Client Spotlight: David Lost 120lbs!
Down 50lbs...
...75lbs...
...100lbs...
...and onto 120lbs!
The Client:
David contacted me in 2022 for support and guidance in his journey to achieving a healthy weight. Over the years, David had gained some excess fat, and although he had always been active (exercise, Jiu Jitsu, etc.), it had gotten to a point where he wanted to take action. We met for an initial consultation, which told me a lot about David and his understanding of the situation.
He made it clear that he knew the process of losing this much weight would take significant time, energy, and commitment, and that he was more than ready to put in the effort. His realistic view of the work we had ahead was a breath of fresh air for me as a coach. Oftentimes, new clients with significant weight loss goals have impractical expectations of what those goals entail. They’ll think there’s a magic pill, or that working out once a week is enough to make a difference. I always respond that it took a significant amount of time to put on the weight, and it’ll take some time to reverse that effect.
There’s no way around it, losing a large amount of weight takes much effort and consistency. For most people it’s too much, but David has understood and committed to the process from the very beginning.
The Plan:
Our initial goal for David was to find tenable ways to increase his physical activity level and modify his diet just enough to start losing weight. To the activity goal, David committed to exercising four times per week, getting two workouts in with me and another two at a local kickboxing gym. To the dietary goal, we needed to lower his caloric intake and introduce healthier food options that he could maintain over time. To do this, we limited him to a maximum two meals per day, and discussed better take out options than the fast food he’d grown used to eating (Tokyo Joes, Chipotle, etc. instead of McDonalds & Taco Bell).
The whole idea was to create changes that could last over time, and all I cared about was him staying consistent with these new healthier behaviors. You’ll notice that none of this plan was very extreme. I didn’t tell him to workout six days a week and eat chicken breasts every meal. I just wanted some semblance of a healthier lifestyle and buy in. Keeping with this plan, fast forward six months and David had lost 50lbs. It doesn’t take a perfect plan, it just takes a plan that works for you and your lifestyle.
As he lost more weight and improved his fitness, I continually increased the intensity and volume of his workouts accordingly. Growing comfortable with healthier foods, we discussed a new nutrition plan. Once again, the goal was to make it tenable, not perfect. After some experimenting, we found a meal plan that David could stick with every week. It included one meal per day of protein-centric foods (steaks, chicken wings, protein powder, etc.) that kept him in a consistent caloric deficit. The weight continued coming off and we knew this was a winning recipe.
Fast forward another seven months and we hit another milestone: 100lbs of weight loss. This was by far and away the most I’d seen a client lose, and it was an emotional moment for the both of us. So much hard work and dedication had paid off, and the proof was in the pudding. Feeling more capable, like an animal David upped his exercise to five days per week by adding Jiu Jitsu back into his schedule. Monday I’d kick his ass, Tuesday was kickboxing, Wednesday Jiu Jitsu, Thursday another training session, and Friday he’d hit Jiu Jitsu again. To this day, David is incredibly committed to this regimen, continuing to shed pounds every week until we hit our final goal of 180lbs down.
The Progress:
In the two years we’ve worked together, David has lost an astonishing 123lbs. As a coach, what I want to highlight is that’s an average of about one pound of weight loss per week. To achieve massive success doesn’t happen overnight, and it takes consistent effort applied every single day. You don’t lose weight like this haphazardly. You need a plan that you can stick with, and then you need to execute on that plan over years.