My 60th birthday was a milestone for me. I realized I’ve been aspiring to a certain physique since I was 16—so for about 44 years. I hadn’t made any serious attempts to reach it, though, and having another birthday made me reflect on whether this was my last opportunity to get into shape.

I had some health measures (cholesterol, BMI) that I wanted to bring down, too. Plus my amazing wife is a spin instructor who’s been in great shape for more than 15 years. I figured it was about time I caught up. So I joined Ultimate Performance Mayfair.

I’d tried to lose weight before. Throughout my 30s and 40s, I gradually gained weight, and for the last 12 years, my weight was typically between 215 and 233 pounds. A few years ago, I tried a keto diet as a weight-loss tool, and pretty quickly dropped to 185 pounds. I looked like a gaunt version of myself, with no real muscle definition. Then the pandemic came, and I gained all that weight back.

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I made a lot of “lazy” decisions around food. I’d eat what was convenient and tasted good, not really paying attention to whether it was healthy. I ate a lot of high-fat and carb-laden foods, in large quantities.

My trainer at UP built a nutrition plan for me, with the right blend of macros to support our goals, and the UP Transform app made it extremely easy to track how I was doing. We even talked about how to stick to the plan when it wasn’t simple, like with business trips and dinners out. I would stick as closely as possible to the calorie plan (if not daily, then on average over two or three days) and focus on good-quality foods that fit the macro split of grams and calories.

I started with a meal delivery plan, then, as I learned more and gained confidence, started making my own meals. I supplemented those with a whey protein shake and the only snack I had most days was a protein bar. Thanks to my meal plan, I rarely felt hungry between meals, so I didn’t feel the urge to snack.

Before I started, I wasn’t familiar with weight training at all. I’d defaulted to cardio training, figuring that was something even a novice could understand, at least at a basic level. I’d shied away from weight and resistance training because I didn’t know where to start. Having an expert teach me was a real help, especially in getting over my initial wariness. Pretty soon I was craving the next session.

At the start I was doing 3 full-body workouts at the gym a week and hitting 10,000 steps a day. After the first couple of months, my trainer added in an extra upper-body-focused gym day to complete on my own on the weekend. I kept that up even when I was away for a whole month in the middle of my transformation, alternating between two custom workouts that my trainer devised for me and loaded into the app.

I learned a lot about breathing cadences and focusing on the muscle you’re working during an exercise. With the right focus and form I could lift heavier weights easier than lifting lighter weights with poor focus and form.

I really had a multi-faceted approach, revamping my diet, starting serious weight training, and getting all my steps in throughout a day. Combine that with the one-on-one relationship I had with my trainer, and success becomes a whole lot easier.

In 27 weeks I lost 18.2 kg (40 pounds) and dropped from 25.5 to 10.9 percent body fat. I’ve been amazed at how much more speed and stamina I have. I’m bounding up escalators and hauling my golf bag over 18 holes without feeling winded. I associated that kind of improvement with cardio workout, but weight training that leaves you breathless really does the trick.

And I’ve finally stopped being down on myself for not being in the shape I wanted. I can try on clothes that I like. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment. I’m ready for the next stage, which is staying around this same weight but building more muscle. I know I’ve made a lot of progress, but I’m just getting started.