No two weight loss cases are the same, as it's down to each person to choose which approach works best for their goals. One method that rarely fails, however, is calorie restriction.
George, 39, claims the strategy proved crucial to his weight loss transformation, which saw him drop from 18st to 13st 4lb.
For many years, George believed cardio was the be-all and end-all of weight loss, but this changed the day he met his trainer Omar Ellaboudy.
“I am 39 now, I’ve probably been trying to lose weight for 20 years,” he explained. "And I think like most people I have tried every different avenue. But it got to the time where I thought I needed the help or a professional.”
Signing up for Omar's circuit programme changed George's life around completely. Not only did it highlight which areas of diet had room for improvement, but it also taught him how important strength training is for weight loss.
“The most important thing that Omar did was he looked at my macros," he explained. “He also gave me structured workouts [which] became a new part of my daily and weekly routine where I wasn’t just favouring cardio.
“Over a six to nine-month period, I probably got more results in that period than I had in the previous 15 to 20 years.
“I’ve always floated between 100 and 115 kilos. Within six to nine months, Omar got me down to 85 kilos.
“Not only was I losing weight, I was eating. My strength was increasing. I was stronger than ever. Now my diet is probably 95 per cent whole foods. I was eating a lot more whole foods than I ever had in the past."
George fueled his weight loss with whole foods and protein
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George lost a staggering amount of weight by restricting his calories
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The slimmer began re-evaluating where he was getting his protein from and how much sugar his food contained.
“In the past, I was eating things I thought were healthy," he confessed. “I was eating things like granola for breakfast, but when you look into granola, it’s mostly sugar.
“I was eating a lot of protein bars before - I haven’t touched a protein bar in over a year now. Yeah, they got 20 or 25 grams of protein, but they’re also full of additives and you know, hidden sugars and hidden calories."
Registered dietician and nutritionist Kimberly Gomer MS, RD/LDN, confirmed that the best protein sources are unprocessed because they enable better absorption.
According to the expert, these sources comprise eggs, cottage cheese, beef, lamb, bison, poultry, beans and lentils in their whole and unprocessed state.
“When eating these foods unprocessed, they will be digested easier and absorbed easier,” the expert explained.
She continued: “What I see in my clients who switch to whole foods is increased satiety and hunger hormones, ghrelin and leptin - the hormones make you hungry and make you feel full - stabilised.
“They end up getting more satiety from the foods and feel much less hungry. The insulin response to snacking several times a day versus eating a meal allows for more stable and balanced insulin and more fat loss.”
The ones to watch out for are protein bars and protein shakes which use various ingredients like whey, soy, pea and other isolated protein blends.
“A lot depends on the goals of the person. When weight loss is the goal, it is never good to use processed food, (even little) because the extra additives, chemicals, salt, sugar, etc.”
George's experience proves this approach works, as he claims the weight “started to fall off” after he swapped out protein bars for unprocessed protein sources like eggs.
Which foods did George cut out?
When asked which foods he cut out completely, George explained that pasta was cut out because it left him feeling sluggish.
“I was making a lot of mistakes before,” he explained. “When I cut it out, I noticed I didn’t miss it at all."
The slimmer also credits his trainer for setting a daily target of 1,800 calories at the start of his weight loss journey.
It wasn’t just George's weight that shifted. His new dietary habits had a ripple effect across various aspects of his life, including sleep, improved mobility, and fewer aches and pains.
George's exercise regimen
Of course, no weight loss journey goes complete without an exercise programme. In George's case, this combined cardio and weight training.
“I found it really tricky and really challenging,” George said. “I was probably doing 60 per cent cardio and 40 per cent weight training.”
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The slimmer quit sugary snacks and processed foods
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Dr Milica McDowell, Doctor of PT, and Exercise Physiologist, told GB News slimmers should identify their goals before choosing whether to prioritise cardio or weight training.
Their choice will depend largely on whether they're "looking to create a very small weight loss versus a large weight loss”.
People can expect changes in their body composition with cardio, but they should pair this with weightlifting for long-term results.
The expert continued: “If you’re losing fat and gaining muscles, this can be a great recipe for weight loss."
George noted that walking was another key component of the process as he would cover at least 10,000 steps a day.
“Walking for the whole last year and health has been a huge one for me," he claimed. “I had to make sure I was hitting at least 10,000 steps as a bare minimum every day."