Janet had been on the hunt for a fitness programme that would help her create a sustainable lifestyle solution so she could live life to the fullest.

Over the years, she had tried quite a few but always found them lacking, until she joined RNT.

“I had hit a scale weight I was really unhappy with. I was on the cusp of turning 45 years old, and I was watching myself succumb to a body habitus that I just could not tolerate anymore.

Seeing myself in a body that I was not proud of felt terrible every day. I had reached a breaking point where I was ready to go all-in with a comprehensive program that would provide guidance on everything, and for the long haul.

I was well aware that a successful journey would require so much more than any quick-fix program offered.

I was most drawn to the well-thought out phases of the RNT programme. The fact that losing weight was only the very beginning of the journey resonated with what I believed was a holistic approach to fitness. I was convinced that this process, when done well, can truly transform a life.”

Janet’s RNT Journey - A Weekly Breakdown

This week-by-week glance at Janet’s journey will give you a better understanding on what it took for Janet to reach a point when she felt truly happy and confident in her skin.

Starting weight - 54kg

Initial Transformation Plans

Janet preferred training at home, she had a well-equipped home gym which was more than adequate for her training.

Training - 3 days per week on a full split.

Steps - 10,000

Cardio - 3 X 30 min cardio sessions per week.

Diet: Although not vegetarian, Janet preferred to have more vegetarian protein options with minimal meat.

Diet Plan

Calories - 1210

Protein- 95

Fat - 40

Carbs- 115

The way we set it out for Janet was as follows to begin with:

Meal 1 - 3 large whole eggs, 4 rice cakes, 100g berries, 150g untracked veg

Meal 2 - 100g Quorn fillets, 300g white potato, 150g untracked veg

Meal 3 - 200g 0% fat yogurt, 100g berries, 20g almonds

Meal 4 - 100g tofu, 50g edamame spaghetti, 150g untracked veg

Recommended Supplements

To get the most out of her training sessions we typically recommend taking a few essential supplements.

Multivitamin

Creatine - 5g per day

Omega 3

Vitamin D3

Magnesium citrate which helped to regulate bowel movements

WEEK 1 - Clean The Palate

Weight - 53.7kg

It was only week 1 and Janet was feeling great; she was already 300gms down! She loved her meal plan and was surprised that she couldn’t even finish the food on her plate.

When people start a fitness journey, they typically expect to feel hungry. They expect to feel ravenous at the end of the day. But at RNT that’s not how we start.The first couple of weeks literally cleans the palate - which essentially means, you only eat wholesome, nutrient-rich food. The meals are planned so you feel totally satiated leaving no more room for snacking.

As a doctor, Janet’s schedule was quite unpredictable. She sometimes had long days and was also in surgery for extended periods. Unsurprisingly, this erratic schedule disrupted her careful plans. So as a back-up, she had her pre-measured protein drinks prepped and ready to go when she was rushed for time.

At the end of the first week, the nutritious food left her feeling full and satiated rather than bloated and mentally foggy.

Meal prep:

WEEK 3 - The Process Phase

Weight - 52.6kg

Things were going at a cracking pace.

Janet had already dropped 2.4kgs in 2 weeks and was feeling amazing. She was enjoying her meal plan but wanted to have some variety so she created an alternate meal plan.

Meal 1 - 2 large whole eggs, 3 rice cakes, 20g whey protein powder, 150g untracked veg

Meal 2 - 110g low fat cottage cheese, 275g white potato, 20g almonds, 150g untracked veg

Meal 3 - 100g 0% fat yogurt, 50g whole milk yogurt, 150g berries

Meal 4 - 180g tofu, 50g edamame, 1 cauliflower veggie burger, 150g untracked veg

WEEK 4 - The Process Phase

Weight - 52.3kgs

It was Janet’s birthday and of course she wanted to celebrate. She ate out a few times with friends and family, which unfortunately triggered some cravings.

Janet was one month into her fitness journey and was making great progress but old habits and mindsets take time to rewire.

She realised that she had deeply ingrained notions of food being either ‘good for you’ or ‘bad for you’ and switching out of this mindset took her some time.

This is when the RNT curriculum plays a huge role. We don’t just tell our members what to do, we explain the importance of different food groups and show them how to tailor their meals to be balanced and nutritious.

On the training front, Janet was getting stronger. She had to order in some new weights as her 10kg dumbbells had become too light!

WEEK 5 - The Process Phase

Weight - 52.2kgs

There was no change in scale weight this week.

Janet had been eating off plan and had been indulging in a few extra snacks and desserts. Since she was struggling to control her urges, she turned to her RNT cohort to keep her accountable.

When you belong to a group of like-minded people on a similar trajectory as yourself, they can provide the necessary scaffolding to keep your structure from collapsing.

Going off plan and indulging in a few sweets is normal and part of the journey, it only becomes problematic when that one little treat snowballs into many. The best way to keep that from happening is by turning to your cohort for accountability, which is exactly what she did!

Melanie, an RNT member in Janet’s cohort replied with a note of encouragement:

An excerpt of Janet’s conversation with her coach:

Chloe - Hi Janet, what I love is that when you have a moment like this, you share it with the cohort. By being open you stay accountable throughout your journey and that is the best way to be.

The more you share the more you can progress as it gives you the chance to evaluate the situation and learn from it as well as allowing others to relate and share their thoughts, like how Melanie did.

It is great that you know the reason why you had more than one plate and this is something you can learn from and work on next time.

The increase in scale weight this morning is temporary and if you get straight back on plan the weight will drop back down over the next few days. What leads to fat gain is when you constantly go off plan. You are still allowed to enjoy your life and do not need to be super strict all the time. It’s about finding that balance which is difficult at the start of the journey but gets a lot easier.

Also, yes having a lot of water straight after on a full stomach is not the best feeling so yes I agree to make sure you are well hydrated before the meal and if you drink during the meal this will take up space so you will feel too full to continue eating.

Also as something to ‘do’ when sitting at the table - try sipping a diet soda or save one of your meals such as a protein shake or yogurt bowl to have as dessert rather than having it earlier in the day.

I hope this all helps!

Janet - Thank you for being so understanding all the time!

It’s hard not to be hard on ourselves—it’s just so frustrating NOT doing what I set out to do! I am SO disciplined in so many other areas of my life, it makes me so mad at myself (which doesn’t help, I know!) when I can’t just stop eating when I intend to.

It sounds so ridiculously simple, but apparently it’s not for me! Thank goodness for this group—I probably would have given up if I was on my own. You guys help me to keep going!

Chloe - No problem at all. That is what I am here for!

We are always our own worst critics! Yes I understand this frustration but this perfectionist mindset is not healthy long term during this journey as although you can try your best and plan everything to the extreme staying on track 24/7 at 100% throughout the whole journey will be impossible unless you isolate yourself from the outside world! Haha!

It is about integrating it into your life and changing aspects of your life that no longer suit your goals without eliminating things you still enjoy and are good for the mind such as socialising.

This is a great cohort and you all support each other which is what they are designed for so keep utilising the platform as much as you can!

WEEK 6 - The Process Phase

Weight- 52.2kgs

Janet’s weight loss was falling short of the expected 1% per week drop.

To make sure she stayed on track with her goals her diet plan was changed.

Calories - 1050

Protein - 95

Fat - 40

Carbs - 80

Revised Meal plan:

Meal 1- 3 large whole eggs, 2 rice cakes, 100g berries, 150g untracked veg

Meal 2- 90g chicken, 200g white potato, 150g untracked veg

Meal 3- 150g 0% fat yogurt, 100g berries, 20g almonds

Meal 4- 100g tofu, 50g edamame spaghetti, 150g untracked veg

Janet’s training was progressing well. She wanted to increase the intensity of her weights so we recommended she use straps to improve her grip while executing RDLs and rack pulls.

The straps gave her the support she needed to increase her load by 4.5kgs!

WEEK 7 - The Process Phase

Weight - 51.7kgs

The drop in calories in the revised plan had the desired result.

Not only did Janet fit into a pair of jeans that she had not worn in over a month, she also had extra room at the waist. She had to wear a belt to keep it in place!

Although Janet did indulge in a box of chocolates she balanced it out by sticking to the food she had prepped at two family gatherings.

Being able to steer our own course even while out socialising, is a sign that deep rooted habits are being replaced. It’s a sign that you know what it takes to not just get into the shape of your life but stay in shape for life.

WEEK 10 - The Process Phase

Weight - 51.5kgs

Janet had been away on holiday for a couple of weeks.

But when she returned, she was back on her plan. She was hitting her step target and was making it to all her training sessions.

Her weight loss trajectory was heading in the right direction and she was ready to go all in to get to her goal weight.

To help her stay motivated, she decided to set a goal to lose 10% of bodyweight in 12 weeks.

To help her achieve these targets, Janet focused on getting to her goal weight by 26th Sept. But instead of choosing to book a photoshoot with a professional photographer, she decided that her husband could take some photos.

With this plan in place, Janet was geared up and ready to go!

WEEK 11 - The Process Phase

Weight - 51.1kgs

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Janet, she found herself taking bites from her kids’ foods and emotionally eating.

To help her get back on the saddle, she paused to reflect on what she had learnt about controlling and changing her mindsets around food.

When things get difficult it is helpful to have a few affirmations to bolster your resolve.

These were Janet’s:

“Food does not control me. I chose what I eat.”

“It is all about mindset and what I believe is possible.”

These simple messages helped her stay in control and on track with her goals.

WEEK 14 - The Process Phase

Weight - 51.2kgs

Despite her best intentions, Janet was still having some off plan foods. However, she shifted her focus from resisting her temptations and invariably failing to managing portions and exerting control better.

She even managed to take a bite of a cookie and leave the rest, which was excellent progress.

Getting off the dieting cycle and moving into a lifestyle solution is not just about training, cardio and diet plans. The majority of our members have to first learn to make that shift mentally.

To help her get out of the dieting mindset, Janet used meditation and mindfulness techniques like journaling before bed. This helped her stay grounded and focused on her goals, making it easier to resist cravings and turning to food for comfort.

The results were apparent when she saw that the old clothes in her closet were just getting too big, so much so that she needed to buy new clothes for work.

Also, to help her stay on track with her diet, we brought in some more variety.

Option Meal Plan:

Meal 1- 3 large whole eggs, 2 rice cakes, 20g whey protein powder

Meal 2- 55g Beyond Meat crumbles, 100g white potato, 20g almonds, 150g untracked veg

Meal 3- 100g 0% fat yogurt, 75g whole milk yogurt, 100g berries

Meal 4- 150g tofu, 50g edamame, 150g 150g untracked veg

WEEK 16 - The Process Phase

Weight- 50.6kgs

Janet was so close to reaching her goal, she knew that if she could just stay on course she would reach her goal and then be able to switch out of the fat loss phase and move into building her lifestyle solution. We decided to lock in her Checkpoint date - Oct 1st.

Janet’s work on changing her mindset was paying off, her nutrition adherence continued to improve. She even started throwing away her daughter’s leftovers instead of eating them.

When dining out she made better food choices and picked lean protein and veg for the meal while avoiding dessert.

WEEK 19 - The Process Phase

Weight - 48.1kgs

After a 2 week streak of maintaining 100% nutrition adherence, Janet’s progress accelerated.

She had her goal in sight and she even passed on an oven-baked croissant that her family were eating: something she never thought she would be able to do.

When invited to go to a work dinner, instead of going off plan she ate her prepped meal and joined her colleagues just for the company. Janet found that she wasn’t so food focused anymore, a huge win!

Checkpoint date was pushed to 10th October from the 1st Oct to give her a bit more time to get into great condition.

WEEK 20 - The Process Phase

Weight - 47.7kgs

Now Janet had been adhering to her nutrition plan for 3 straight weeks!

To get her to the finish line she preferred to drop calories rather than increasing activity.

Diet change

Calories - 950

Protein - 85

Fat - 30

Carbs - 85

Meal plan:

Meal 1- 1 large whole egg, 150ml egg whites, 150g mixed veg

Meal 2- 110g low fat cottage cheese, 125g white potato, 150g mixed veg

Meal 3- 100g 0% fat yogurt, 50g whole milk yogurt, 100g berries, 20g almonds

Meal 4- 180g tofu, 50g edamame, 150g mixed veg

WEEK 21 - Checkpoint

Weight - 47.4kgs

After weeks of hard work and determination Janet had reached her goal!

WEEK 22 - Peak Week

Weight - 47.4kgs

To make sure she looked her best for her photoshoot, we provided Janet with a plan for the week prior to the shoot.

A gradual increase in carbs and calories will give you the pump you need to see great muscle definition in a fitness photoshoot.

This was Janet’s Peak Week plan.

WEEK 23 - The Consolidation Phase

Weight - 48.5kgs

The period right after hitting your goal weight can be tricky, you have worked so hard to reach your goal weight and now that you have hit that target, where do you go next?

Most people would think you should just head to Happy Hour and then straight to an all-you-can-eat buffet as a reward.

But that is the worst thing you can do, after a hard diet your body can be really vulnerable. This is why it’s important to not go on a binge. Instead, it’s important to gradually bring your calories up to maintenance and then shift your focus out of weight loss and into building a sustainable lifestyle solution.

Revised Meal Plan

Calories - 1260

Protein - 105

Fats - 40

Carbs - 120

Changes

Training: 3 x week (full body split as usual)

Cardio: 2 x 30 mins

Steps: 10k

Meal plan:

Meal 1 - 3 large eggs, 50g smoked salmon, 150g mixed veg, 20g whey protein powder

Meal 2 - 120g low fat cottage cheese, 125g white potato, 10g almonds, 150g mixed veg

Meal 3 - 150g 0% fat yogurt, 50g whole milk yogurt, 1 apple, 100g berries

Meal 4 - 150g tofu, 30g edamame, ½ cauliflower veggie burger, 150 mixed veg

WEEK 31- The Consolidation Phase

Janet found navigating the first couple of weeks of Consolidation tricky, she was reaching for foods outside her plan and cravings were high. To keep her from undoing all the hard work we decided to slightly increase her calories. A boost in calories would help her feel more satiated, improve her energy levels and elevate her mood.

Revised Meal Plan

Calories - 1460

Protein - 115

Fat - 40

Carbs - 160

Meal plan:

Meal 1 - 3 large whole eggs, 2 rice cakes, 20g whey protein powder, 150g mixed veg

Meal 2 - 90g low fat cottage cheese, ½ link Field Roast Apple Sage Sausage, 50g plain bagel, 10g cream cheese, 1 apple, 150g assorted mixed veg

Meal 3 - 150g 0% fat yogurt, 50g whole milk yogurt, 100g berries

Meal 4 - 150g tofu, 30g edamame, 1 cauliflower veggie burger, 150g mixed veg

WEEK 39 - The Investment Phase

Weight - 52.9kgs

Janet is in such a good place now, she knows exactly what she needs to do to stay on track. She has her lifestyle solution in place, she is in control of her cravings and is no longer food focused when she is out socialising.

This is the dream - to reach a point when you look, feel and perform at your best!

Awesome work, Janet!

Testimonial

Read on to hear what Janet had to say about her RNT journey.

1. What were the series of moments that led to your “trigger” moment to begin your journey with RNT?

I have never felt in real, educated control of my nutrition and body composition. I definitely fell into the “skinny-fat” category and just never felt like I was able to achieve my desired level of leanness.

Despite achieving many challenging goals in my life, I’ve never been able to achieve a physical goal like this. I have gone through many different phases of gym membership, online video programs, and different nutrition strategies that I had patched together half-heartedly.

Not surprisingly, I never got results. On a vacation over Christmas 2021, I got very bad food poisoning and could barely eat for an entire week.

After that horrible episode, I ate too much food thinking I should compensate for what I lost. But this new habit of over-eating continued for months.

Coupled with my yearly tendency to gain weight over the cold winter months (I wouldn’t exercise as much and would seek comfort in eating rich, heavier foods) I had hit a scale weight I was really unhappy with. I was on the cusp of turning 45 years old, and I was watching myself succumb to a body habitus that I just could not tolerate anymore.

Seeing myself in a body that I was not proud of felt terrible every day. I had reached a breaking point where I was ready to go all-in with a comprehensive program that would provide guidance on everything, and for the long haul.

I was well aware that a successful journey would require so much more than any quick-fix program offered.

I was most drawn to the well-thought out phases of the RNT programme. The fact that losing weight was only the very beginning of the journey resonated with what I believed was a holistic approach to fitness. I was convinced that this process, when done well, can truly transform a life.

2. What were your biggest problems before starting RNT?

I am an emotional eater. I crave junk food, especially treats that are sugary and are high in calories.

This is actually still my biggest problem, which will be a big focus for me to work through during consolidation and investment.

But the structure and success of the fat-loss phase has been a major confidence boost.

I know that I CAN achieve what I set out to do for myself.

I now have a much stronger foundation to continue to work on these big issues I have always had with food.

I trust in the RNT process and feel confident that I can actually execute this process, which is HUGE.

This place feels totally different. It has not magically erased the problems that exist, but this stronger relationship with myself will undoubtedly be a better place for me to continue to work on these challenges moving forward.

3. What has the process been like, and the biggest challenges and obstacles?

The process has been continually engaging, supportive, and really energising!

My cohort has been my rock, and the coaches are such a bedrock of experience, education and true support.

I have been in other programs where I feel like an anonymous number, where no one really knows me or cares about whether I’m making progress or floundering.

I was really ready to make this program work for me, so I stepped out of my comfort zone (which was hard and uncomfortable at first), engaged early and often in my cohort, got on as many coaching calls as I possibly could, and started asking more and more questions during these calls, which is not in my nature, but I knew if I engaged more, I would feel more invested in the process and in myself.

I knew it would ultimately be up to ME to make this work, and I wanted to take full advantage of every feature to set myself up for success. All of this engagement continues to play a huge role in how successful this journey has been thus far.

I love the women in my cohort. To be able to share wins and struggles with a group of like-minded people, who understand the minutiae and can relate, is so powerful.

It was challenging to put myself out there, to share my struggles and the many times that I stumbled and fell off the meal plan.

It was embarrassing to admit these things to my cohort and on the calls, but I didn’t want to hide it.

To go all in for me, meant being open, honest, and truly accountable. It was an opportunity to turn these little fails into an opportunity to let it out, let it go, garner support from the group and move on with a wiser mindset having learned from it. Keeping it all a secret would have only perpetuated these stumbling blocks.

It was challenging to initially do the diligent meal-prep that is really an integral part of the process, find time for all of the activity, and still live my busy life. These are now some of the most important parts of my life.

Meal prep is now practically a religion. The cardio, weight-training and steps all get done, otherwise I just don’t feel complete.

This has all become part of a lifestyle. One has to be ready to commit: these things will not fall into your life without effort. But once you make that initial effort and make this process a priority, it will begin to feel like any other integral part of your life.

4. How has the physical been the vehicle?

This process is the first time in my life that I have achieved a physical goal to change my body the way I set out to do. I have never succeeded in this arena before. And this was a goal that I chose just for me.

I have shown myself that I can do hard things, even when the only person really watching is me.

I have proved to myself that I can tackle a big problem in my life, and succeed.

I still have work to do, but I’ve never been in a better position to move forward, and with better support, tools and confidence.

The physical has been the vehicle to trust and believe in myself in ways I never have before.

5. What almost kept you from joining?

I actually first reached out via email to Akash in 2019. I was looking for answers then too, but was in the midst of a different program that I wanted to follow through first.

I knew I needed to be ready to commit 100% for any program to work.

When I hit rock-bottom again at the end of winter last year, I reached out again. And I was very happy when I learned that the programme required a 12 month commitment. I knew this was not in any way geared to be a quick-fix, but rather the true change that I was looking for.