weight loss

Every once in a while I am so blown away by someone’s change that I have to share it. If you are at Hyde Park Gym, you know Tony. He’s the funny one, the sometimes quiet one, who knows everyone. He’s a giver by nature and in both his personal and professional life has taken it upon himself to help others.

A few years ago, he made it his goal to take care of himself and lose weight. He went from over 400 pounds down to 280. At this point, he was having great progress building up his strength to impressive levels.

He decided to rededicate his efforts toward weight loss, so we started him on remote training. We made him a food and workout plan, which he implemented entirely on his own. Following those guidelines, he lost over 15 pounds in the first month! I should note that Tony is exceptional at giving feedback and has great intuition about his body and workouts.

Tony Shares His Success Strategies

I asked him more questions:

KA: You’re already very accomplished in the gym, with a deadlift of 515. What made you want to switch toward the goal of fat loss? 

TS: That’s a tricky one to answer because there are a couple of reasons… training is a spiritual practice for me. I set my goals based on what I feel my spirit needs. If I need strength I get strong, if I need endurance then I do more conditioning, etc… I reached a point in my life where I felt as though I needed a complete transformation. I had developed and strengthened a lot of life and interpersonal skills but was struggling to grow beyond that. So I figured the best way to step out of my comfort zone for personal growth was to do it in the gym first.

But if you’re looking for a more surface level answer it’s because I was going through a breakup and needed a self esteem boost. (Note from Kathryn: I love the honesty here. Rededicating yourself to a workout plan or goal is a great way to get through tough times.)

KA: You clearly had a productive 1-2 months, with a 15 pound weight loss. What has been the most challenging part? 

Sticking to the diet and training program has actually been really easy and lots of fun.

The most challenging part has been allowing my ego to detach from the image of “powerlifter”. It’s been very humbling to work with lighter weights and higher reps… and the cardio. I thought I was in decent shape until you had me do cardio!

KA: What has been the most helpful part? What gave you the most tactical, useful advantage to getting your workouts and better food decisions? 

TS: The accountability. Since you’ve gone above and beyond to help me achieve my goals I feel waaaay more guilty about letting you down than letting myself down. Seriously though, knowing that I’m going to weigh in, take measurements, and report my diet and workouts back to you makes me second guess that second (sometimes third) piece of pie.

KA: What are you looking forward to from here?

TS: I’m really looking forward to the feeling of knowing I accomplished my goals in a healthy manner. I’ve set weight loss goals before that I was unable to reach on my own or that I met only because I was starving myself and overtraining.

I’m also looking forward to buying new clothes! Everything I own is getting pretty baggy and I no longer have to shop in the big & tall section. So many more options!!

Your Turn for Success

Kathryn here again: stay tuned for further updates about Tony’s progress. You know I can’t help but brag about my clients.

If you are ready to make a change, please message me here or email me at kathryn@kathrynalexander.com.