How I lost 2 Stone in 100 days (My Transformation Journey)
Today we're diving into my personal fitness transformation journey, which will encompass my exercise schedule, diet, recovery and the challenges that came along with it.
I’m going to give a high level overview of my exercise schedule, my diet and recovery.
One thing that is important to understand is this: Calories in = calories out.
This is the formula that dictates your weight.
If you tip the balance in either direction, you will either gain weight or lose weight.
For example, if the amount of calories you ingest in is greater than your calorie expenditure, you’ll put on weight and vice versa.
Exercise
One of the key components of my fitness routine was a structured training program designed to optimize my results.
While the majority of my sessions focused on cardiovascular exercises, I also dedicated time to weightlifting in the gym. These weightlifting sessions were strategically conducted in a fasted state, aiming to maximize fat burning.
I trained about 4x per week doing fasted weightlifting sessions in the morning. The sessions would last about 45mins to an hour.
Typically consisting of a push, pull and legs split.
This aim of this was to try and maintain what muscle I could through progressive resistance training.
On the 4th session I would do 30 mins on the exercise bike and an abdominals workout.
The programme I made was highly structured and I stuck to it religiously.
The aim of the sessions would be to maintain as much muscle mass as I could whilst being in a calorie deficit.
The rest of my training was cardio focused.
I was in the Boxing team at University so that involved training two evenings a week - including fitness drills, bag and pad work, and of course, sparring.
The sessions would last about 1 and a half hours and would be by far the most gruelling sessions and probably burned the most calories of any type of training I’ve ever done.
I then played football 2-3 times a week.
5-a-side on Mondays - about 45 mins.
If anyones played it can get pretty intense, you’re always moving, subbing in and out too so it’s really good form of cardio.
I had football training on Wednesdays, approximately for 1 hour and matches on Saturdays, about an one and a half hours depending on whether I played the entire game or not.
On some days that I didn’t have football or it was called off because of the weather I would just go to the gym or do some cardio.
All in all it was around 9-10 very active sessions per week for a period of around 14 weeks.
Recovery
This was very important.
I was usually in bed by 10-11pm most nights unless I had social commitments.
Going to sleep was never an issue because I was just so exhausted.
Towards the end of my weight cut I did notice getting quite hungry before bed.
Sleep is vital for your body to recover from the onslaught of training every day.
I noticed on the nights where I slept late or went out with friends, I felt more tired the next day and it harms your performance if you’re already fatigued.
Late nights and social commitments can lead to increased hunger, we’ve all been there, craving a carby pizza at 2am at the end of a night out.
Sleep is critical - I’m writing a whole article on it, it’s coming soon.
Diet
This was the most important aspect, by far.
Self control was key.
There is no optimal diet that will help you lose weight.
It all boils down to reducing overall calorie intake.
Sufficient protein intake was important so I was having around 2 grams per kg of body weight or 1 gram per pound of body weight.
I started at around 88 kilos so to start I was aiming for around 180-190g of protein to start with.
Carbs were the hardest to cut out (because, well, pizza).
I didn’t cut them out completely because they’re an important fuel source but I decreased them over time.
I started on around 200g of carbs per day which was less than half my usual intake and I cut this down gradually as the weeks went on.
Fats were around 30% of my total macros per day.
It’s a common myth that eating fats will just make you fat.
It’s actually only the case if you eat too many calories overall.
Fats are essential for hormone production and regulation as well as vitamin absorption.
I was getting my unsaturated fats mainly from nuts and fish.
Ok so how did I get all this nutrition?
Did I spread it out across 8 meals per day?
No, that just doesn’t work, there is no science backing this to increase your metabolism and encourage weight loss.
My routine was simple.
I’d wake up.
Weigh myself then go to the gym.
I don’t normally like eating first thing in the morning but back then, I was pretty impartial to it.
Some mornings if I felt hungry, I just ate breakfast.
If I was’t hungry, I didn’t eat.
Before I started the regime I looked into intermitting fasting (IF) so I thought I’d try it. (Some of you have messeged me on Instagram asking about IF - I'll write an article on this, it's in the works).
It just made sense.
I’d have a black coffee mid morning followed by my first meal around 1-2pm.
Low carb, green vegetables and chicken mainly.
I’d do meal prep for pretty much most meals, usually grilled chicken, fish, lots of vegetables, low glycemic index whole foods and fruits.
Between this meal and dinner, I’d have a protein shake, a protein yoghurt, nuts and sometimes sugar-free jelly to help keep me full.
If this was a day where I was training twice, then I’d sometimes have another protein shake afterwards.
My meals were high in protein most of the time so they were quite satiating.
I’d avoid eating too late or too close before bed.
Even though its empty calories with little to no nutritional value, I didn’t cut alcohol completely but when I went for drinks with friends or social events I switched to sugar free or diet mixers.
So that’s the diet overview wrapped up, I will go into more depth about the science behind it in another article if you like, just let me know.
Ok so why was I doing this? What was the motivation?
Head over to my YouTube channel on Sunday and I'll be speaking about my motivations and the downside to it all.
Overall, throughout the period I learnt a lot about my self in terms of discipline.
I was meal prepping and kept track of my macros.
I was gymming, sparring and playing football up to 10 times a week in total.
I would take my recovery pretty seriously.
The progress I was making after the first month encouraged me to see it through.
It gave me the mental fortitude to continue.
Before we conclude this newsletter, I just want to add that embarking on a fitness journey is no easy task. I genuinely never believed I could achieve a figure like I did. It certainly wasn't easy but it can be one of the most rewarding endeavors you undertake.
This is because the transformations we experience can extend far beyond physical appearances.
More importantly, they manifest in our confidence, mental fortitude, and overall well-being.
If you're contemplating it, set goals, create a plan and ensure there are systems are in place for you to succeed.
Remember, proress may be gradual and setbacks may occur. Perseverance will be your greatest ally.
A quote from a great
Go and get it,
Z
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