Daniel, 40, from Warrington in the UK, shares his weight loss journey.
I had gained weight in recent years and, almost without realizing it, that continued into lockdown, fueled by a lot of takeout. I bought a new suit for a meeting when things started to return to normal; I had previously had to take my pants off when I bought a suit, and I was surprised when the 38-inch pants were tight and they recommended 40. So, I signed up for the transformation program with Maximum performance at his gym in Manchester.
I did some weight training when I was younger, but over the years injuries and inconsistency reduced the frequency and effectiveness of my workouts to the point where I worked out sporadically. Mentally, I was a bit unmotivated. Through this process, I have come to understand the extent to which my physical activity is related to my personal well-being.
During the transformation I had to prepare my own food to follow the diet and that made me much more aware of what I was eating and the decisions I was making. Once I started to make progress, the diet was pretty easy to stick to: usually a source of protein with every meal and being aware that carbs were the fuel for my day or my workouts.
Initially I did weight training three days a week and cardio two days. That increased to four days of weights and low-intensity cardio when needed to maintain my activity levels. I found the lower body exercises to be the most difficult at first, but the coach’s tips on form, angles and grip were really impressive. The number of sets and reps for each body part decreased initially, but my form improved a lot and the overall program was much more balanced to improve my weak areas. Over time, the volume increased.
Maximum performance
Although my muscle mass remained fairly constant, I lost about 48 pounds (22 kg) of body fat. I definitely feel more confident and energetic. My general health is also much better; my blood pressure has improved a lot after losing that fat. I’m comfortable with my weight now, and the plan moving forward is to maintain it and focus on a few areas of weakness, like mobility and lower body strength, to improve my overall fitness.
The best advice I can give to anyone at the beginning of their own fitness journey is to get help from a good physical therapist – the cost is more than offset by the time and money saved by going in the wrong direction. I initially looked at training with Ultimate Performance and decided to try lower cost solutions or try doing it myself, but I wasn’t getting the results I wanted and decided to make an investment in my health. I wish I had done it before.
Maximum performance
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