Initially, Patel, now 50, ate to build himself up, thinking that the more he consumed, the bigger he'd get. This pattern continued well into adulthood until his weight eclipsed 260 pounds, and his doctors began to warn him of the onset of diabetes. Worse, he had a family history of early heart attacks, and understood he was tempting fate.
I knew if I didnt sort this," he says, "I wouldnt be able to watch my two sons grow up." It wasnt until a vacation in Thailand in 2018, however, that Patel realized just how dire his situation had become. Id been indulging in a few too many beers and tasty foods, he says. When I came back, my borderline diabetes was in danger of becoming the real thing, my blood pressure was out of control. My gout had flared up, and it felt like a glass shard was being pushed into my foot and knee. I remember just crying as I looked at myself in the mirror. That was my lightbulb moment.
To get himself back on the right path, Patel started by simply , ensuring that he hit 10,000 steps a day. He paired that eating lessjust a little bit, at first. While these small changes had a modest impact, Patel couldnt fathom how he'd lose all of the extra weight. So, he enlisted the help of some professionalsspecifically, the trainers at RNT Fitness, a UK-based gym chain that specializes in dramatic weight loss transformations.
Id seen some friends get great results with them, and I needed the mentorship and support to help me along, he says. They created personalized nutrition and training plans that worked around my busy day." With a plan in place, Patel started working out three days a week using a series of full-bod y workout plans. He then progressed to a variation of an as Patel got stronger.
Patel says the first six weeks were a breezehe rapidly lost weight and saw a massive transformation in his body. It was great for momentum, and it felt like my body was in complete overdrive, he says. It felt like exactly what I needed, but I knew this was going to be a long road ahead.
Still, there were roadblocks along the way, Patel admitsfor starters, not everyone in his life was as supportive of his weight loss goals as he'd hoped. Rather than dwell on the haters, however, he stayed focused and committed. It was this me time that allowed me to push forward, he says, I also created so much accountability with my coach and in the community at my gym. After a few more months of working out with his trainer and eating more mindfully, Patel officially hit his new goal weight of 156 pounds.
Im a different man, he says. I feel ten years younger, and Im constantly bouncing. I let myself have no excuses. Active father? Check. Multiple businesses? Check. Age? Check. Health issues? Check. Social commitments? Check. I said no more excuses, and just executed.
Beyond losing weight, Patel also saw a wide range of improvements to his health: He's no longer pre-diabetic, no longer suffers from gout, and feels more energetic than ever. If youre reading this, remember that we all have it within us to create something special of ourselves, Patel says. Find your why, connect with it, and use it as fuel to transform. Look deeper than aestheticsits always more than the physical.