and although I don’t look as muscular as I once did, I feel amazing.
“I have a strong body that will see me live my best life in decades to come – that’s the real trophy.”
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