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Checking In With Robin: Chapter One

Robin has been at Phuket Fit for the last five years in a variety of capacities. Robin describes his job duties as “having a hand in pretty much everything at camp”. Robin is currently embarking on his own weight loss journey over the next year and we are checking in with him regularly to see how his journey is progressing. He started at 140 KGs and his goal is to get down to 80KGs over the course of a year. He has started his program with a detox at Atmanjai Wellness Center to help boost his metabolism and give his body a much-needed tune-up.

What Is Atmanjai?

Phuket Fit & MMA and Atmanjai Wellness Center are now working together to offer combined programs for those interested in detoxing at Atmanjai prior to the beginning of their training (or after their training has finished!) For Robin’s first four days, he ate a raw food diet to help pre-cleanse his body to prepare for the Ultra Cleanse package he would be receiving. Then he participated in a six-day session of Atmanjai’s Ultra Cleanse. While you don’t eat any food for the six days of cleansing, it’s remarkable how much energy you will find that you still have. After the six days on Ultra Cleanse, Robin then participated for four days on Atmanjai’s Eat Well cleanse, which integrates fresh fruit and vegetables into the cleanse to help your body begin to readapt to eating. Robin and I can both confirm these programs are an excellent way to begin a weight loss regimen at Phuket Fit.

 

What Was His Daily Routine?

The day starts with a mixture of supplement beverages, and a peaceful walk at Nai Harn beach or a session of relaxing yoga. On the Eat Well program you eat three small meals of raw fruits and vegetables, while on the Ultra Cleanse program you receive an additional session of colon hydrotherapy to help fully cleanse your system.  The rest of the day is a whirlwind of treatments (including daily massage), supplements, coaching sessions, swimming and rebounding. Robin said the acupuncture treatments were especially helpful to him and that is help to ease the pain he feels from damaged tissue in his shoulder.

How He Feels Now

He’s never felt better. He’s able to train his shoulder more effectively after acupuncture, he’s not feeling the intense food cravings he used to, and his metabolism is moving at a lightning speed. He says the biggest change he notices is his energy levels. He’s training harder than even before and has energy to spare. He also was successful in losing weight while on the cleanse. He lost 7 KGs in ten days and has managed to keep it off successfully for the last couple weeks (and lose even more!)

 

Next Steps Forward

Robin has started training with Phuket Fit’s personal trainer to adapt a workout perfect for him and the limitations he faces with his shoulder. He’s sticking with the healthy eating and the pounds are falling off him. He knows that even though he’s limited in the types of workouts he can do, there’s no good excuse not to workout in the ways that he’s able. He plans on visiting Atmanjai again in the next 2-3 months to help keep his body and mind running in tip-top shape.

If you are interested in attending a detox at Atmanjai, give us a call at Phuket Fit and save 5% when booking through Phuket Fit. It’s a great way to jump start a weight loss journey!

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Losing It In Paradise One Month In

 If you’ve spent much time in Phuket, then you have undoubtedly met Tom “DJ Tank” Saharut Somsanuk. King of the Phuket social scene, Tank describes himself as, “a mixed up nutcase, but a nice one. Born and raised in the US; discovering his Asian roots in Thailand.” At 38, Tank has decided to take control of both his weight and his life. He’ll be working with Phuket Fit over the next year to lose some pounds and rediscover his fitness. We’ll be checking in on him every few weeks, to see how his journey is going. Here’s what he has to say…

Hey Tank! How far into your training are you now?

A month and some change. Training five days a week.

How are things going?

Good! I miss some days here or there, but I’m mostly keeping up with it. I’ve lost thirty pounds (14KGs) so far and I can really feel a difference. I feel better around my heart and my other organs. I also feel more mobile. The biggest thing that’s changed is that my legs used to be black and calloused. I was afraid I was going to lose them because of my diabetes, but now they’re looking better. They look and feel more human. Smoother skin, they more life in them. Right now that’s what I’m most excited about.

Has the training gotten easier over the last month?

It’s actually harder because I can do a lot more. It’s harder because we up it and make it more difficult. Always improving on what we did the previous time. Using a heavier weight and doing more reps. Whenever my trainer asks if I can handle it, I tell her that I can. That’s what we’re here to do.

How is the food side of things going?

At the Phuket Fit Grill, they make it really easy. The food portions are gigantic, but it’s healthy food. I’m used to it from the States, but instead of the veggies and lean meats I have here, it would be biscuits and gravy with dessert back home.

Are you struggling with any food temptations?

I own a burger stand, so it’s been hard. Even the burgers are getting less tempting, though. One you start eating well, your cravings seem to change. Instead of a daily craving, it’s maybe a weekly craving.

Have you discovered that you love any healthy foods?

I really like yams. They’re really filling and super tasty.

Have you faced any other challenges or setbacks along the way?

Working all the time. You set yourself up to try and achieve 200 things, and then even if you achieve 90 of them, you’ve accomplished a lot. The big goal here has to been totally steer clear of everything. That’s not going to happen all the time, but I can at least avoid most bad things for most of the time. I’m not one of those guys who want to go to the gym just to train for fun. I’m a living kind of dude with bills and a family. I need to work to support them. I know I have to do this for me, though. If I hadn’t started to make a change, then I wouldn’t have been able to support them for much longer.

What’s your plan from here?

I’ll be training five ways a week and eating well. It’s all about moving forward and sticking with it. It’s great having a trainer to work with. If I had been able to do this on my own, I would have done it a long time ago. Working with Phuket Fit is finally helping me to achieve my goals.

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Benchmarks: Week Nineteen

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 eleven 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.

Approaching Your Small Goals

Coming off a plateau week, its important not to panic. Even though the last few weeks have had a small yo-yo effect on my weight, it’s important to believe in what you’re doing and stick with your plan. When you start to notice a long-term slowdown or reversal in your weight loss, that’s when you need to start from scratch and try new things. Luckily, my weight is still heading in the right direction, so there aren’t any alarm bells sounding at the moment. One thing you can do to help stay motivated, is to set small goals for yourself. It can be a new fastest time up Buddha or even reaching a certain weight threshold. I know that I’m really looking forward to getting below 220 LBS, which will be the lowest I’ve weighed in over ten years.

Smart Choices On The Weekend

 

The weekend can be a tricky time at camp. Most of the classes don’t run on the weekends, so it’s up to each person to stay active and to continue eating in a healthy way. Often some of your friends might want to go out partying on a Saturday night. Not wanting to be anti-social, you go with. The temptations are everywhere around you. Sugary high-calorie alcoholic drinks and salty greasy bar food is available wherever you turn. You don’t have miss out on fun times with your friends, just try to be smart about it. Instead of drinking a high-calorie beer, maybe try a vodka soda with a couple lime wedges. It’s a lot fewer calories, but you won’t feel like you’ve been left out of the fun. It’s also a good idea to eat before partying, so you won’t feel the temptation to eat poorly once you’ve started drinking.

Working Out With Friends

Another great way to stay motivated at camp is by creating a support system of friends to train with. It doesn’t take long at Phuket Fit to meet a bunch on interesting and motivated people, who are all on a similar fitness journey. Interact with them outside of class, but also find out what classes they’ll be taking. Working out with a friend is an excellent way to help push your training to the next level.

The End Of Week Nineteen

I step on the scale, and I’m thrilled to see my weight is 229.9 LBS. Almost three pounds down from last week, and less than ten pounds to reaching my short-term goal. Even if you find yourself occasionally gaining weight from week to week, its important to pay attention to the overall trends on the scale. Things like water retention and muscle mass increases can effect the scale from week to week, so it’s important not to obsess too much over any one weigh-in. Its easier said than done, though. Just keep moving forward and youll make it to your goal. Never give up. Theres no failure in falling down, just in not getting back up.

What’s Up Next?

I’ve been feeling a bit sick this week, so we’ll see how that affects my upcoming weight loss. Adding insult to injury is a day-long visa run to Burma that will also take away from my training time. Seems my overall results are going well, though. So, I’ll be following mostly the same training and food pattern this upcoming week.

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