Paul’s Transformation

I’m not a fan of topless pics but I wanted to share this with you for a few reasons 

1 – If I can do it anyone can do it 

2 – What I did was simple but maybe not easy (at least not for me) 

3 – I ate dessert every single night and had a large slice of cake and a large cookie every weekend 

4 – I didn’t count calories 

I share my picture not to impress you but rather to impress upon you that if I can make a physical transformation like this then you can too. 

I’m not special, I don’t have good genetics and my metabolism is pretty damn slow. 

I also recognise that my transformation isn’t all that instagram worthy. But I consider it not too shabby considering I have two young children, a full diary of PT clients that keep me busy and my goal with my training is more around continuing to move well and simply feel good. Aesthetics for me have always been a by-product of training. I do think it’s important to look ‘’good enough’’ but it’s not everything. 

Those that follow my newsletter may know that every year a group of us do a 12 week challenge. Essentially we throw some money in a pot and take a starting picture. 12 weeks later we take another picture of the result and share it out to the masses. Best transformation wins the money. Through the journey there is always a fair share of both banter and camaraderie 

This year was a little different. The guys all had stuff on and no one could really commit to the 12 weeks. Rather than just simply writing it off, I decided to embark on the lonesome journey.  With no financial incentive and no banter I took one day by next and just stuck to the plan. 

My starting weight was 96kg. Honestly, it’s a little heavy for me. I am human and from time to time I let myself go. By the end of the transformation I was 83.6kg. Approximately twelve and a half kilos down. 

As with every transformation the weight loss is never linear. Some weeks I drop more, other weeks I drop nothing. I actually rarely even jump on the scales as I find them to be demotivating. All too often you can work your socks off training really hard and eating all the right things, then go jump on the scales for them to tell the opposite story. 

For me I have realised the two most important things with any transformation are 

1 – staying consistent 

2 – trust the process 

If I went by the numbers on the scales I would always be trying to change something as there were many weeks where it looked like nothing was achieved. 

My plan was simple but not easy…

I set a few key non-negotiable rules for myself. 

Rule 1 – Fasting 

My rules around fasting was no food before 11am and no food after 8pm. 

My day looks a little like this..  

5:40 wake up 

Get ready 

Drink a coffee – I added a little Raw Milk to my coffee 

Go to work and train clients 

My first proper break is typically around 2-3pm This is when I would eat my first meal. 

3:30 train myself (sometimes I would train fasted) 

6pm – Have a huge dinner. 

7:45 – Dessert

Fasting is a great way to simply consume less food. Personally I find that my first couple of weeks on a fasting regime suck. I LOVE FOOD and find that I miss the simple act of eating. After the first couple of weeks I start to get into a rhythm and it gets easier. The other thing I find with fasting is the more distracted you are the easier it is. If I have back to back clients my focus is on training them and not eating. I can honestly say that during the week I could get to 2-3pm without even being hungry. 

The weekends were a different story. I typically don’t work on the weekends, so I’m less distracted. With that said, my Saturday was my reward day. I waited until 11am and then made my way to Hapi for a large slice of cake and a cookie. 

If you’re wondering what I eat… 

The answer is 

Plenty of protein. Lots of steak, lamb, organ meats and some chicken and fish. My protein is based around fattier cuts as I find them to have far more nutritional density 

When it comes to carbs I personally favour a little more on the lower side of things. I ate mostly fruits as my sources of carbs. Lots of pumpkin, some cucumber, banana and berries. 

I find that pasta, potatoes, bread and grains in general don’t do me any favours. I get tired and sluggish. 

I also avoided alcohol for the 12 weeks. This wasn’t too hard as I didn’t have any major social occasions booked in that required a level of inebriation to socially function 😉 

Dessert was always the same. I had some natural yoghurt, mixed with bone broth protein and some berries. 

 Rule 2 – Prioritise Sleep 

I cannot stress the importance of sleep enough. There are a number of studies looking at poor sleep as a major contributor to weight gain. On a hormonal level Leptin and Ghrelin, two big players of appetite and fullness get completely dysregulated when you don’t have a good night’s sleep. 

I know that if I don’t sleep well, I’m hungry all day and no matter what I eat, I never feel full. So with that said, I made it a priority to be in bed before 10pm. On most nights it was closer to 9pm. I tracked my sleep metrics with my Oura ring to make sure I was getting it right. 

Rule 3 – Training 

I am not going to go into the details of my exact training plan but for me the focus was getting four workouts in a week. I mixed kettlebells with barbell lifts and stuck to the basics. 

My training is all about doing simple things savagely well. As I say to many of my clients ‘’be brilliant at the basics’’ 

If you spend all your time learning the tricks of the trade, you might not end up learning the trade. 

Or to quote the Buddhists.. 

In the beginner’s mind there are many choices, in the experts mind there are few 

Here is what I didn’t do…

I didn’t track my calories, As I said before, I LOVE FOOD far too much to make it a mathematical calculation. There is a time and place for this but it’s not something that I particularly like. I would much rather focus on the quality of food and enjoyment of it. 

 I didn’t do a shit load of cardio or train for hours and hours. I didn’t do a 12 week shred workout plan plucked from a magazine. I didn’t take Creatine or Tongkat Ali or any other ‘’so called’’ testosterone boosting supplements. 

Conclusion: Embrace the Journey

So, that’s my story—my transformation journey. It wasn’t about quick fixes, extreme diets, or a magical training plan. It was about finding a rhythm that worked for me, staying consistent, and trusting the process, even when the results weren’t immediately visible. There were no shortcuts, just a commitment to a few simple rules and the determination to stick with them.

I hope that by sharing this, you see that it’s not about perfection. It’s about progress and making choices that align with what you value—whether that’s feeling good, moving well, or simply knowing that you can push yourself to be a bit better each day.

If you take one thing away from my journey, let it be this: you don’t have to be perfect to make a change. You don’t have to give up dessert, turn into a calorie-counting machine, or become a fitness model. You just need to find your balance, stay consistent, and trust the process.

Whether you’re on your own transformation journey or just looking for a bit of motivation, remember: if I can do it, you can too. Take it one step at a time, be kind to yourself along the way, and celebrate every small win.

Thanks for reading, and here’s to making progress, whatever that looks like for you.