I decided to be less fat!

 

Sounds strange right? I’m a personal trainer, I lecture and moan to my clients constantly about eating, planning and a healthy lifestyle, but somehow id managed to let myself get sloppy and it was creeping on!

I think it was a few things in the last year, I got married (It was awesome), I moved to a new house (It’s awesome) I went on holidays and stags (they were awesome) and I just let myself get to a point of not really giving a s**t what I put in my mouth. I certainly wasn’t eating through being unhappy, but the complete opposite, that classic “comfort eating” that most of us usually creep into, aaargh.

I’ve consistently trained, never letting that dip off too much, but when it comes to food I’ve never prioritised it as much as I should! I always try to eat good meals, a variety of food sources and take the healthier option when I’m grabbing a bite. But I’m also I’m brilliant when it comes to a binge eating session, Chinese food, Yeah, I’ll eat ALL the chicken balls. Haribo’s, the whole bag with no issues and my general portion sizes had grown to mammoth plates.

About 8 weeks ago I came back from a fantastic stag do to Dusseldorf, I’ve never drank so much beer in my life, the weekends most used phrase was “16 MORE”. I came back and it suddenly kind of hit me, James you need to sort yourself out. I felt bloated and didn’t think I looked like I went to a gym let alone practically live in one.

So, with a renewed focus and a desire to not be the heaviest member of staff (Callum) I went about controlling my food intake. 6 weeks later sat here I’m 13lb down and my weight now starts with a 12, it feels awesome to be honest. There’s nothing complicated going on, no super scientific approach, no fasted cardio or HIIT training, contrary to popular belief these are NOT essential to lose fat! A simple calories in vs calories out approach is the key thing here, I keep a mental note of the calories I consume, I exercise 4 days per week and I haven’t sacrificed the things I enjoy most, they just fit into my daily allowance!

Weight loss is not complicated, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy, the mental aspect is so much more difficult than the actual food part. You do have to change your behaviours, for example, going out for a meal with a starter, main, desert and a few beers can’t really be a thing on top of your normal breakfast and lunch, so your social patterns may have to change, not stop, but change (Your social patterns are probably the biggest reason we get unhealthy in the first place). You also have to find ways around the cravings, things like diet drinks, small chocolate bars, sugary spreads on snacks all help massively to give yourself the sweet kick you crave while being responsible. I also believe you need daily goals, whether that be calorie intake as I prefer, an exercise move goal on a fitness watch, or if you want to go more in depth, trying to hit the perfect macro split for your ideal diet.. YOU NEED GOALS!

So, what’s the point in me telling you all this? I want you to succeed, I’d love it if you could read this and realise that everyone, and I mean everyone has times where their focus dips, it’s absolutely normal that if you have something big (good or bad) in your life then that takes priority, but nothing in life is permanent and when you’re ready, have a look at yourself, ask yourself what you want to achieve and make a plan of action to sort it out. If you don’t know how then ask for help, share your thoughts and ideas, and I promise you you’ll nail it!

 

Thanks for having a little read, I’m less fat and I’m loving it. #TEAMGYMFIT

JW