blake
When my friend invited me to go wake-boarding with him, I was ready to give up. I couldn’t squeeze into any of the wetsuits for hire, and I couldn’t even stand up on the board. After a few attempts, I was absolutely exhausted. Until this point in my life, I had never tried a new sport or hobby before and failed! As a result, I was furious. My buddy had remarked when I was attempting to get into a wetsuit that they didn’t make wetsuits for chubby, short guys. It hadn’t really sunk in until then that I was rather fat. As a result, I decided to sign up for an Ultimate Performance gym in Amsterdam.
I had done some weight training in high school but hadn’t exercised for at least 5 years prior to starting my fitness journey. I frequently felt low energy, even if I had a good night’s sleep. I also observed that I was unable to run very fast at all, like, my legs would not move the correct way to execute a stride effectively. Although I desired to lose weight and live healthier, I just couldn’t seem to find the motivation.
The meals during the diet phase were designed around macronutrients, with a restriction on calories. I’d begin with eggs, avocado, vegetables, and beef or chicken for breakfast, varying the vegetable and egg form to keep it interesting. Omelets, scrambles, poached or fried eggs would be the foundation; then I’d add various veggies and some sort of protein and fat. For lunches, the meal preparation was critical. My wife and I started at the same time, so we would make our Sundays meal prep date together. We’d choose the meals for the following week, go grocery shopping together, and work as a team to make it as simple as possible. Dinners are generally a nice mix of high-quality protein like lean beef or white fish with roasted veggies. U.P.’s macro guidelines also include instructions for seasoning and marinading dishes that are within the macro requirements.
Three hour-long sessions per week are optimal for workouts. My trainer Aaron built programs for both my spouse and me based on our objectives and expectations. He had me doing a routine of two days of full-body exercises followed by an upper body workout on the next day, as one of my goals was to develop my chest and shoulders. Split squats were a particular exercise that I found difficult, but after a few weeks, I noticed definition and fat loss in my legs, as well as less difficulty with getting to work on time.
Aaron really assisted me in learning how to eat, train, and live healthy. Grocery shopping instructions, meal planning for both individual meals and weekly food prep, the significance of sleep habits and rest days, as well as correct training methods all combined for me and allowed me to start seeing results immediately. One item that stood out was how simple it is to put together nutritious, filling meals with only a little effort.
I dropped a total of 38.3 pounds and 15.5 percent body fat in just over 17 weeks! When my family came to see me in Dec. 2021, it had been over a year since I’d seen them. My parents met me at the airport, but they didn’t even recognize me; they just walked right by. Receiving praises from them and seeing how delighted they were with my change gave me a boost in self-esteem and made me very proud of the hard work I was putting into it, which has contributed to my confidence in many aspects of my life. My job performance has improved since I’ve been doing workouts; they’re also a fantastic method to rid myself of any aggravation that comes with being an adult.
My next goal is to improve my strength in all of my workouts, particularly squats, because I’ve always had trouble with them.
One thing I’d emphasize is the need for a competent trainer to get you started and motivated. Aaron has been crucial in my transformation, encouraging me to keep pushing and teaching me how on how to eat properly in order to lose weight, eat properly in order to maintain my weight, and eat appropriately in order to gain weight. He was demanding when necessary and patient when I needed it.
