How this 37kg (81lbs) transformation ‘supercharged’ Isaac’s productivity and efficiency at work.

“I’m much more confident in everything I do. Not just aesthetically, but I’m much more comfortable going outside. I’m not shying away from physical activities anymore.”

Isaac no longer feels like he has to “cut himself off from the world” after losing 37kg (81lbs).

He said he used to shy away from leaving the house because of his weight and appearance.

And struggling with low blood pressure didn’t help matters.

But personal training has changed all this forever. It’s given him a real shift in confidence and energy.

Isaac can now get out with his friends to play squash no problem at all.

He’s even completing tough jobs at work to a higher standard that even his manager is noticing.

In this Q&A with his trainer, Isaac explains how he got in this shape one week at a time…

What motivated you to start personal training with Ultimate Performance, Isaac?

I think during the period after university, I gradually became more and more unhealthy. It wasn’t a rapid change in weight, but because I was sitting down a lot and had a very sedentary lifestyle in the office, my health started to deteriorate. It was getting to the stage where I was struggling to focus and I became inefficient at work. Everything seemed like a gruelling task. At that point, I realised I needed some kind of intervention. That’s why I decided to make a change. I had seen my boss get great results with Ultimate Performance, so I wanted to give it a try.

How were you feeling around that time? Did you find your confidence and happiness suffering?

Definitely. Everything just seemed difficult. I had less confidence because I knew I was going to struggle to get through the day. For example, when people asked me to do any kind of physical exercise like squash, I would say no because I knew I would struggle. I started cutting myself off from a lot of activities. That wasn’t good for my confidence or my health.

Let’s talk about the present. Since getting in shape, have your productivity and focus at work improved?

It’s much better. One of the best things is that as you lose weight and your stamina grows, you’re able to focus for longer. Your base energy levels rise. From that point, finding motivation and focus is a lot easier than it used to be. If you can focus for a longer period of time, you get the work done faster too. I’ve had better feedback from work so it’s an extremely positive cycle.

How would you rate your confidence now compared to before?

I’m much more confident in everything I do. Not just aesthetically, but I’m much more comfortable going outside. I’m not shying away from physical activities anymore and I love getting outdoors at the weekend. It’s been a huge change in my life. People are noticing too. I’ve had people say I look brighter and a lot more confident which is great. It’s great motivation to stick to your plan.

How has your transformation helped you manage your low blood pressure?

I’ve been managing my low blood pressure for the past few months through having a better diet, which has helped a lot. I’m a lot more conscious about what I’m eating and what kind of macronutrients and micronutrients I’m taking in. This allows me to tweak my diet a lot faster and easier than what I used to do in the past. I never really knew how to keep track of what I ate and manage my blood pressure. But I’m confident I can measure everything now. I’ve also noticed that keeping track of what I eat helps me detect any fluctuations or anomalies which are important to look out for.

While we’re on the topic of food and nutrition, what did your diet look like before working with your trainer? And how has it changed now?

My diet has changed quite significantly. I’ve had very obsessive habits in the past. I would typically stick to one type of diet, but it was very carb-heavy. It got to the stage where I was mostly eating carbs and nothing else. Since I started training with U.P. and began using the U.P. app to track all these nutrients, it became much clearer to me what the problem was. The app also helped gamify what I was eating in a day. I was trying to fit in different foods during the day to increase variety and meet my goals. It made it more interesting and clearer what I needed to do. Once you have that kind of goal set, it’s a lot easier to manage rather than guessing like I used to. I now eat three good meals per day, which has made my energy levels much more stable from when I wake up at 8am through to 8pm. It’s also made falling asleep and waking up much easier.

How do you feel about your physique now compared to a few months ago?

Honestly, I didn’t care about my physique before. I reached a point where it seemed pointless to work on my body. I had neglected it for such a long time that I just stopped caring. I entered a phase where I ignored it, even when my family said I looked unhealthy. I just ignored it completely, which made my situation even worse because as I became more unhealthy and overweight, I cared even less. As I started this journey and began tracking my body transformation, I started caring more about how I looked because I could see the progress. It felt great to hit certain milestones. When I look in the mirror now, I’m very happy with how I look. I feel proud of what I’ve achieved over the past few months.

Would you say this transformation has benefitted your mental health, Isaac?

Mentally, I would say there have been three key benefits. Firstly, my sleep cycle has improved significantly. Being able to go to sleep and wake up easily makes a huge difference in terms of my general attitude and mood. Secondly, everyday activities like going upstairs used to be such a hassle and drained my energy. It made me feel physically and mentally immobile. That has changed a lot now. Thirdly, my overall attitude has improved because my body can handle physical activities. I feel a lot more positive and active. This attitude extends beyond physical activities to everything I do.

What did you expect from your training program with Ultimate Performance? Have your results exceeded your expectations?

I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. I thought I would lose a little bit of weight, but I never imagined I would make this kind of progress. I was very surprised about how quickly I saw changes. Over the past two or three years, I had tried to lose weight following YouTube videos and online tutorials, but I quickly hit a plateau and gained it back after a month or two. Nothing really stuck with me for a long time. I thought if I could lose somewhere between 10 to 20kg, that would be good. I’ve now lost around 35kg which has surprised me!

What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned working with your trainer?

I’d say the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that, even with a very demanding job or unpredictable schedule, if you set aside a time slot or make rules for yourself, you can easily adhere to a good and healthy diet. Often, it’s more about making excuses than it being impossible to have a healthy lifestyle. The same goes for training and exercise. I never thought I had the time to train for half an hour in a day – definitely not one hour. But I now realise I’ve always had the time. I was just spending it inefficiently. You can always make time and you can always be much healthier than you imagine you can be.

Finally, a word on your trainer. How has he been throughout your transformation? And do you think you could have achieved these results without him?

Working with my trainer has helped me a lot. One of the biggest challenges with online trainers or digital programs is that it’s hard to motivate yourself. I needed that external guidance and structure. That helped me adhere to my routine, especially when I was feeling weaker. For example, there was a week where I was nonresponsive and not logging anything I was eating. I then received a call on WhatsApp asking why I wasn’t doing it. That focus on sticking to my schedule and making sure I was focused on my journey was very helpful.

The commitment my trainer gave me was also helpful because it felt like I wasn’t doing this by myself. It’s great if you can do everything on your own, but if someone can help you get back on track when you start to falter, it’s very beneficial. I’ve never been the type of person to push myself very hard. Even at work, I get my work done, but I don’t put myself in uncomfortable situations. That’s not the best personality to have when you’re trying to get healthier, fitter, and stronger. My trainer was helpful in that he would always try to increase the weight slightly or find more variations to challenge me.

If you’re looking for higher productivity, improved confidence, and energy that lasts all day, the world’s leading personal trainers can help you. Enquire now to start working with us.

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