October 7th 2018 is the date that I decided to take accountability and actually do something with my weight loss for good.
At the time, I was skinny fat. 35 years old and weighing over 90kg. I didn’t know what my body fat percentage was at the time. But I would go on to lose 17kg of body fat from my frame over the following 6 months.
My goal was to shred away the fat and then build lean muscle onto my frame. I followed the process from Jeff Cavaliere from Athlean X based on the scientific approach, recovery, and exercise safety since I am getting more prone to injury with my age.
I can honestly say that the process so far has been a success.
At the 1-year transformation mark, I managed to weigh-in at 79.80kg. I had lost 17kg in body fat to 73.3kg. And then put on another 6.5kg in lean muscle over 6 months.
How was I able to lose the weight?
Diet and nutrition accounted for 80% of the results. I used a food tracking app and then focused on consuming items with low-calorie ingredients.
I also noticed that as I gained more lean muscle, I was able to become slightly more relaxed with the carbs and food that I consumed. When starting my fat loss initially, I would find that if I consumed the wrong thing slightly, that it would affect my fat and weight loss goals.
I trusted the process in the Athlean X program.
What would I have done differently?
I’ve recently started taking the supplements from Athlean X and I definitely feel the difference with my training intensity and recovery. Even though the supplements seem more expensive, they are actually helping me to achieve my fitness goals quicker.
I had been taking ON Protein, which is still great. But the experts know what they are talking about. Just do as they say, and don’t try to question their expertise or figure it out yourself. Bite the bullet and do it.
I also started the exercise programs in November. I also would have started it sooner.
In the first Athlean X program, there were TNTs. I bought them towards the end, but should have bought and done everything from the outset as I would have achieved superior results.
I was still happy as I lost 14kg and felt the most athletic since I was 23 years old.
What are some physical improvements that I’ve noticed?
One of the surprises that I had was that I ran 5km in 25 minutes, even though I have not been doing any training or conditioning for it.
I found that as I’ve become stronger and more powerful in my core, glutes, hamstrings, and quads, I can generate more power and run more efficiently.
I wasn’t even trying to run hard. But I was happy with the result.
The physical size has come on and it is noticeable. I actually get quite alot of compliments from people telling me that I am looking good, which is nice.
What’s next?
I plan to continue building lean muscle and ideally sit between 85-90kg. Once I am in that weight range, I plan to remain lean and to develop my athleticism.
I will continue to follow the Athlean X training programs and plan to do Beaxst and AX2. I may opt to do Max Size again or Breakout to continue developing lean muscle on my frame.
I have had to manage my expectations with my transformation goals.
The week that I am writing this, I am 81.1kg. I have been able to gain on average 1kg per month whilst I have been doing the Max Size program (although I had a few injuries in my knee, hamstring, and back which impacted my development).
To hit 85kg, it may be possible to achieve the weight goal in 6 months. Although 12 months is more realistic.
If I were to be more aggressive, I could aim to go above 90kg (90-100kg), but still maintain lean muscle and try to maintain less than 10% body fat year round.
And even though I am not built like professional bodybuilders or Instagram models, I am happy with my frame. I think most of all, I am happy with how I can develop size, but maintain good athletic ability.
Onwards and upwards.
