Ryan reinvents himself with 47kg weight loss, building a six-pack he thought was impossible

The most unexpected thing is having a six-pack. I've never had one before in my life. I never thought it was possible.

Ryan had put blood, sweat, and tears into losing weight for the best part of 20 years.

He’d tried lifting weights as a teenager, and more recently relied on cardio workouts and spin classes.

But nothing was working – no matter how hard he tried or whatever diet he followed.

It reached a point where Ryan had almost given up. At the age of 42, he weighed over 128kg (283lbs) and struggled to recognise himself anymore.

Closing in on 130kg, Ryan realised the time had come to put an end to his spiralling weight gain. But this time, following a blueprint that he knew would work.

Partnering with Ultimate Performance, his prayers were answered. Ryan lost a mind-blowing 47kg and dropped six jeans sizes; all thanks to the backing of his trainer, who took control of his training, diet, and day-to-day habits.

But the aesthetics only tell half the story...

Ryan’s life has changed dramatically. His blood pressure is healthy again, he feels proud in his body, and for the first time in his life, his abs are there for all to see.

In fact, personal training has been the best investment of his life, and it’s easy to see why.

Below, Ryan explains more about the personal training plan which worked wonders for him…

How did your training schedule look before joining U.P.?

I've tried lots of different things in the past. I had dumbbells as a teenager. I used to do push-ups and stuff at home. When I was at university there was a free weights gym, so I was a key-holder member, so I had to be in charge when I was at the gym, and I did lots of free weights then. But it was always off and on.

When I started working, I went to Virgin Active and did lots of body pump, spin classes and free weights and then stopped for a while. Then 10 years ago I was doing things like P90 and Insanity, all the home workouts, and then stopped again.

And then before getting married I was doing a powerlifting five-by-five program and then after getting married, stopped again and didn't really do anything for three years.

What kind of feedback have you had from other people after losing 47kg?

The first transformation period was a big change. I lost 20kg, maybe more, in that first phase. It made me feel great about myself, especially as I was getting feedback from other people as well.

I started in May, and I had a Zoom call with my family around my birthday in September. My brother-in-law asked what I'd been doing. He said he could tell the difference in my shoulders, chest, and face.

It was eye-opening to see how much can change in a short period of time.

It inspired me to keep going. There are some people at work that you only ever speak to on Teams meetings and after 10 months or a year of U.P.

I was in the office for a meeting. Somebody asked me what my name was because they didn't recognise me. I showed her a picture from before and said, 'that's the guy, you look completely different!'

I've had lots of good feedback from people. Even the window cleaner; he'd been travelling so he hadn't been for six months, and he said, 'wow, you've changed so much'.

It's inspired him to get healthier because he has diabetes. I've given the meal plan book to my manager so he could implement some changes to his lifestyle. He's started swimming now as well, so I have been an inspiration to people.

I didn't think it was achievable before, so it's good to see where you can get to.

What has been your biggest achievement during this journey at U.P.?

The most unexpected thing is having a six-pack because I've never had one before in my life. I never thought it possible. And having a 32-inch waist is something that I could only ever dream of.

I was buying 42-inch and 44-inch in the past. I would say those were my two biggest achievements.

Would you recommend U.P. to others who were contemplating embarking on their own fitness journey?

I would definitely recommend U.P.

I was reluctant to come in at first and then I was coming up with excuses in my mind. Was three times a week too much? Am I going to fit in? I was indecisive, but then my wife encouraged me to give it a try.

It's one of the best decisions I've ever made. My wife has signed up at the gym, I bought the book for my manager as well. I would encourage anyone to give it a try; stick with the program, take all the advice from your trainer, and you'll definitely see results.

Now I can look forward to a bright future!