There are plenty of articles around by fitness experts on how to lose weight, but hearing how someone actually did it is far more inspiring. Over the past two years Emirati businessman Essa Al Ansari has lost 68kgs.
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The most impressive thing about his story is that he did it the right way and it’s working. For those of you who are struggling and need some motivation, here are the five main tools Essa used and contin- ues to use to maintain the amazing results:
Support
It was Essa’s twin brother who gave him the motivation to change his lifestyle and the support of his brother and family have helped him achieve his goals.
Essa also enlisted the help of a personal trainer, Sam from Pinnacle Performance. The main benefit of a trainer is that they will give you a fitness programme that suits you and your body to get the results you want.
At times, Sam had to adapt Essa’s programme when he reached plateaus and this is something many people aren’t aware of: something may work for a while, but your plan needs to be adapted. You are more likely to turn up if you have sessions booked (especially if you have paid in advance) and trainers are good motivators.
Diet & Exercise
You need a combination of both. Don’t become a slave to the gym simply so that you can eat more.
Essa ditched his old habits of eating junk food late into the evening and adopted an “eating clean” approach, high in protein, rather than “going on a diet”. Five snacks/small meals a day ensures that Essa is satisfied and that his energy levels are maintained. His exercise routine did the rest.
A combination of cardio and weight lifting twice a day, six days a week, is working for Essa, although this is a hefty workload, but he had a lot of weight to lose.
Routine & Discipline
This is essential, especially for maintenance. Essa is up jogging by 16:00, but ensures that he gets enough sleep by going to bed at 20.30. It’s vital that you find timings that suit you, but if you want long-term results, you need to make the time for exercise and stick with it. It soon becomes a normal part of your life.
No Quick Fixes
It’s taken Essa two years to get his results. To lose weight healthily and improve fitness takes time. Essa couldn’t even jog 1km when he started his journey and this needs to be factored in to your plan.
For Life
You will always be surrounded by temptation. Essa sticks to his healthy eating plan even when entertaining clients or watching friends and family eat whatever they want. But he has a cheat night, Thursday, a well-deserved evening off.
I’ve known many people successfully maintain their weight loss by working hard all week on diet and exercise, but relaxing at the weekend.
And so you see what some hard work and dedication can achieve. You can hear Essa talk about his journey by searching his name on Youtube and subscribing to Physique TV.
Josie is a health, fitness & lifestyle adviser & a Pilates & yoga instructor with 30+ years experience. http://www.bodysoulwell.com Follow me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Josie.McKenlay/ & Twitter https://twitter.com/JosieMcKenlay
