Skip to content

Instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

@iamtekeste
Forked from toddmotto/*.md
Created July 4, 2016 18:53
Show Gist options
  • Star 0 You must be signed in to star a gist
  • Fork 0 You must be signed in to fork a gist
  • Save iamtekeste/dfea023c988886c621f7946298715689 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
Save iamtekeste/dfea023c988886c621f7946298715689 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
How I lost 20kg/3stone/44lbs

Everytime I tweet about losing weight and posting images, a lot of people ask questions - so thought I'd write something decent down about what I've done so far and am currently working on.

12 months change:

Necessary changes

Step 1: Fixing your diet

My diet used to be so so bad, energy drinks, constant sugar intake. Kill that! I also used to order takeaways at least 2-3 times a week, because it was easy and the bigger you get the lazier you get from my experience.

Step 2: Get off your ass

Starting exercise was difficult, I'd attempted is an unknown number of times and got bored after a week or so. Try find someone you can exercise with and you'll keep each other motivated and push each other to go further. This still applies in running/cycling and weightlifting, whatever your goal is.

Step 3: Make time, then repeat Step 1 and 2

Don't make excuses about "not having time". 1 hour every few days is simple. It doesn't even have to be that long at all to see a huge difference.

Exercise decisions/targets

My initial weight loss was rapid, my weapon of choice was the bicycle, cycled 12miles every Monday and Wednesday, and about 18-28miles on a Saturday - I kept this up for a few months until I hit a fairly decent weight. Combined with fixing your diet, the weight literally falls off. I've since started using an indoor exercise bike, as England's weather is unpredictable and nobody likes cycling in a face full of cold rain.

Now I've hit a decent body fat percentage, I've switched to weight training to strengthen my core, upper and lower body. I do some high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which involves the indoor bike again. 15-25mins of 30-60secs of extremely difficult incline peddling, then 30-60secs of extremely lightweight peddling. You break a sweat super fast and it's great for fat loss. Right now I'm working mostly on diet maintenance and the weight lifting side of things, which I do 3-4 times a week for well over an hour.

Current eating habits

This will give someone an insight if you want to follow a similar path as mine.

Breakfast

No actual food, I used to eat porridge/some form of high fibre cereal, now I combine that with a protein shake.

  • Mix a packet of oats with semi-skimmed milk
  • Add a scoop of protein powder, and blend away

Lunch

Eating a bigger lunch always made me feel horrible, so I eat as the minimum to get through. Options:

  • Chicken wraps
  • Chicken sandwiches (brown bread)
  • Bacon/salad sandwiches (brown bread)

Dinner

On workout days, I eat a lot of decent carbs, proteins and fats, so don't start eating lettuce as your body will need the juice to burn.

  • Chicken with any sauce (red/white/cream based) (home made), brown rice
  • Pizza
  • Stir fry
  • Anything you know isn't super fattening, but have a decent meal

Non-workout days I tend to eat slightly lighter meals, simple pasta, chicken breast and potatoes perhaps, or a small pizza for example.

Snacks

Fruit and lots of water. I drink about 10 glasses a day.

There's no such thing as a cheat meal

We've all heard of "cheat meals", aka, that high fat/calorie takeaway/bad meal we all love that you're allowed "once a week". This was actually the thing that made it harder for me to get into a decent eating routine - so my advice is pretend it doesn't even exist. You're so focused on waiting for "cheat meal day" that you don't focus as much on the healthy eating side of things. Once you work out, feel burns, you get great pleasure eating decent food that doesn't make you bloated and feel terrible. If I even eat one meal that I used to get 2-3 times a week, I physically feel dreadful inside for the entire evening. If I want to eat out for dinner twice a week, just think about what you're ordering, and don't go stupid.

Good luck! Feel free to post comments below :)

Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment