Towards the latter part of 2012 I made a real effort to get into shape and I successfully lost 11kg’s in 3 months and I have been doing a pretty good job of maintaining 85kg’s. So I thought I’d share a few tips on what I did.
Context
First let me give you some context. I’m 37, I weighed 96kg’s at the beginning of September and carried most of my weight around my mid section. I was not fit at all, despite frequenting the gym pushing weights.
Motivation
I have found it increasingly difficult to find clothing and do certain activities like running, skateboarding etc. I intend on surfing and while I never got round to it in 2012, I am determined to go learn how to surf in 2013. The thought of paddling out and jumping onto a surf board was all the motivation I needed.
Nutrition
In early 2012 I had stopped drinking fizzy cold drinks, I hardly ever drink alcohol but I have a ton of sugar in my tea, and have a few of those a day. I limited my juice intake to freshly squeezed juice, once a day, no more than one cup of tea or a cappuccino a day and increased my water intake a lot. I didn’t eat a set diet, but I did have a few small meals, higher in protein and always with complex carbohydrates, reducing my carb intake as the day went by, practically having no carbs in the evenings. I started every day with a fast releasing whey protein shake and ended it with a slow releasing protein shake before I went to bed. I took Branch Chain Amino Acids and Glutamine before training sessions. I don’t totally deprive myself, if I’m dying to have a piece of cake, I do, but a lot of self-control is required, especially over the holidays.
Training
I do a combination of free weight training and cardio. I would do a 45 minute weight training workout, followed by a 20 minute high paced walk at a steady incline. I trained my entire body in 2 workouts, by reducing the number of exercises per body part, but training 4 – 6 times time a week. I focused a lot on training my core, usually focusing on that area daily.
Results
I weigh in at 85kg’s, which is an 11kg loss, but the most significant observation is the decrease in my mid section, the loss of the obvious double chin and chubby cheeks, some new-found energy and comfort in my own skin. I can now wear denim at least 1 or 2 sizes smaller, find more variety of shirts in my size. I will confidently be able to do run Jozi or go surf this year. I get a lot of compliments and I’m quite surprised at just how quickly people have noticed. On the down side, I have to buy a new wardrobe, I feel smaller and not as strong (tough), people give me a hard time about how healthy I eat, how much I train and how disciplined I’m being, that boils down to jealousy, I think.
Moving forward
I intend on losing another 5kg’s as I feel this will really help me get rid of that last bit of facial and stomach fat. I intend on going surfing in June and want to be super fit, so I can totally focusing on catching waves, not my breath.