Bodybuilder Jeremy Payne is half the man he used to be. Literally.
The 6-foot senior weighed 330 pounds four years ago. He is now down to a slim 195 pounds.
Payne, who is competing in the Mr. Ball State competition Wednesday, credits his weight loss to bodybuilding and a strict diet.
"I think Socrates said, 'we should eat to live and not live to eat,'" Payne said. "How much sense does that make? I was living to eat before. Now it's not a priority."
Payne said slimming down has made his daily life a lot easier and given him confidence. He no longer has difficulty getting in and out of classroom desks.
"Now I just slide right out like anybody else," he said with a laugh. "I learned a lifestyle and learned that once you can control how your body looks and what goes into your body, you can control anything else."
Payne said he eats much more now than he did 140 pounds ago. The athletic-training major eats six times a day and devours 216 egg whites each week.
Payne maintains a strict diet, even calculating the ounces of chicken.
While he has removed most fatty, processed foods from his diet, he said he still can't avoid the temptations of his mom's delicious holiday cooking.
"I did cheat for Thanksgiving and Christmas," he said. "I can't miss my mom's food. I'd go crazy and probably shoot someone."
Payne competed in Mr. Ball State last year at 222 pounds and placed fifth. He said he wasn't worried about winning. He was just happy to be healthy and competing.
"I hadn't been 222 since high school," he said. "I didn't care about placing."
Things have changed this year though, and Payne said he hopes to earn first in his division.
But the drastic weight loss has left Payne with a slight disadvantage, he said. Payne said he worries about a small amount of extra skin left over from his big days. He will have to stretch more than most bodybuilders during his poses to conceal his flaw.
Despite his self-proclaimed flaw, his forearms are so taut, every artery and strain of muscle sticks out like he is prepped to give blood every minute of the day.
Also, being an athletic trainer for men's volleyball, football, soccer and men's and women's tennis has given Payne an advantage, he said. Payne said he has built up a large fan base of athletes and expects their support at the show.
Whether he wins or not, Payne said he plans on rewarding himself by spending the rest of the week eating Girl Scout cookies and dining out with his family.
He said he plans on finishing the week with an early morning trip to Concannon's Pastry Shop.
"Saturday I plan on getting a bavarian cream donut and an apple fritter. About 5 a.m., man. Fresh."
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