In November 2018, I got hit by a vehicle on my motorbike. I was hurled 10 feet in the air and suffered a concussion and breaks to my tibia and fibula, both of which were serious injuries in the lower part of my leg.
Following the accident, I woke up in hospital in severe pain with a metal rod placed in my leg to help it heal. Unable to put any pressure on my leg, I couldn’t walk and had to undergo physiotherapy for the next year to be able to return to a normal way of life.
Since I didn’t have mirrors in the house, it was the first time I looked at myself properly in the hospital. I weighed 269 pounds. Seeing myself like this motivated me to start my weight loss journey. Despite this, now one year on from my accident, I was still in pain having to take double the amount of medication to cope, but I was at least able to walk with aid. Rain or shine, I made sure I walked five miles every day. My weight began to go down and went to 255 pounds.
Previously, I ate a diet consisting of junk food like pizza and cakes. I decided to discipline myself and change to a more nutritious diet focusing on decreasing my calories, increasing my protein intake and getting my carbs from whole foods.
Being in a calorie deficit, I lost more weight, but plateaued at 233 pounds. Ironically, my daily five-mile walk ended at my local gym, so one day I decided to take my walk a few steps further to go in and sign up.
Despite not having the funds to afford a personal trainer, I worked out every day and copied the exercises of more practiced gym-goers, lifting weights and doing what I could while I was still physically limited.
I came across an inspiring Arnold Schwarzenegger speech stating that he worked out for five hours every day when he was 18-years-old. I thought if he can do that why can’t I train harder and do three hours a day? So I did. I worked out every day for three hours. My diet changed a little and I started the keto diet, with intermittent fasting from 9am to 5pm.
Then, ‘lockdown’ happened and I could no longer use the gym. Thankfully, my pain had reduced, so I started jogging. Determined not to let the lockdown affect my weight loss, I took a more aggressive approach: fasted for longer and cut out all bad food. I even took steps to quit jobs if it affected my weight loss and distanced myself from unsupportive relationships.
My weight at this time was 205 pounds. I began adding more ‘fun’ foods but only ate for a three-hour window every day. I did a combination of home workouts and walked seven to eight miles a day. By the time the lockdown lifted, I had lost over two more stone.
I started going to the gym again and every month my weight continued to decrease. Even with Christmas and my birthday, I continued my fasting regime and managed to enjoy food and lose weight at the same time.
To maintain my weight-loss during the second lockdown, I followed the diet of Canadian IFBB pro bodybuilder Greg Doucette and reached my lowest weight of 134 pounds.
Now, I’m searching for a job where I’m able to help others lose weight while reaching out to people who are in a similar situation to what I was in. My next goal is to earn enough money to train as a personal trainer.
My accident triggered a deep motivation to turn my life around, which I still have today. My recovery definitely exceeded many people’s expectations and I plan to keep getting stronger.
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