A student who was bullied for his skinny frame decided to swap his social media habit for the gym to get physically and mentally strong.
At his lowest point Harvey Lindsay, 29, from Portsmouth, sunk into depression and often found himself scrolling social media for 10 hours a day.
The trainee journalist says he was sick of feeling worthless and claims he was bullied over his slight frame throughout school.
By 2012, he’d had enough of feeling low and decided to put his mind to focusing on his health and wellbeing after a “lightbulb” moment, when his GP suggested he needed a passion project.
Harvey says he made a start by researching the right food to eat and got a gym membership.
Channelling his energies into his health, he was stunned to see the results paying off – and says cutting back on his sad social media scrolling has helped lead to his impressive physique.
Now, the ripped lad has gained four stone in muscle since overhauling his lifestyle and says he “doesn’t waste a minute” of his day.
“This has now impacted my life as a whole,” the ripped lad told NeedToKnow.online.
“I take vitamins daily, have a high carb/protein diet, train 4/5 times a week and I have seen a lot of growth in my body, mental state and career.
“I think it all stems from pushing myself and never becoming stagnant. And that’s what the gym teaches you.
“You have to keep pushing yourself, you have to keep changing the routine and you cannot quit, because the only thing you’re quitting on is yourself.
“Now I can’t stand looking at my phone. I put it on airplane mode when I’m out because I just don’t want to be attached to it.
“I’m motivated by how I can make life better for myself and making sure I take action rather than just thinking about it.”
His motivations stem from years of ridicule over his size, starting back in school.
Harvey claims: “At school I was the skinny kid that everyone bullied. No one took me seriously. Every day I got called a weakling and a twig.
“The bullying got so bad that, at one stage, not a day went by without getting a punch or a kick.
Even after Harvey left the playground bullies behind, he got a job at 16 and still says he endured comments about his weight from colleagues.
He said: “The comments were mainly bantering about how I could get snapped in half. But they cut deep because I knew it was true.
“I was weak and skinny – and people comfortably expressed it to me.
“Within about six months of leaving school I became depressed. I didn’t want to carry on anymore and I couldn’t think of a way to make life better for myself.
“I completely withdrew from everyone and used to just sit at home on my phone for hours.
“I remember I was so shocked one time because Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat were open for like 10 hours non total.
“It got to a point where I’d close one app, open another, close it then open another.
“I was seeing other people doing the things I wish I was doing which made me feel worse about myself.”
But everything changed when he sought professional help for his mental health struggles in 2012.
Harvey said: “I felt so low and lost in that GP surgery but the doctor was so kind.
“She told me to look after myself and do something that will make me happy – and that’s when I said I’m going to start going to the gym.
“It will get me out the house and focused on something positive. And from that day I have been climbing mentally and physically.
“Before I started training, I didn’t have a clue about nutrition.
“I was always active, whether I’d be playing football or riding to school. I skipped breakfast and lunch and would have dinner with the family, which for me, just wasn’t enough calories.
“Now I eat around 3000 calories a day.
“People are shocked when I tell them, but I feel strong the next day and I think it’s what I need to do with a metabolism like mine for my weight to increase.”
“At the gym I made friends and I gradually started gaining weight and muscle. It was a process, but one of the best things I have done for myself and one I encourage others to do.
“It has kept me focused, given me confidence and kept me busy and active. I have an identity now. People treat me with respect and take me seriously.”
DIET BEFORE: Skipped breakfast and lunch, ate home cooked dinner with family.
DIET NOW:
BREAKFAST: Oats and blueberry’s with a sprinkle of cinnamon for breakfast.
LUNCH: Brown rice, half a chicken breast, two eggs for and veg.
DINNER: Same as lunch plus a whole pizza or a pie with half a tin of baked beans and cheese plus veg.
SNACKS: Half a tub of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream with brownies.
