It all started with a girl. Derek Noble, an Ohio native who moved to Fountain Hills at the age of nine, never paid much attention to his weight until he met that special someone.

The eldest sibling to three sisters and one brother; no one in the family was overweight.

“I started slowly gaining weight once I moved to Arizona,” Noble recalls.

By the time he was in eighth grade, he was at his highest weight: 215 pounds.

His parents, concerned for their son, took him to the family pediatrician who promptly warned Noble of a future riddled with diabetes and the possible loss of his feet.

He was required to monitor his glucose with daily finger pricks, yet Noble was not worried. His inspiration to change started when he met and immediately became interested in a girl who also attended Fountain Hills High School.

His Physical Education classes proved to be a challenge as he “couldn’t run at all.”

During one of the regular mile runs on the school track, the coach noted that he “stopped timing (Noble) after 14 minutes.”

This lit a small spark of desire to change; as Noble told that same coach he would accomplish the required single pull-up by the end of the year.

Around the beginning of his sophomore year, standing 5 feet 9 inches and weighing 190 pounds, and with his sights set firmly on the object of his affection, Noble stumbled upon an advertisement for Timothy Ferris’ book, The Four Hour Body.

He immediately bought three copies, memorized the complete diet, and set out to change his appearance.

“I taught myself how to grill,” Noble recalls, as the diet was high-protein and consisted mainly of chicken breast, tilapia and vegetables. He eliminated dairy and “all white foods.”

He was allowed one “cheat day” per week; on those days, Noble would indulge in otherwise forbidden foods such as deep-fried chicken tenders. More than anything, Noble craved a cold glass of milk.

Noble followed this plan with steadfast dedication for ten months and dropped down to 130 pounds.

Feeling almost too thin, Noble focused on the school’s weight training class to add weight as well as muscle.

His focus paid off; as people who never noticed him before began to stop him in the halls, commenting on his muscular physique.

Noble also was able to come through on his promise to his coach of performing one complete pull-up, however; he accomplished three.

The ultimate payoff came in the form of a young lady who asked Noble, “Can I feel your muscles?” He happily accepted, and at that moment, Noble recalls the feeling of “that was it, boom; immediately…”

To a kid who had lost weight, this was a new level of confidence and he wanted to push himself further than he had before.

Upon graduation in 2013, Noble continued his journey of transformation and would often challenge himself.

“As a personal challenge I would eat as much as possible,” he said.

The idea was to then lose the weight once more. “It was kind of a mental thing…” He brought his weight up to 200 pounds “by eating as much as possible,” then focused on bringing his weight down, which was “99 percent diet.”

While Noble spends the majority of his time in the gym, focusing mainly on lifting weights, he has utilized the knowledge and experience to help friends.

Noble proudly recollects helping out a fellow Fountain Hills High School friend who needed to pass the Air Force weight standards. This required serious dedication; as he coached his friend through a 19-day experience that resulted in a 26 pound weight loss.

His friend was admitted to the United States Air Force.

Noble’s most significant achievement was a recent win at an April NPC Thunderdome bodybuilding competition. He limited his foods to almonds, brown rice, chicken, no-fat Greek yogurt and no liquids except water. An excruciating regimen, Noble noted his extreme build was temporary, as the four percent body fat he achieved prior to the April competition was unhealthy as a long-term goal; “you start to get real foggy and your mind just…”

This regimen paid off. Noble, who was 170 pounds at the time, was awarded first place in the middleweight class.

“I was in tears,” Noble said, as he was presented with first prize. Noble has two more competitions this November but, beyond that, has none planned.

While he no longer limits himself to the diet outlined in The Four Hour Body, he continues to be mindful of nutrition and exercises regularly, noting that he works out seven days a week.

Girls and dating continue to be a factor in this 21-year-old’s motivation. When faced with a temptation such as sugar, Noble has a simple solution.

“I ask myself what do I want more? An extra spoonful of peanut butter versus…?”

While Noble’s “what do I want more” method works for him, he noted “there’s a million theories out there. It’s whatever works for you.”

Clearly, Noble has found the plan that works for him.