Mateus' Story

Mateus is our April 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).

Mateus, what inspired you to start your fitness journey? Tell us the backstory.

First, I was super skinny, so I started going to the gym. 

Unlike in Brazil, where I’m originally from, the gyms here in the United States don’t have a personal trainer that shows you how to get started, so I had to look up videos on the Internet and basically just followed bodybuilder routines.

After like 6 months of doing those, I didn’t change at all. Then the pandemic happened and I ended up gaining weight. 

I was still going to the gym, and I would kill myself trying to lift the heavy weights, but I wouldn’t see any changes; I got stuck. 

I went up to 263 pounds.

But one day, I remember I was looking at myself in the mirror and I was like, “OK, I’m really bad. I need to do something about it.” And so, I decided to give the Built With Science program a try. 

What results have you seen from the Built With Science program?

I didn’t track my weight in the beginning. But in the first month, when I was just taking progress pictures, I could already see from my face and my chest that my physique was changing.

And I think it was during the third month when my friends started asking me what I was doing. 

You know, asking questions like “Are you taking something?” because I was looking different. 

Also, I remember that I used to always have to make sure that my belly wasn’t sticking to my T-shirt. I’ve stopped doing that now. All these tiny changes have made me more confident. 

In fact, because of the confidence I’ve gained, I had the courage to talk to the person that I’m with right now without the fear that I would be rejected; that she was out of my league, and that I didn’t deserve her. We’ve been together for almost 2 years now, and she’s the love of my life. 

What do you love most about the BWS program?

The program gives you a path to follow. 

You know, before, I would go to the gym feeling stupid. And especially because I was overweight, I’d get self-conscious and discouraged to train because I thought people were looking at me and just saying, “Oh, he doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

So the program really helped me feel more confident about going to the gym and working out because I actually knew what I was doing. 

Another thing I love about the program is that everything is very easy to understand. The community is also very supportive — cheering me on and answering any questions I have. 

Before And After Pictures

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 Mateus, click the button below. You can change your life like Mateus 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 Mateus’ story!

Here’s Mateus’ Testimonial Video From Our Interview!