Want to find out how these changes were achieved? 👇

I know sometimes these before and after photos can be slightly triggering for people who have been struggling with a fat loss journey. And you might think when looking at this transformation that men are luckier than women for losing weight. But let me discuss all the reasons this huge progression has been nothing to do with luck and everything to do with absolute commitment to a change in lifestyle.

On the 1st January, Sam decided that he’d had enough of his shit diet, bad eating and drinking habits, sluggish lifestyle, and how he was looking and feeling everyday.

For a big change like this to happen, there needs to be a shift in your mindset and what you are willing to commit to, because healthier choices and routines are as much a mental test as they are physical. And for Sam it was finally deciding he had really had enough.

From that day, Sam said that he wanted me to help him get fit and healthy.

If you haven’t read my Fat Loss Guide yet, have a read of it, because we basically followed this to the letter.

In case you don’t know, Sam is my husband. He's had a personal trainer (moi) and a home gym available to him for years, but the change you make has to come as a clear decision from within.

The saying 'you can take a horse to water but you can’t make it drink' is 100% true with trying to help someone get fitter and healthier.

We started with a 9 day gut cleanse with intermittent fasting and a combination of supplements (details at the bottom). I do not recommend intermittent fasting to everyone, particularly if you are underweight, an athlete, a woman due on your period, pregnant, breastfeeding or have a history of disordered eating. 

However, Sam found within days that he actually had a lot more energy. All of the food he was eating, refined carbs, chocolate, alcohol, all give you a glucose spike and then you crash back down and feel tired after.

Interestingly, a 2022 study of intermittent fasting, with more than 100,000 people, showed that intermittent fasting was associated with a 9% increase in mood and an 18% increase in energy, compared with how they felt before they started these fasts. Participants also reported feeling less nervous and hungry. 

If you want to try fasting, I recommend time restricted eating (for example, 18:6 - fast for 18 hours (including when you are asleep) eat in a 6 hour window between noon and 6pm. And eat high protein, high fibre, nutrient dense meals and snacks). But if you have headaches or lightheadedness, stop! 

I have previously given on social media a 200 calorie deficit guideline, but it really depends on your current lifestyle. Sam’s diet was so bad that removing daily doses of chocolate, pastries, refined carbs, fizzy drinks and beer was a positive step. 

The meals I cook are always under 700 calories, high in protein and complex carbohydrates and fibrous. So Sam was actually feeling fuller for longer, compared to when he ate pastries or fast food as a grab and go meal.

A two egg omelette, for example, is only 160 calories and is really filling and takes less than 5 minutes to make. Faster than doing toast! I’ve timed it. :o) Far more nutritious as well. So we added quick and easy meals like this into his breakfast or lunch time diet.

Exercise

Sam started exercising EVERY single day. Starting with zone 2 cardio (fat burning cardio) which was walk/jog intervals on the treadmill. We did this particularly during the intermittent fasting period.

After the first 9 days (once the fasting was over) I started introducing weights into Sam’s workouts. This started off as 3 times a week and has since increased to 5 days a week. Lighter but high reps to begin with.

Now, as his strength and form have improved, we’ve progressed to heavier weights with lower reps and more sets, including kettlebell workouts for full body activation.

But he continues to do walk/run intervals 6 days a week. He has one day off a week with an active recovery where he takes the dogs for a walk.

Now let's talk about the other big hitters, which you will read about in my Fat Loss Guide, that have made huge differences.

NEAT - Non-Exercise Activities.

Sam used to spend a lot of time sat down, especially when he got back from work. He has easily increased his NEAT by 100%. Hoovering downstairs everyday, doing washing, walking the dogs, tidying (I never thought I would see the day 😜) But your Non-Exercise Activities is the second largest source for burning daily calories.

NEAT includes things like walking the dogs, cleaning windows, doing the gardening, hoovering, walking to work, taking the stairs instead of a lift, parking further away from the shop.

Increase these and you can increase the calories you burn every day exponentially.

Cutting alcohol

Sam has probably drunk four times since 31 December. Before he drank beer or wine everyday. A habit that he, and I’m guessing many others, got into since lockdown. Alcohol is full of empty calories and most alcoholic drinks are highly calorific!

But it’s not just the alcohol. What do you want to do during and after you have drunk alcohol? Eat crap, snack on crisps, eat processed carbs. It’s a catalyst for all of the other bad habits.

Cutting alcohol made it much easier to commit to and continue all of the new good habits. It’s easier to get up and do a workout when you don’t feel groggy or tired from alcohol.

Your sleep improves if you don’t drink alcohol. And when you’re tired it is scientifically proven that you are more likely to snack and eat less healthy.

Getting better quality sleep improved Sam’s energy levels.

Cutting refined carbohydrates.

During the whole of January he didn’t have any chocolate, cake, crisps, white bread, processed meat, like sausages and bacon, no chicken nuggets or fries, even when he took the kids to McDonald’s. 😮

In February he has continued with the daily effort of not eating any processed junk, except on special occasions like birthdays or meals with friends when he has dessert.

This is a hard one to master for a lot of people, but Sam has learnt to replace old bad habits with new improved ones. Instead of having chocolate after lunch and dinner he has a cup of tea. Instead of snacking on crisps he snacks on nuts or a boiled egg sprinkled with salt.

Portion control

Sam had a habit, like a lot of us, of eating until he was stuffed. You don’t need to eat until you are stuffed, it’s actually overeating. Unless you are very active these extra calories will be stored as fat, even if it’s a bowl of fruit you ate as your sweet treat. 

Controlling stress

Lastly it was finding better ways to control stress. Having a drink at the end of the day or comfort eating from stress is fully ingrained in most of us. But finding a new way to deal with daily stress is what has also helped Sam.

For him, exercise has been a big help. Again something else that is scientifically proven to be a stress buster because it releases natural endorphins. Running and walking is also a form of meditation because you focus on your breathing. Even better if you walk outside in the fresh air.

Body type

Sam’s body type is a mesomorph - a muscular and moderate frame. He can put on weight easily but can also lose weight and gain muscle fairly easily. Muscle is a huge fat burner and therefore extremely helpful in order to help you lose weight and improve your body composition.

Calorie deficit

Another reason for the drastic fat loss is that Sam was probably consuming easily double the amount of recommended daily calories and it was mostly highly processed food and drinks. Cutting your calories from around 4000 calories a day to 2000 calories a day is going to give you that massive fat loss. If we include the extra calories he burns through exercise and increased NEAT he was probably down to 1600 calories a day. A deficit of 2400 calories is going to make a huge impact.

Now he has lost the bulk of the weight and his daily calories are consistently the same, the fat loss will slow down. So in two months from now this side shot won’t be quite so noticeable.

What we will work more towards now is increasing muscle mass, improving his body composition (aka shape) and increasing his fitness.

Goals

I know I’ve focused a lot on fat loss from the photos, but although losing weight was a goal, the biggest goals were also; challenging himself to see if he actually could stay committed (because he has tried before), making significant improvements to his health, feeling more energised, being able to run for longer, lift heavier, feeling fitter and not be completely out of puff when running up the stairs or doing my workouts. And he has ticked off all of these goals.

So now for some new ones. Becoming fit enough to take part in an endurance challenge? Run a 10k. Try Hyrox maybe?

It’s so important to give yourself goals to keep yourself on track and not get distracted from what you set out to achieve.

Work with me

If you are interested in working with me to see how we can make changes in your life too. Get in touch.

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