Meet Ethan Zhao: Our January 2024 Winner
Ethan's Story
Ethan is our January 2024 Built With Science transformation winner, and we're thrilled to have had the chance to talk to him about his journey.
Here are the key snippets from our interview (note: lightly edited for length and clarity).
Ethan, what inspired you to start your fitness journey? Tell us the backstory.
I had always been a little bit overweight after high school.
So I tried to work out a bit in college by hiring a personal trainer — you know, just to get my gym routine started. After college, I followed his routine for a few years. Then I started working, and I was busy, plus traveled a lot.
Which meant that I just wasn’t really working out that much or diligently. And I wasn’t showing any results.
I guess the worst thing was COVID hit, which forced me to just sit all day, working, at home. I was also moving from Southern California to Seattle at the time. During the process, I unconsciously gained a lot of weight. Like, when I realized it, I’d already hit 200 pounds.
So that was maybe 35 pounds up from pre-COVID. And that gave me the push I needed to join the Built with Science program.
I mean, I’ve been watching Jeremy’s YouTube videos for years, and I really like the science-based bit of it all, so it honestly didn’t take much convincing.
How has your life changed since joining the BWS program?
The BWS program has really transformed me physically and mentally.
Like, I’m in a much better place mentally now than I was during COVID. At my lowest point, I was not interested in doing life at all. I wasn’t interested in making friends because I was new to the city. So, every day, I just did my job and went home. Rinse and repeat.
I was at home all day, basically. Plus, I was actually laid off from my job in November last year. And at that time, the only thing that kept me mentally sane was working out.
Your program really helped me to be strong mentally. Because I thought to myself, if I, as a person who’s not athletic at all, can do this, then what else, you know?
I may be able to do anything else I put my mind to. Overcome any obstacle in life.
So now, I’m way more social. I’ve made tons of friends, and I’m more confident now. I’m just in a much better place, socially, mentally, and professionally.
As for the physical bit: my gym had an InBody scan, so I did that.
It was only after starting the BWS program that I began seeing my weight and body fat percentage drop.
Beyond that, I could also visibly see how my body was changing through progress pictures, Even my friends started noticing — telling me, “Oh, you’ve been losing weight!”
What do you love most about the BWS program?
The videos.
So, you know, I have a super busy professional life, so sometimes I forget all the details. I often rewatch the demonstration videos and it’s very, very detailed. I’ll know what to do, the common mistakes to avoid, etc.
And that’s really helped me, as someone who’s not athletic at all, really build up my confidence to work out, trust the process, and not feel embarrassed trying a new work out.
I follow everything the BWS program says because I’m sure it’s the right way to do things.
Before And After Pictures
Other Highlights From The Interview
What would you say to someone on the fence about starting the Built With Science program?
You only live once. You just need to try it.
If you believe in science and are interested in a very science-based and detail-oriented program, this is the way to go. Also, I want to say that it’s not just about the program.
You need to have trust as well. In yourself and the program. Like, you need to be willing to put hours into it. I have friends who join so many different programs, but they only go to the gym once or twice a week.
That’s just not enough. You have to put in the hours. You need to be committed.
But yeah, I’d say that if you put in the work and trust the program, you’ll definitely see the results. As I did.
How You Can Be Next
Every month, we’ll choose a new winner who’ll get supplements and a US$1,000 cash prize. If you want a chance to win or join our program with 100,000+ science-based believers like Ethan, click the button below. You can change your life like Ethan did and inspire many others!
If you want a done-for-you science-based plan that’ll guide you every step of the way with both your nutrition and training, take my quiz to find out what program is best for you and your body below:
Click the button below to take my analysis quiz to discover the best program for you:
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Thanks for reading Ethan’s story!
