One quiet March evening...

... an idea is formed. A plan is hatched. Several beers are consumed. Before and after. And it all seems like a jolly good idea.

I must admit that I'm not the first person you might think of when the words "Cover" and "Model" are put together. I'm 25 years old, 6'2, and with a 38 inch waist. I've done my research and it's quickly become apparent that there aren't many men's fitness magazines that sport covers featuring flabby guys. Probably wouldn't make for the best sales figures. So there's no chance that I, in my current state, would be fit to enter a competition to adorn the front of such a publication.

But I'm sick of being overweight and unfit. I'm tired of being the guy who won't take his top off at the beach, the guy who can't run around playing football without a crash team standing by. I want to be the bloke on the cover, complete with washboard abs and designer stubble trimmed to the exact millimetre.

Things came to a head when I saw a photo of myself looking like I'm about to keel over after a 5-a-side footie match. I decided I had to take matters into my own hands. I was already a member of a gym, £35 that I could ill afford being wasted each month - it turned out that you actually had to go and workout for the effects to show, simply paying the membership fee wasn't enough - so I vowed to put that £35 to work and get myself into shape. That was back in March, when I weighed an impressive 18 stone 10lb.

Now I'm down to 17 stone 5lbs, very nearly a stone and a half lighter. Which is a good start, but still with a long way to go. What I need is a challenge, a goal, something to aim for and work towards. Mens Health magazine is currently promoting it's Cover Model competition, and after a couple of beers I decided to enter. Closing date is July 2008 - about six weeks away. All I had to do was lose about another six stone of fat and add about three or four stone of lean, toned muscle. Pah, I was looking for a challenge!

Seriously though, I decided that this was something I could work towards. Not this year, but next. Which gives me about fifteen or sixteen months. Still an almost impossible task.

This blog is hopefully going to be the spur to ensure that I push myself as hard as I can to achieve my goal. I'm going to post photos on here each week, as well as regular updates on my stats, workouts and life in general. Anyone who wishes to help out with tips, encouragement or even just wads of cash, any help would be appreciated!

Maybe it can't be done - but hell, let's find out...