In early 2020, before lockdown; before vaccinations; before the whole world had come to an abrupt stand-still, Sid was laid up in hospital recovering from a bad bout of Covid.

Although he was safely on the road to recovery, he was still struggling. His lungs were working only at 80% capacity and there had been a few moments when he had feared for his life.

At that point of time, Sid found himself thinking: would it have been different if he had lived a healthier lifestyle and made his own well-being a priority?

His doctors cautioned him and said that he may never get back his full lung capacity. And to maintain the current state of his health he had to be more active and go out for walks.

“I felt so helpless and lost! I was reflecting on all the bad decisions I had made. I had never been negligent before so at what point had I completely let go and lost control of my own health?”

The Turning Point

Determined to stack the odds in his favour the next time he was hit by any serious illness, Sid turned to the internet for information on how to improve his health.

“There is so much information out there and I tried to follow along but it was too overwhelming. I didn’t know what to follow or what plan was right for my circumstances. That’s when I decided to turn to the experts, there was only so much I could achieve when going down the DIY route.”

One evening, while looking for fitness programmes, Sid came across RNT. While he was impressed with what he saw, one part of his mind was rather sceptical. The results seemed almost too good to be true!

“At first, I thought they were all just stock photos. But as I listened to more of the podcasts and read more of the stories on the website, I started to see that there was something special about the RNT programme.

When reading through the wealth of free information available on the website I realised that this was a company with a purpose beyond just beach body physiques and I was finally convinced.”

Some Challenges And Wins

When Sid started his RNT journey in Oct 2021, he literally hit the ground running.

“I was so excited at the beginning! I was so keen to start and learn how to actually implement all the various aspects of the programme into my daily routine.

The hardest part was we went on holiday in the first week after starting RNT. And at first I was concerned about how I could follow the plan while in a hotel with a child and eating out everyday!

But then the coaches supported me throughout the process, they showed me exactly what to do and how to implement strategies when life gets in the way.”

Sid learnt early on that his nutrition had to be on point if he wanted to see immediate results.

“When life got busy and I had to choose between training and meal prep, I would always prioritise my meals. I learnt to not focus on the things I couldn’t control but instead gave all my attention to those variables that I could control.”

Sid learnt to find little ways to add steps into his day. He chose to walk his son to school instead of driving and took a slightly longer route back home to get in a few more steps.

While he did try to stick to the plan as best as he could, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. There were times when Sid felt quite overwhelmed by everything he had to do and found himself slipping into his old habits.

Sid knew that to stick to the programme, he needed to have a solid ‘why’ that would keep him grounded and focused on his mission to improve his health.

“At those times, I forced myself to stop and ask myself the hard questions and truly analyse the reasons behind my choices, that way I was able to stop myself from making a choice I would later regret.”

Steering Through The Grind

The few weeks before hitting Checkpoint are arguably the most intense. At that time calories are so low that every step seems to require every ounce of willpower.

“I had to go through Diwali and then Christmas while on a fat loss phase and at that time I had to tell myself that this wasn’t going to be forever. It was just for a short period of time and as long as I kept my eyes on the prize it would soon be over and I would have achieved something I could feel truly proud of.”

To help him navigate through this tough phase, Sid needed the support from his friends and family.

“My immediate family were very supportive. They saw that I was serious and committed and respected my choices. And after a while, people got used to it. I came to realise that in all honesty, people don’t really pay that much attention.

At best you are just an extra in someone else’s movie, so why worry about what they think? All you have to do is focus on your own movie.”

Finding Your Sweet Spot

The period of time after hitting your goal weight can be really tricky!

Suddenly, there is no golden moment to aspire to. You have to shift gears from fat loss into maintenance and this is when the road can get rather slippery.

It’s a time when a lot of people rebound undoing months of hard work!

After Checkpoint, you have a little bit more freedom. You can enjoy yourself when out with friends. But you have to keep yourself in check so one meal out doesn’t become a week of binge eating.

“To make sure I didn’t have a nasty rebound, I kept most of my meals the same.

With the small increase in calories, things started getting a bit easier.

I was lifting more weight; I was feeling great about myself and had more energy. While I was not as visibly lean I had hit my sweet spot and loved it!”

RNT Vs Personal Trainers

What makes RNT different from working face to face with a PT on the gym floor?

Sid had worked a few PTs before and wondered how it would be to work with a fitness company that was purely online.

“Before signing up, I had wondered how it would be communicating to people through the computer. But once I started the programme all my doubts were cleared. The coaches were there whenever I needed them; while PTs in the gym are only available during that 1 hour session.

I firmly believe that I wouldn’t have been able to get my amazing results without the coaching team’s simple and practical advice.

The weekly coaching calls were so beneficial and speaking to other members of my cohort helped me feel like I wasn’t battling it all on my own.

I loved reading through the curriculum and listening to all the podcasts. I have consistently improved my understanding of training and nutrition and although it’s been a year since I signed up, I still have so much more to learn and that is exciting!”

The Physical Is The Vehicle

Through his RNT journey, Sid says his mindset has changed so much.

“Before RNT, I was more than 80 kgs. While I was thinking about training, I only went to the gym once a week.

Now, I sit down and introspect and think about what I want to prioritise in my life.

I ask myself, how do I want to feel 10 years from now? What does 50 year old Sid wish he did now?

These questions keep me on my path to optimum health and I have my RNT blueprint as a constant guide.”

The Podcast

To learn more about Sid’s impressive journey towards regaining control of his overall health and well-being tune into Ep 301 on RNT Fitness Radio.

Sid goes into detail about what his motivations were to sign up and what strategies he used to get to his goal.

Be sure to give it a listen, you’re sure to find it interesting.

Video Case Study

To watch a short case study video with Sid, head over to our YouTube channel by clicking here.