Chris Tarpos: Performance Inspired Nutrition Super Star

Chris Tarpos is, himself, an inspiration. The 25-year-old Toronto native has lost over 120 pounds in the past two years. That’s the weight of a whole person! He changed his life through diet, exercise and the right, positive mentality.

Over the course of those two years, Chris has learned a lot: about himself, about what it takes to lose weight and about choosing the right diet and role models to help you along the way. Read about Chris’ incredible journey (he’s seriously crushing it) and apply his wisdom to your own transformation, no matter what your goals are.

On Losing The Weight

“In the past two years, I have lost over 120 pounds,” Chris says. “Never once did I quit.”

For Chris, this determination led to a drastic life change, shedding a lot of weight but also reinventing himself as someone dedicated to his personal health and fitness. It’s never easy, though. Around every corner is the temptation to skip a day at the gym, indulge in one more slice of pizza or pick up a bad attitude. Depending on the seriousness of the derailment, you could effectively undo days, weeks, months or years of hard work.

“For me, the secret to losing weight is exercise and diet,” he says. “It is that simple.”

Simple, yes. But easy? Nothing about shedding 120 pounds of fat is easy. It takes hard work and dedication, but Chris powered through and is now closer than ever to his goal.

“While I still have another 40 more pounds to lose before my skin removal surgery next year,” he says, “I’m determined, now more than ever, to succeed.”

On His Nutrition

One of the pillars of Chris’ success has been his commitment to good nutrition throughout his fitness transformation. When you decide to make a change in your life and to lose what’s been holding you back, it’s easy to fall prey to diet plans and supplements that promise rapid results. But Chris new better than to be fooled by easy marketing claims.

“My one piece of advice to anyone who is looking to lose weight is to do it naturally,” Chris says. “Don’t cheat by drinking ‘shakes’ or taking diet pills. These are only quick and temporary fixes that won’t do you any good and will leave you disappointed or discouraged.”

Chris chose a healthier route, focusing on whole foods and complete, natural nutrition instead of a quick fix.

“I believe in eating whole foods and avoiding most carbs and sugars,” he says of his new and improved diet. “My diet consists of chicken, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits and water.”

It’s that simple. When Chris needs something to supplement his healthy diet, he turns to Performance Inspired Nutrition products. They’re all natural and won’t derail his hard work. Chris experiences sensitivity to gluten and dairy, plus mild celiac disease, so making sure his products were natural was paramount.

“I decided to buy some products from Performance Inspired,” he says. “Since I have a gluten allergy, a mild case of celiac disease and a dairy sensitivity, I had to make sure that the products were what they say they are – natural… I am so thankful that the Ripped Whey Protein by Performance inspired has been a great protein for me. I have also noticed a huge difference in using it for my weight loss journey.”

On His Inspiration

Performance Inspired has been a constant source of inspiration during his pursuit of fitness. In the company, he’s found a community that’s truly cared about his life, his health and his story.

“They were the only nutrition company who genuinely cared about what I had to say and cared about my weight loss journey,” Chris says, “whereas others just wanted to use me as a number and a follower.”

His greatest inspiration, however, has always been Performance Inspired partner Mark Wahlberg.

“A lot of people ask me who my motivation was during my weight loss journey,” Chris says. “I don’t know who the majority of people in the fitness industry are. The only person that I went to for inspiration was Mark Wahlberg.”

Chris found a hero in Wahlberg as young as age 13. He loved the 2005 crime thriller Four Brothers, which starred Wahlberg and was actually filmed down the street from his house in Toronto. From then on, Chris was a self-proclaimed “huge fan” of Wahlberg’s work and drew motivation from his successes.

“Every time he was featured in a new fitness magazine, I would make sure to pick up a copy and read up on different workouts that he would do.”

When Chris met Mark, the long-distance inspiration grew into an up close respect and gratitude. The two met very briefly in 2007, when Wahlberg was appearing on a live television show in Toronto called “Much On Demand,” from Bell Media, the company where Chris now works. When Mark co-hosted “Much On Demand,” Chris was only 15 and too young to be a part of the live studio audience. Not to be deterred from catching a glimpse of his hero, Chris got to the studio early and waited outside for Wahlberg to come out. His tenacity paid off when Mark signed a picture for Chris and the two took a photo together.

Chris came out again to meet Wahlberg at the soft launch party of the Toronto location of Wahlburgers, the restaurant Mark owns with his brothers. Chris appeared on the reality show of the same name. They met once more in 2016 at the Toronto International Film Festival at the premier of Wahlberg’s film Deepwater Horizon. Wearing a “Today I Can Do Anything” tee shirt, a motivational line of clothing that Wahlberg is partner in, Chris caught Mark’s attention.

“He looked directly at me and realized that I was wearing the TICDA tee shirt,” Chris recalls. “He smiled and waved.”

When Wahlberg got into his car and pulled off, Chris thought that was the end of their encounter. To his surprise, the car stopped and Wahlberg flagged Chris down, telling him to come over.

“I didn’t realize he was talking to me at first,” Chris says, “but then he yelled at me again to come over to him. As I ran over to his limo, he thanked me for being a fan and then gave me a tee shirt that said Performance Inspired. I thanked him and then he drove off.”

Chris had met his hero and, through the simple gift of a tee shirt, Wahlberg had reinforced his fitness ambitions and solidified his place as one of Chris’ main motivators.

“Obviously I was on Cloud Nine.”

Chris’ Best Advice

Two years of conscientious effort and 120 pounds shed is no small feat. A man with that kind of willpower, dedication, determination and positivity holds a lot of wisdom. And not just because he talks the talk, either. Chris Tarpos walks the walk. Before he embarked on his transformation, he was just a normal guy. Now, through all of this hard work, he’s become extraordinary.

Chris’ best advice when it comes to taking control of your health and fitness is to believe in yourself. “If you’re worried that you can’t lose weight,” he says, “just know that you can. If I could do this at the weight that I was, then you can too.”

Chris knows what it takes to persevere. Losing weight, gaining muscle, making strides in your health and fitness – none of it is easy. But your hard work, your time and your dedication are going to be worth it when you meet your goals. It’s up to you.

“If you’re willing to do the work, you can do anything,” he says. “Get a goal, get a plan and get up off your ass. Believe in yourself. Trust yourself. Don’t give up. Always remember to breathe in and breathe out.”

After two years of focusing on himself and his health, Chris is a different person than he was when he started. He’s a person that believes in himself and believes in a lifestyle that will help him reach his goals, inside and outside the gym.

“My name is Chris Tarpos, and I believe in health and fitness.”