Daniel, 40, from Warrington in the United Kingdom, shares his weight loss journey.
I had gained weight over the last few years and, almost without me realizing, that continued into lockdown, fueled by lots of takeout. I bought a new suit for a meeting when things started to get back to normal; I had previously had to have pants taken in when I bought a suit, and I was shocked when the 38 inch pants were tight and they recommended a 40. So, I signed up for the transformation programme with Ultimate Performance at their Manchester gym.
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 that I was exercising sporadically. Mentally, I was a little demotivated. Through this process, I have come to understand how much my physical activity is linked to my personal wellbeing.
Ultimate Performance
During the transformation I had to prepare my own food in order to stick to the diet and that made me much more aware of what I was eating and the choices I was making. Once I started making progress, the diet was pretty easy to maintain: generally a source of protein with every meal and being aware that carbohydrates were fuel for my day or workouts.
I was initially weight training three days per 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 the most difficult at first, but the coaching advice around form, angles, and grip was really impactful. The number of sets and reps for each body part initially decreased, but my form was much improved and the overall program was much more balanced to improve my areas of weakness. Over time the volume then increased.
Ultimate Performance
While my muscle mass stayed pretty consistent, but I lost around 22 kgs (48 pounds) in body fat. I definitely feel more confident and energetic. My overall health is much better too; my blood pressure is much improved after losing that fat. I am comfortable with my weight now, and the plan moving forward is to maintain it and focus on some areas of weakness such as mobility and lower body strength to improve my overall rounded fitness.
The best advice I can give to anybody who is at the start of their own fitness journey is to get help from a good PT: the cost is far outweighed by the time and money saved by going off in the wrong direction. I initially looked at training with Ultimate Performance and decided to try lower cost solutions or attempt to do it myself, but I wasn’t getting the results I wanted and decided to make an investment in my health. I only wish I had done it sooner.
Ultimate Performance
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