"I thought it would be so difficult, but it's not when you set up your life in the right way "
I am an architect, 38 years old. In the last six months, I’ve lost 30 kilos. I’ve lost almost 18% body fat, my heart rate has gone down to 70 beats per minute resting to 50. I feel way healthier and better. So it’s been a complete transformation for me.
I got this watch and saw how high my heart rate is on this monitor and it was up at 70. When I looked online, I did a little research just looking at it, the maximum should be for someone my age, late-30s, is around 60. So I was over, now I’ve gone way down around 50, so my resting heart rate now almost every day is around 50.
So that was probably the most important thing, this idea that my whole body is healthier.
I’ve been through a training program once before but not to this level. Then I stopped when I started my new job here in Hong Kong. We had a kid together, and my weight just slowly started going up, and up, and up every year. After COVID especially, I had ballooned a bit and I felt like, “I have to do something differently.”
It was super convenient for me, because I work upstairs, I pass by every day and look in and I was like, “Okay, I have no excuse, I’ve got to make this work and I know I can do it.”
For the transformation that I had, I thought it would be so difficult, but it’s not when you set up your life in the right way, or you find the right way to fit it in.
I think one of the most important things was thinking about meal planning differently. I think when I did meal planning before, it was always more complicated. It was either super complicated or a bit vague.
And so I think what was good is that Ivan made it a very kind of simple equation that I didn’t have to really think about.
It was specific enough that I didn’t really have questions, and flexible enough that I could get enough variety into the meal plan without going crazy.
Over time I realized, “Oh, this is how much I’m supposed to be eating, and this is what… It’s okay to have some of these things, just in moderation.” I learned how to think about it in a way that’s more constructive and useful. I found the adjustment of changing my diet from all of my favorite things to just a certain subset of my favorite things worked out well.
"It's not only about looking better and fitting in my clothes better, which is great, but also that feeling I'm extending my lifE"
The other thing I’ve changed in order for this to be self sustaining, I just got into the habit of daily exercise. I started out with the rowing machine, I have an exercise bike now as well and so I figured out a way just to fit in a quick 20 minutes, 25 minutes in the morning and the evening, sort of to unwind or get my day going.
That’s also been something that’s kind of easier to integrate than I imagined at the beginning, and something that I can foresee myself doing now for the rest of my life. It’s just a part of my daily routine.
It’s something that I’ve learned to fit in well and my family has also adjusted around. So having my meals prepped, and eating in instead of going out everyday for lunch. Waking up, exercising and getting sort of supplements and getting my energy up right at the beginning of the day with the right foods, and ending the day with a bit of exercise also.
I think this is something that it’s not only having to integrate it into my life, but it’s something that actually makes you feel better every day? It’s not about fitting it in, it’s sort of about a bonus that I’m able to give myself, like going to yoga or doing something that’s for your body, it’s not like some burden that you have to integrate in. I think that’s also important to say.
"It's not about having to integrate it into my life, but it's something that actually makes you feel better every day. It's not about fitting it in, it's about a bonus that I'm able to give myself, like going to yoga. It's not some burden that you have to integrate.."
It’s important to mention off the bat about my family , they’ve supported me completely in this. I think it’s something where, especially as I have a young daughter, she’s four, she’s seeing how I eat healthier now. She’s telling me, “Oh, you’ve got to eat more veggies.” Or, “Look how many veggies I ate, I’m strong now.”
My wife doing the meal prep now not only for me, but she’s cooking for herself, and my daughter also learned a lot about nutrition and what’s healthy, what’s not. So she’s very aware. She’s very good also at lecturing me about, “Oh no, you’ve got to finish all your vegetables, and make sure you eat enough meat. Mama, did he have enough meat today?” Those type of questions. So she’s good, she’s like a second little coach at home. She seems to be on the path.
My wife she’s a chef, so she’s able to cook everything for me, and so I’m very spoiled in that way. But it’s been the whole family getting involved, which is great. As much as I’ve done worked hard, she’s done as much preparing all my meals, planning all my meals. Of course, with Ivan helping me with everything along the way.
Now we’re able to do more outdoor things. I feel less self-conscious about certain things, going to the beach and that sort of stuff, but I would say what’s good is that we go on more walks together, we do more stuff outdoors together.
It’s something that I’ve learned to fit in well and my family has also adjusted around. So having my meals prepped, and eating in instead of going out everyday for lunch. Waking up, exercising and getting my supplements and getting my energy up right at the beginning of the day with the right foods, and ending the day with a bit of exercise also.
It’s not about having to integrate it into my life, but it’s something that actually makes you feel better every day. It’s not about fitting it in, it’s about a bonus that I’m able to give myself, like going to yoga. It’s not some burden that you have to integrate.
When John started his weight was at 123.5, and then the latest record yesterday was 93.3, yeah. And that’s more than 30 kilograms actually.
In terms of the body fat percentage, if I remember correctly it was 33%, and then yesterday after all the calculations, it was 14.5.% So that is 18% body fat loss.
I am so proud, honestly. I am so surprised to be honest, with how much your tenacity and your stick-to-itness. Everything I ask you, you not only deliver but you do more. More cardio, more adherence, everything, and you just follow the plan.
You embraced the changes, and I could feel that around you. Whenever you come in the gym, when you walk in the door, I’m so happy to see you as well because of that. You see changes and you’re happy about the changes. Everything’s just positive reinforcement.
Absolutely. Maybe even more than helping in my family life. I feel like it gives me a nice energy or feeling to the beginning of the day in the office. I mean, together with my workout routine, what I’ve also changed is my working hours upstairs, and so I feel like I’m able to do more in less time when I come in with the sort of energy that I have in the mornings. So even though we start at 9:00, I get in around 10:30 or so to the office, which is a little bit later than before, I’m still able to get more done before lunch when I have this routine, as opposed to dragging myself in every day and sitting down in my chair and like, “Okay, now where’s my coffee break.”
Right. And so that’s what I mean also, by it’s a pleasure to come in here, because I know it just makes you feel better and brings a lot to just my day-to-day working experience, and energy levels, those kind of stuff.
I’ve even had it where colleagues your didn’t recognize me. We have multiple offices across the world, and so some people coming from overseas haven’t been back for a while, because traveling is so hard, especially to Hong Kong.
I was like “Hey, Sylvia.” She’s like, “Is that John?” And they’re like, “Yeah, yeah.” And she’s like, “Oh my God.” And yeah, even though she knew me when I was skinnier, when I first started at the office, she just didn’t recognize me. She couldn’t put it together, because I looked so different and so that was nice. She was like, “Oh my God, you look amazing.”
Absolutely. Maybe even more than helping in my family life. I feel like it gives me a nice energy or feeling to the beginning of the day in the office. I mean, together with my workout routine, what I’ve also changed is my working hours upstairs, and so I feel like I’m able to do more in less time when I come in with the sort of energy that I have in the mornings. So even though we start at 9:00, I get in around 10:30 or so to the office, which is a little bit later than before, I’m still able to get more done before lunch when I have this routine, as opposed to dragging myself in every day and sitting down in my chair and like, “Okay, now where’s my coffee break.”
Right. And so that’s what I mean also, by it’s a pleasure to come in here, because I know it just makes you feel better and brings a lot to just my day-to-day working experience, and energy levels, those kind of stuff.
I’ve even had it where colleagues your didn’t recognize me. We have multiple offices across the world, and so some people coming from overseas haven’t been back for a while, because traveling is so hard, especially to Hong Kong.
I was like “Hey, Sylvia.” She’s like, “Is that John?” And they’re like, “Yeah, yeah.” And she’s like, “Oh my God.” And yeah, even though she knew me when I was skinnier, when I first started at the office, she just didn’t recognize me. She couldn’t put it together, because I looked so different and so that was nice. She was like, “Oh my God, you look amazing.”
Absolutely. I think I’ve also had an influence on my wife who sees me being more committed to going to the gym, more disciplined in terms of what I’m eating. I can see that she is also increasing her exercise as well, going for walks after dinner on a daily basis. I like to think that what I’m doing also has an influence on the people that I love.
*Results will vary from individual to individual
**Results are based on each client’s circumstances.
