Family man Geoffrey’s 42kg weight loss gives him a new life at 40

My clothes fit me well and it’s great that I like what I see in the mirror. But the most important thing is I feel better and other people are noticing

As Geoffrey hit 40, he realised he had some incredibly important decisions to make.

He’d never been so heavy in his entire life – and was now paying the price.

Geoffrey felt self-conscious, sluggish, and struggled to cope with the stress that came with his job.

So, when his 40th birthday came around, he took a step back and asked himself a few questions…

What do I want the next stage of my life to be like?

How do I want to be like for my children?

The more he thought about his future, the more he realised he needed to start paying attention to how he treated his body.

That quickly become his number one priority, and he partnered with Ultimate Performance to turn his life around.

Geoffrey is now proud to say he’s lost a life-changing 42kg.

His clothes fit better, he’s making better decision at work, and most importantly, he’s got peace of mind that he’s fit and healthy going into the second half of his life.

Read Geoffrey’s inspirational story, here…

So, Geoffrey, what was your motivation to start a personal training plan with Ultimate Performance?  

Growing up as a ‘bigger’ kid and being quite a big adult, I’d always divorced myself from my body. I didn’t think about it. I didn’t care how my body looked.

I was 39 years old and the heaviest I’d ever been. So, I decided it was time to tame this beast. Training with U.P. was an investment in me and my family’s future.

When I turned 40 a few months ago, I realised I’m around halfway through my life. I asked myself, “What do I want the next half of my life to be like? What do I want to be like for my kids? What do I want to be like for my family?”

So, it was an investment in the next 40 years, ensuring those years are as happy and healthy as they can be.  

Tell us how much better you feel about yourself, both mentally and physically, since working with Ultimate Performance.  

Throughout the past six months, I’ve learnt to develop a connection with my body. When we’re out there on the gym floor, my trainer tells me to keep my chest high.

At first, I was like, what the hell do you mean keep my chest high? I don’t understand. It’s just my chest, right? How do I engage with it? That feeling of engagement, just on a physiological level, has totally blown my mind. I didn’t realise how disconnected I was.  

On an emotional level, my job is incredibly stressful. Over the past six months, my ability to deal with work-related stress has improved dramatically. I can tell my body’s feeling stressed. I can tell I’m feeling stressed, and I know that if I get up and I move, or if I come in here and work for an hour, it’s going to make the rest of that day and the rest of that week that much easier.

I don’t know how I was surviving before I started this. I don’t know how I was able to get through a day considering how unhealthy I was.

It’s literally changed my life. Awesome.  

You said you were very self-critical about your appearance and weight before you partnered with your trainer? Would you say that has changed now? 

I still have moments where I’ll catch myself being very critical of myself in terms of how I look. For me, a lot of this has been unlearning those habits of self-criticism and self-flagellation about how I perceive my body.

Friends and family notice that it’s not just so much that my body looks different, but that my energy is different and how I present myself is different. So much of that is because I don’t have the appearance that I can use as an excuse. If people don’t want to talk to me or if I get a weird look, it’s not because I’ve got an extra 31kgon my body. I don’t enter every interaction with that in the back of my mind. It’s not something that I have to hide anymore. T

his lifestyle is something I want to keep up because I can’t go back to how I felt before.   

Have you received any comments from your friends and family?  

I have. My secretary at work approached me and said “what are you doing? Are you doing keto?” And I was like, “no, I’m not doing keto. I’m eating better. I am drinking a lot less and I’m going to the gym three times a week and working with my trainer.” 

When people ask, I say “I’m taking ‘me time’.” I’m taking time for myself in a way that I’ve never done since I’ve been a working adult. And I think what’s most exciting and fulfilling – having people not just notice that my body looks different, but that I seem different. I seem more confident. I seem happier. I seem a little less on edge all the time.  

I think that’s the hard work paying off in terms of creating that mind-body connection where everything is starting to work together in a much more harmonious way. So, great, my clothes fit better. It’s great that I like what I see in the mirror. But the most important thing is that as a person, I feel better and other people see it. 

What key lessons have you learned about losing weight whilst working with your trainer?  

It’s realising how much better I feel when I allow myself to be active and take that time for myself. You know, I remember when I started talking to my trainer about getting 10,000 steps in, and I was like, yeah, that’s not a big deal. Then I started looking at how many steps I was getting in a day, and I realised I was nowhere near that.  

Taking that extra time, whether it’s walking an extra metro stop, choosing to walk instead of drive, or hopping on a bike, have really complemented the additional activity I’m getting in the gym three times a week. So, keeping that in mind and being more active with my friends and family, that’s completely changed how we do things.  

It has also changed how I’ve felt about things. I’ve recognised that taking time for myself is not just something I should do, but something I have to do. It’s not being selfish or shirking responsibilities to take that time. If anything, it means that when I’m doing everything else, I’ll be much more present, productive, and better equipped to handle stress.

So, for every hour I spend taking care of myself through exercise or being more active, I’ll gain multiple hours back in my day because I’ll handle other stressful tasks more efficiently. I’ll also find more joy and satisfaction in spending time with friends and family. The lesson for me has been that taking time for yourself isn’t solely for yourself; it’s also for everyone around you, your future, and your overall well-being. I believe it’s something I’ll continue to be mindful about as I move forward. 

In terms of your diet, how helpful was your trainer in putting together a meal plan that you enjoyed? 

My trainer was incredibly helpful. He identified some of the things I needed to cut out and I knew exactly what I needed to do if I was to make progress. I wasn’t a heavy drinker before training here, I was more of a social drinker. But I was someone who had the habit of having a bottle of wine with dinner most nights. It was just part of the routine.

Cutting back on that, considering portion size, and being mindful of what I’m consuming has made a significant difference.

I’ve managed to adhere to the meal and nutritional plan while still enjoying dinners with friends and family. There are nights when we host guests, and we cook the same dishes we used to. I still dine at my favourite restaurants, but now I’m more aware of portion sizes and how I balance the rest of my day.  

Hitting your forties doesn’t spell the beginning of the end for your fitness. Give your health, confidence, and appearance the overhaul it deserves today with a U.P. personal trainer.  

Like these results? Send us your details in the form below to receive information about our programs