Many of our clients have been asking me about my weight loss so we thought it best to write this post so everyone can learn more about the program I followed. If you have any follow-up questions though, do not hesitate to ask. We also have a nutritionist working with us now, so you can ask more detailed questions about the type of program that’s right for you!

Before: January 6, 2019

After: April 6, 2019


The Results in Detail

In the table below, you can see that I lost a total of 29 pounds over a 3-month time period. What’s also important though, is that I still managed to maintain muscle mass while cutting my calorie intake.

MeasurementJanuary 6 2019April 7 2019Total Lost
Body Weight224.4 Pounds195.2 Pounds29.2 Pounds
Shoulders51.50”50.75”0.75”
Chest 45.00”42.25”2.75”
Waist38.00”31.75”6.25”
Hips43.00”39.5”3.5”
Thigh26.00”24.25”1.75”

Looking at these numbers tells me that I achieved my goal of maintaining muscle as the largest inch losses were waist and hips, two of the most common fat storage regions. While I did lose some width on the chest measure, I suspect that it was mostly fat from the back, another common fat storage area. As seen too, the shoulder measure decreased very little as it is not a common fat storage area, again suggesting that I maintained a fair amount of lean body mass while still losing fat.

It’s important to note that, if you neglect to keep your protein intake high while decreasing your overall calorie intake, this can lead to a loss of muscle, a decrease in strength, and a decrease in metabolic rate.  So let’s see exactly how I achieved my results!

The 5:2 Diet

The 5:2 diet is a form of intermittent fasting. In simple terms, you eat normally for 5 days of the week and on 2 non-consecutive days, you “fast”. The reason I put fast in quotation marks is because it is not a true fast, you actually eat 2 small meals 12 hours apart. For me, the two meals were 400 calories each, the original diet suggests 400 for males and 300 each for females.

My Typical Fasted Day

BREAKFAST (6:00 am): 400 Calories

SUPPER (6:00 pm): 400 Calories

So what’s in these 2 small meals? It’s totally up to you! However, you should fill them with nutritious, satiating (filling) foods that are high in protein. For me, breakfast was often the following:

  • 2 protein muffins (My own recipe): 120 calories each 
  • 250 grams of Icelandic yogurt:  160 Calories
  • 75 grams of mixed berries: 30 Calories

For supper, I often ate just meat and veggies, something like this: 

  • 200 grams of lean ground beef (cooked measurement): 350 Calories
  • 1 cup of mixed frozen peppers and onions: 50 Calories
  • Garlic powder, salt, chilli powder, and balsamic vinegar, to taste

Again, these meals were high in protein to help keep me full and avoid a loss of muscle mass. Of course, you do not need to follow my meal plan, just try to make sure that the foods you are eating a both nutritious and filling. Avoid excess refined carbs on these days as they provide very little nutrition and do not keep you full. 

My Typical Normal Day

On the other five days, you can just eat normally. This is not a license to overindulge all day on junk foods, I still ate well on my “normal” days. I would suggest that you eat at a “maintenance level” calorie intake, that is, the amount your body requires to neither increase nor decrease in weight. 

To get a rough estimate of your maintenance level of calories, multiply your body weight by 14 and set your daily totals at this amount. For example:

195 Pounds x 14 Calories/Pound = 2730 calories/Day

You can eat whatever you would like on these days, but ensure you eat lots of protein, healthy fats (e.g., omega-3 fatty acids), and more moderate amounts of high-fibre (unprocessed) carbs. And yes, for those who will ask, booze counts against your daily total. 

Calorie contents of alcoholic beverages, for your reference:

  • 1 Regular Beer = 150 Calories
  • 1 Light Beer = 100 Calories
  • 1 Glass of Wine (5oz) = 125 Calories
  • 1 Mixed Drink (1oz) = 70 Calories, mixed with water or diet soda, up to 230 Calories mixed with regular soda

Weight Loss Plateaus

If you find you are still not losing weight, adjust this number downward but do not go below bodyweight x 10. Also note, as you lose weight, you may have to adjust this number to reflect your new maintenance. I readjusted my normal day calorie intake 4 times during the diet.

Let’s have a closer look at my typical normal day:

BREAKFAST (6:00 am)

  • Oatmeal (1/2 cup)
  • Protein Powder (1 scoop)
  • Mixed Berries (1 cup)
  • Whole eggs (2-3)

LUNCH (12:00)

  • Rice/pasta (1 ½ cups measured cooked)
  • Chicken/beef/pork/fish (250 gram Serving)
  • Veggies (1-2 cups, can be frozen veggies)

SUPPER (5:00)

  • Rice/pasta (1 ½ cups measured cooked)
  • Chicken/beef/pork/fish (250 gram Serving)
  • Veggies (1-2 cups, can be frozen veggies)

BEFORE BED SNACK (9:00)

  • Cottage cheese (1 full tub)
  • Blueberries (1 cup)
  • Natural peanut butter (2 tablespoons)

The key here again is high protein to stay full and moderate amounts of carbs and fats. When you look at the lunch and supper I have just written meat and vegetables with rice or pasta. This was not just plain meat and pasta. This was often a stir fry or spaghetti or some other tasty recipe. I have no interest in eating just plain chicken and plain rice. Just be cautious that the “taste” you add limits added sugar and fats. 

That pretty much wraps up what I did!

Thomas’ Favourite Fat Loss Tips and Tricks

In closing, here are some of my top tips and tricks:

1) Always know when and what your next meal will be! This is my number one tip. The main reason people snack on foods or make poor choices for meals is they do not have a plan. There is never a time when I don’t know what my next meal is. I make my weeks’ worth of lunches on the weekend, prepare my breakfast the evening before and plan out suppers for the week and buy groceries accordingly. 

2) Follow the 90/10 rule. Essentially, 90% of your calories must come from nutritious sources while 10% can come from not so nutritious sources. I like to refer to this as bending without breaking. How often do you go out somewhere, have two drinks and maybe some chips and just assume the day is a total loss and have more drinks and more chips? Maybe those two drinks and handful of chips fit perfectly fine within the 90/10 rule. Don’t assume the whole day is a loss because of one cheat and sabotage yourself as a result.

3) Limit the availability of snacks when consuming alcohol. Alcohol lowers our inhibitions so that bag of chips you may not have touched earlier is far more likely to be eaten after a couple of drinks.

4) If you are going out somewhere and are worried about snacking, try to eat beforehand. This can even be just a protein shake, just something to keep you full. If you do want to snack, choose snacks with some nutritional value, for example: the shrimp platter is far more nutritious than the cookie plate. Many considerate hosts will also have some form of veggie/fruit platter to choose from.

Interested in JKConditioning’s Nutrition Coaching services? Find out more HERE.

Disclaimer: All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at any time and without notice.

photo credit: Kurayba Tasty Mushrooms via photopin (license)

photo credit: stockcatalog weight loss scale via photopin (license)

photo credit: wuestenigel Slimming and health food products on wooden background via photopin (license)

I heard really good things about it from my sister, and I could see the positive results she was getting.  I needed to do something.  I was overweight, depressed, and recovering from a back injury.  I had reached a point where simply getting up out of a chair was becoming difficult.  I knew that if I didn’t do something about it my senior years would be very burdensome to the people close to me.  I’m so glad I did!  After just a few weeks my day-to-day pain was drastically reduced, and my mobility increased. I had the confidence to try sea kayaking, and I now play ice hockey twice a week!

The key difference is the expertise.  The trainers know the gym equipment and the exercises, but they also have degrees in kinesiology, and can apply what they know to your workout.  As someone who was in poor physical condition starting out, I was worried about hurting myself.  Previously I tried an outdoor weekly bootcamp and injured my knee by pushing too hard.  The trainers at JKC constructed a program that started at the right level for me, evolving it as I grew stronger and more fit.  I feel well looked after.

I’ve been weight training on and off for years but never really had a specific goal or target in mind so routinely stalled out, plateaued or stopped training all together. Before I joined JKC I was definitely in a fitness slump and needed something to motivate me and get me back on track. I did a bit of digging online, looking at various personal training options and gyms around town but JKC seemed like the best option by far. I’ve tried big box gyms and other personal trainers in the past but none of them have had the perfect combination of goal specific fitness programming, welcoming and supportive environment, and the knowledge and passion to back it all up that you’ll find at JKC. Jon and Thomas are great to work with, they know how to motivate you if you’re having an off day and are well versed in all the different ways to make your muscles burn! I also have noticed some major improvements in my deadlifts since I started with JKC and was really happy with the result.

lisa jumping onto a box

JKC was recommended to me by a fellow runner. I was experiencing injuries, and feeling weak and fragile. When I started with JKC, Jon asked me about my goals and my focus. I wanted to concentrate specifically on running, and preventing injury. Jon developed a program for me that has enabled me to focus on my form and strength and has been flexible enough to enable me to train for many different races. I have been training with JKC for six years, and during that time I have enjoyed Jon and Thomas’s expertise in a very warm and supportive atmosphere.

My initial goal was to find qualified personal training services in a personalized small gym setting. I have never been a fan of large gyms. JKC offers a friendly, happy gym experience that motivates me to strive for bigger and better results every week. Jon, Thomas and Craig are genuinely talented and always excited to celebrate everyone’s success.

I have a passion for challenging myself to achieve or beat goals. My favourite memories take me back to greater wins than I ever imagined with deadlifts and after a lot of determination and hard work, being able to do multiple chin-ups. Training at JKC has been one of the best experiences of my life – thank you for your commitment to helping me stay fit!!💪🏼😅

I am the oldest client at JKC at 79 years, soon to be 80. I started training at JKC July 2021. I started at JKC because two of my three sons Justin and Michael and their partners Andrea and Keir and one of my doctors recommended JKC. They all train at JKC Now my wife Linda trains at JKC too. My third son Jonathan lives in Kingston. There is a congenial community atmosphere at JKC. People are introduced to each other. There is effective personal training at JKC.

As Seen On: