Author: Aaron Rowland

Welcome to Phuket Fit’s weight loss and fitness blog. I’m your host, Aaron Rowland. I’m a 27-year-old writer from Los Angeles, California. At my heaviest weight eighteen-months ago, I weighed in at 160 KGs.  I’m here at Phuket Fit to lose weight, improve my fitness and have the adventure of a lifetime. I’ve been here nine months so far and I’m staying indefinitely. My favorite exercises are the bicycle crunch and the medicine ball slam. Tire flips, suicide planks and burpees give me nightmares.

The Detox Ends

After a full seven days of detoxing, I come away from it with a few thoughts… First, I was surprised how much energy I felt during the detox period. I thought the lack of carbs and meat would leave me lethargic and tired, but it was actually quite the opposite. Second, while I occasionally felt some cravings, I was able to deal with the general hunger pretty effectively. Finally, I definitely enjoyed the experience and would love to do it again. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from detoxing when I embarked on this week-long journey, but I am very satisfied with the ultimate results.

Easing Back Into Things

Starting last Tuesday, I began to integrate normal foods back into my diet. I stuck with fresh fruit and veggies on Tuesday, but by Wednesday I had begun to add lean meats and egg whites into my meals. I waited a couple more days until I allowed myself more refined carbohydrates like rice and bread, but by doing it slowly my body was able to digest those foods without any problems. I’m excited to see if my digestion remains good over the next few weeks and months and to see if my body is able to more effectively pull vital nutrients from foods post-detox.

The Key To Weight Loss

Some have asked what I’m doing to lose weight and the answer is very simple. No fad diets or extreme eating habits, I’m just carefully consuming fewer calories than I’m burning. Using Google, it’s quite easy to discover your BMR (basal metabolic rate) and to factor in the Harris Benedict equation to determine your daily caloric needs. In my case, due to my large weight and intense exercise schedule, my body burns 3920 calories per day [BMR=2273 x 1.725]. If I want to lose 2-3 pounds a week, I need a weekly calorie deficit between 7000-10,500 calories. That means daily I need to burn between 1000-1500 more calories than I consume. I can allow myself between 2400-29000 calories a day and still lose weight. You don’t have to starve yourself to live a healthy life. You just have to put in the work when it comes to exercise and make reasonably smart food decisions throughout the week.

The End Of Week Eleven

I step on the scale for the first weight in after the full detox has been completed. I’m down another 1.8 KGs (4 LBS). That means I’ve lost over 40 pounds in the last eleven weeks! It’s been a tough struggle so far. I’ve had travel, injuries, weight gains and plenty of other distractions, but I’ve managed to stick with it and keep going. That’s the most important key of all when it comes to weigh loss. Never lose hope and never give up. You might be struggling to find the right path of weight loss that works for you, but it’s out there. Don’t let fear or shame stop you!

What’s Up Next?

This week will be my first week back doing my normal training schedule. Training twice a day and focusing on healthy eating habits. I’ll be very interested to see if there is a post-detox plateau effect as my body starts to readjust to eating many of the same foods I use to. Time to get ready for another excellent week at camp.

Have a great week of weight loss! If you set your mind on it, I know you can do it!

A twenty-three-year-old home care worker from Denmark, Sara has lost a lot of weight and has rediscovered herself at Phuket Fit. She likes Phuket Fit so much; she doesn’t even know when she’s going to leave! Sara’s favorite part about training at Phuket Fit is that she’s able to get out anger and aggression during Muay Thai training. She says it’s important not to focus on anyone else’s training, but to simply be as focused and hardworking as you can be!

What first made you want to come to Phuket Fit?

I hadn’t heard about Phuket Fit until I searched on the internet and found it about a year ago. I was down on the bottom in life and I felt very depressed. I came to Phuket Fit to save myself. I’ve been here four months now and I don’t know when I’m going to leave.

When you arrived at Phuket Fit did you set any goals for yourself?

My main goal was to clean my mind and my heart. I also wanted to lose weight, but the most important thing was to gain some self-control and to be in charge of my own actions.

Four months later, how do you feel about those goals?

I feel great. I have done more than I thought I would.

What accomplishments at Phuket Fit are you proud of?

Everything. When you come to Phuket Fit, you have the opportunity to fuck up and keep doing what you’re doing at home. Or you can take advantage of being in a new country and meeting new people and having more time. At camp, you have the peace to deal with your personal problems. All problems come from something. Personally, I’m a very deep person and I wasn’t able to be deep back at home because I was busy. So here I took advantage of only being responsible for myself.

What kinds of challenges did you face along the way?

A lot! When you come here, you meet a lot of really nice people. Some people are strong and have focus, but not everyone. Don’t just go with the flow. Some people lose their focus and end up partying all the time and drinking. Some people stay focused. You can choose.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about coming to Phuket Fit?

Every day I go through all my actions. Every action I do, I think about why I’m doing it. I think, “Sara, you’re in charge.” I have to keep with that. You have to challenge yourself. Sometime you can eat your feelings, so you need to change your thinking. I had to push myself to eat boring things like broccoli and fish every single day. I was constantly talking to myself and learning how to separate real hunger from fake hunger. The mind is stronger than you think. Your body can handle a lot. It’s all about figuring out yourself. Back in Denmark, I worked with Abdel Fitness as a test client. He gave me the training plan and meal plan that Im working on. He has given me incredible support and now its all in my hands to finish.

What surprised you the most about Phuket Fit?

I didn’t really expect anything, but I was surprised there were so many people. We all come here to figure ourselves out in different ways. Life is all about how you look at things. You can look at Phuket Fit as just a training camp, but we really are all the same, just people fighting toward different goals.

Do you plan on coming back to Phuket Fit?

Every year.

To find out more about Sara and to continue following her journey, check out her Facebook blog at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kr%C3%B8lles-v%C3%A6gttab-i-Thailand/107468349428167. Sara also wants to thank Abdel Fitness in Denmark for working with her to develop a training plan and a diet plan to help her on her weight loss journey.