A 55-year-old says he wants to inspire other people after lost more than 15kg in weight through weightlifting and regular exercise.
Ajit Taunque, had struggled to achieve the toned and strong physique he desired, despite an athletic background in martial arts and spending three or four hours a week working out in his home gym.
Weighing 90kg at his heaviest, at one point, Ajit felt like he would never visually see the kind of results he felt his efforts warranted.
However, in a last-ditch attempt, Ajit approached Ultimate Performance and signed up for a programme at their gym.
Over the next five months, Ajit embarked on an intensive training regime, lifting weights three times a week, adopting a protein-heavy diet, and walking at least 15,000 steps a day.
Ajit lost more than 15kg and reducing his bodyfat from 26% to just 9%.
He said: “I’ve been training, on and off, for the last 10-15 years or so. I had a gym set up at home and I was training about three times a week. And I was quite mindful of what I was eating, and I was tracking my daily calories on MyFitnessPal.
"So, I felt as if I was putting the time and effort in, but there was quite a bit of guesswork involved in what I was doing, and I was just not seeing the results. And it wasn’t for lack of effort. I subscribed and listened to fitness podcasts left, right, and centre, and I’d paid for online programmes, but I just wasn’t seeing the results.
“One of the podcasts I’d listened to recommended reverse dieting, which is where you increase your daily calories to something like 3,000 a day, so you can lift heavier weights.
And there were times I felt I was getting stronger, but I was actually gaining fat, especially around the midriff.
“So, in terms of my body composition, sometimes I felt as if I was getting stronger – which was a good feeling - but the overwhelming feeling was one of frustration that I was putting all this effort in, but I wasn’t seeing the results.
“It was quite demoralising at times to be working so hard – or what I thought was working hard – and not seeing the results. In hindsight, there was so much I didn’t know in terms of how to train, how often to train, how heavy to lift, and how to eat. I was almost making it up as I went along.
“It had gotten to the point where I thought: ‘Maybe this is it.’ I’m in my mid-50 and I’m Indian, so I felt genetically it might not be possible to lose the weight and this was the way I was going to look forever.
“But then I started to think: ‘What might be possible if I seek the help of genuine professionals?’ So, I signed up to undergo a transformation with Ultimate Performance at their Paddington gym.”
Ajit says he thought would lose a bit a weight once he began training.
He said: “It wasn’t necessarily the diet, because I’ve always been quite mindful of what I was eating, although I did learn a lot more about what macronutrients are in certain foods and portion sizes. But it was everything – it was the intensity of the training, doing 10,000 steps a day, the accountability from my trainer keeping on track every day.”
He said he used an app where you input everything, including all the calories you consume, the macronutrient breakdown of each food, your steps, your sleep time, how much water you’ve consumed.
He added: “My trainer, Nkosi, would constantly be checking in on me through the app – 24/7 – and seeing everything I’d input into the app in real time. The app was brilliant, and I could contact Nkosi any time. That level of monitoring and accountability was amazing.
“I started to notice results within the first three or four weeks. In fact, even on the first day, I sat there in the changing room thinking: ‘I’ve never done a workout like that before.
“I be out of breath just lifting weights?’ I thought I was going to be sick! I’d never experienced that level of intensity of training before, and I’ve been training for a long time.”
work in the medical profession staggered at his new physique who queried what medication he used.
Ajit says he left some of his friends who“What I’ve achieved has blown my mind.
“It’s beyond any reasonable expectation or target I could have had. In terms of the weight loss and my physique, it’s gone way beyond my initial target, which has just blown my mind.
“Aside from the aesthetics, I feel like I’ve wound the clock back 30 years. I feel like I’m in my 20s again, and I can do anything. I’m bang on top of my health, and the knock-on effect of that is that my sleep is a lot better, and I’m a lot more focused, and have a lot more clarity, at home and at work.
“Previously, I might procrastinate about something, but all that is out of the window now. So, from a holistic health perspective, everything is so much better.
“My energy levels are through the roof. And I think if you feel healthy, the knock-on effects on your mental health are amazing. You feel you can achieve anything.
“What I’d like to portray to people is this: the reactions I’ve had from friends and family have been overwhelming, especially those who hadn’t seen me in a few months.”
“There were people who genuinely asked me what steroids I’ve been taking or what injections I took! In fact, I have friends who are doctors, and consultants, and even they asked me what medication I’d be using to tone up, lose the weight and achieve this physique.
“I’ve tried to get the message across that: ‘Look guys, this is possible. There’s no rocket science here. If you apply yourself, and have the right instruction, you can do it.’ And it’s beyond absolutely transformative.”
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