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Benchmarks: Week Twenty-Three

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 thirteen months so far and I’m staying indefinitely. My favorite exercises are the bicycle crunch and the medicine ball slam. Barbell thrusters, suicide planks and burpees give me nightmares.

Back In The Saddle

The week after a gain can be tough. While it motivates you to work harder and eat cleaner, it can also be discouraging and feel like you’re not making progress. When those feelings occur, it’s important to brush them aside and focus on the week ahead. You can’t take back the food you ate or the workouts you skipped in the previous week, but you can focus on doing better this week. Leave the past right where it belongs, in the past.

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

After having spent over a year at Phuket Fit, it can sometimes be easy to forget that I’m living in a tropical paradise. Instead of spending eight hours a day stuck in an office doing paperwork, I’m exercising outdoors surrounded by a supportive group of friend and trainers. If I want a break, I’m a mere ten minutes away from a relaxing few hours at the beach. Weight loss is tough, but it doesn’t have to be a chore. If you can find a fun and enjoyable way to lose weight, the odds of keeping it off are astronomically higher than if you’re miserable. That’s one of the things that make Phuket Fit work so well for weight loss. It’s genuinely a good time. It may be hard work, but it’s hard work in an magical place.

The End Of Week Twenty-Three

I knew I would lose weight this week. I’d done everything right. Eating very healthy and exercising like a beast. Even in my off times, I would fine cool fitness activities like badminton and Frisbee golf to fill up my schedule. I step on the scale, and see that I weigh 236.4 LBS. That’s down 7.8 LBS from my nightmare weigh-in last week and is another great step on my journey to fitness and health.

What’s Up Next?

This next week will be a tough one. I’ve made it my goal to walk from Phuket Fit to the Big Buddha and back. At almost 20KMs, it will take me 3-4 hours and features a steep incline as you approach the Buddha. It won’t be easy, but it wouldn’t be a challenge if it were. I’ll let you know next week how I fare.

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

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Victories: Allen Paisansiri 5 Months & 30 KGS

A twenty-two-year-old from San Fransisco, Allen Paisansiri is now even more energized and ready to power through life. Having taken a year off of college to grow and gain more experience, he decided Phuket Fit would be the perfect place to relax, explore and focus in on what he wants to do for the rest of his life. Now he’s a transformed man. In only five short months, Allen has dropped 30 KGS (66 LBs) and discovered a newfound confidence. His favorite exercise is the Turkish get-up and his least favorite exercises are burpees and squats. This is his story

How did you find out about Phuket Fit?

My family is Thai and they take yearly trips to Thailand, trips that I usually miss out on because of school or work. When the time came for me to take a break and explore, I automatically thought of Thailand because my younger brothers always came back with fun stories about their trip. My mom and dad are Muay Thai fanatics and often stream fights online. After learning about the sport and taking a look at the conditioning that was required for it, all it took was a quick Google search. Phuket Fit’s informative website made it my first choice.

What first made you want to come?

Initially I thought it was a break from school and work, but after awhile I realized it was because I wasn’t happy with the way my body looked. I desperately wanted to change. I remember telling one of my best friends that I wish I could just disappear for a bit and come back looking completely different. This was that chance.

How long were you at Phuket Fit?

A total of five months.

When you arrived here, did you set any goals for yourself?

Weight loss was my goal. I was looking to lose weight in order to look and feel better about myself. Losing weight meant a lot of things for me, but most importantly in my mind, I felt that losing weight would fix everything. I would be more confident in approaching people and making new friends.

 

How do you fare at meeting those goals?

I guess you could say it was a success. I can’t help but smile every time the topic of weight loss and my Thailand trip comes up. In the five months I spent at Phuket Fit, I lost a whopping 30 KGS (66 LBs). I never expected it to be that much, but I just kept losing weight. I remember other guests coming up to me and telling me that I was melting right before their eyes.

What accomplishments at Phuket Fit are you proud of?

Besides the changes in the body, I would say it’s the change in my mind that is my biggest accomplishment. It’s funny because you’d think at a fight/weight loss camp, there would be a lot of aggression and people would just stick to themselves to train. But we’re like a family here. Sure, there are one or two people that were aggressive, but for the most part I had such a mind cleansing experience. Phuket Fit really helped me clear my mind and open up my mind.

Did you face any setbacks or challenges along the way?

The number one challenge was definitely being alone. I had some days where I would lay in bed till eleven or midnight just thinking about what my friends and family were doing back home. It was my first time leaving the United States and alone, at that. It was with the help of other guests that allowed me to stay for so long. I’ve made friends at Phuket Fit who were also exploring and finding themselves and some days after training we would sit, have lunch and just talk. This always cheered me up and put a smile on my face.

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

Don’t psych yourself out; just do it. Book your stay and stick to it. Yes, you will miss your friends and family. Yes, you can Skype them. I would have gotten nowhere if I let my mind do all the talking. I remember telling myself, “Don’t think. Just do.” Conquer Big Buddha. You will love it. My first time up Big Buddha, I took an hour and ten minutes. Before I left, my personal best was 33:46. It’s possible!

What surprised you the most about Phuket Fit?

The people that came to train. There were people from all over the world, all different sizes and ages. Even after leaving Phuket Fit I still keep in touch with these people. We’ve even planned a reunion together next year back at Phuket Fit!

 

Tell me about one fun memorable thing that happened to you during your time at Phuket Fit.

I won a BBQ Beatdown and it was pretty much the most terrifying thing of my life. But I had so much fun. My first BBQ Beatdown was a draw, and during the first 30 seconds of the first round of that fight I actually busted a vein in my eye and it swelled up and shut. Every time I tried to hit my opponent after that, I would always miss by a little bit because with one eye shut, everything was kind of shifted. It remained that way for maybe two to three weeks, but I still kept going to training everyday. I’ll never forget to block or dodge and weave now!

Have you learned anything that you’ll use back home?

I would say Phuket Fit was my catalyst. It started everything. I’m home now and still working out every single day. My friends definitely notice the change and I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve heard the words, “OMG you lost weight” or “you look so good.” Phuket Fit made things simple for me. You eat right, you work out, you meet your goal. Being in the United States makes it very challenging to achieve your goals. Everyone is trying to make a quick buck off miracle diets because there is such a large market for weight loss. They tell you that you can’t eat after this time, or carbs are bad for you, or if you buy this product you’ll lose weight, or some other lame thing like nutrient timing. After having spent five months at Phuket Fit, it is now so easy for me to determine what’s correct and what isn’t.

Phuket Fit helped me restore my confidence. It reminded me of what I had all along.

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Benchmarks: Week Twenty-Two

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 twelve months so far and I’m staying indefinitely. My favorite exercises are the bicycle crunch and the medicine ball slam. Barbell thrusters, suicide planks and burpees give me nightmares.

Twenty-Two Weeks Down, A Lifetime To Go

Weight loss isn’t easy. If it was, everyone would do it. Instead we find ourselves with a worldwide obesity epidemic that only grows worse wand worse as the years go on. You will stumble on your journey and sometimes it can be easy to lose sight of your ultimate goals or the reasons for wanting to lose weight. The more you can do to remind yourself of that, the better. The last few weeks have been very difficult in my journey. It’s been tough to muster up the energy to work out or find the strength to resist the temptation to eat poorly. On any long weight-loss journey, you’ll find yourself eventually in the same place. Your weight will plateau or rise a bit and you’ll find that it’s tough to find the motivation to keep going. When this happens, it’s important to not lose sight of your accomplishments. Even if you have a few bad weeks, think about all the hard work you’ve put in and how successful you’ve already been. It’s not about never failing. It’s about picking yourself up after failure and continuing to move forward. Don’t worry about the one step back, focus on the two steps forward.

Creating An Environment For Success

One of the best ways to help keep yourself motivated is by surrounding yourself with success. That’s the best part about being at Phuket Fit; likeminded people who are supportive of your goals surround you. During any given class, you’ll hear words of encouragement from your fellow guests, pushing you to work harder than you thought was possible. If you can succeed in carving out your own group of friends at Phuket Fit, you’ll suddenly find yourself attending more classes than you thought you’d be able to and eating in a super healthy way. Journeys are easier when you can share the load. That’s the Phuket Fit way.

The End Of Week Twenty

Stepping on the scale after a couple weeks, I know it isn’t going to be pretty. I’ve been attending all the right classes, but not eating the foods I need to. Mark it down as a short-term loss of self-control, suck it up, and step on the scale. I gained weight. Not surprising. No tears and no frown, though. I’m still all smiles. I’ve slipped up before and came back even stronger.  What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and I feel revved up to conquer the scale next week. Lose five pounds next week. That’s my goal and I feel great about meeting or surpassing it.

What’s Up Next?

Attend two classes a day, find other ways to stay active, and eat the foods that my body needs to function. It isn’t rocket science, but it’ll still take work. No skipping classes for a lie-in this week. It’s pure unadulterated focus. Don’t stand in my way, because it’s pedal to the metal toward me goal!

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