On a summer’s day in July 2018, Diksesh was in his bathroom staring intensely at the man reflected on the mirror in front of him.

He’d just returned from a few weeks away in Thailand, which meant a few too many beers, and a few too many indulgences. And he was paying the price. Again.

His borderline diabetes was in danger of becoming the real thing. His blood pressure was out of control. Worst of all, his gout had completely flared up. As he endured the pain of what felt like a glass shard being pushed into his foot and knee, tears streamed down his face.

It all clicked for Diksesh now. It was time.

He continued to stare down the man he saw in the mirror, leaned in, and said, “You cannot carry on like this.” This was the defining moment in his journey. The pain in his body was so great it became unbearable, and he realised that if he didn’t change his ways, he was on the short path to going six foot under.

The stats were clear, and his genetics didn’t favour him. He had a family history of early heart attacks, and he was on track to follow suit. But that meant being unable to watch his two sons grow up, and to leave behind a family that he loved and cared for more than anything else in his world.

Diksesh wasn’t going to let this happen.

Everyone’s switch comes on at a different time, and this ‘lightbulb’ moment f ultimately triggered the incredible transformation that culminated in him losing just under 50kg at the age of 50.

Fast forward 12 months, and Diksesh can’t even recognise the man in the mirror. The man who’d plagued him for years now brought a smile to Diksesh’s face. He was a new man.

Borderline diabetes, gone. Gout, gone. Cholesterol, gone. His health markers had all normalised, he’s leaner than most 20-somethings, and he’s in the shape of his life.

In his own words, “I’d spent 49 years living terribly – food, drink, excess, you name it – then putting in 12 months of brutal hard work, to now unlock 50 years extra of bliss.”

Hard Beginnings

Growing up in a notoriously tough council estate in London, life didn’t start easy for Diksesh. He was frequently mugged, beaten and bullied for little reason. But where life was difficult for Diksesh was at home, which he dives into here:

DP: My father wasn’t well. But let’s not make any bones about it – he was an abusive alcoholic, and he beat on my mother regularly. So I thought, I need to protect my mother somehow, let me get as big as I can, and hopefully one day I’ll be big and strong enough to hold him back. I was only 15 years old at the time. All I cared about was finding a solution to this, and gave no thought whatsoever to my own health.

Childhood scars can have a lasting impact on your habits, behaviours and actions. For Diksesh, his eating habits continued into his 20s, and even after his father’s passing in 1993, he didn’t stop. He was now working within investment banking in the City, and his shelled personality strengthened in childhood meant he approached networking and socialising in a highly introverted manner. In an effort to combat this, he used food and drink as a clutch, and fell victim to the city lifestyle.

By the time the millennium turned, Diksesh was 120kg, and he then spent a decade fluctuating between 105kg and 120kg during various yo-yo attempts of losing some weight. When he approached us in the middle of 2018, he was at the tail end of one of these attempts, and so began his RNT journey at 105kg. 15kg down, 35kg to go.

DP: I was yo-yoing for a decade, and I just couldn’t sustain the period of what I now know as the Consolidation Phase. It all stemmed from the lack of understanding I had of both my own body and my food ecology. It wasn’t a nice place to be. It felt like any habit I tried to build slipped, and that feeling that I had to diet (and then fail) forever. What I realised was that I needed habits and systems that worked for me, rather than against me, and that could work for my busy lifestyle as an active father and entrepreneur.

Building the Systems

Starting the journey of losing close to 50kg is overwhelming to say the least. There’s no immediate light at the end of the tunnel , and there’s no guarantee of even reaching the other side. It’s a long, dark and difficult road ahead, and one that can’t be travelled without the right systems, structures and strategies in place. With these 3Ss, and without key habits, it’s impossible.

These habits, when you’re 120kg and in a world of pain, aren’t easy to grasp. And it requires a real shift in mentality of how you approach them. Instead of thinking ‘I need to do 10,000 steps a day to get leaner and healthier’, Diksesh’s approach was to start reframing everything into the context of his why, and connecting to them. For example, ‘I need to do 10,000 steps to stay alive for my children’. All of a sudden, getting up early for a walk doesn’t feel as difficult!

When the goal is so large, there’s something to be said for little steps, and gathering as much momentum as possible through implementation of all these habits and the 3Ss. You have to keep your why connected to everything you do, and remember it at every checkpoint.

In Diksesh’s journey, this allowed him to drop weight rapidly and finish 2018 at 85kg. 35kg down, 15kg to go. Specks of light at the end of the tunnel were beginning to form, and he was well on his way to changing his life for the greater good.

“I first signed up with RNT on 1st April 2018, but I wasn’t in the right place mentally to really commit. While I knew I wanted to change then, I’d yet to have the mirror moment which ultimately catapulted me into the real momentum I badly needed. I had zero support from everyone around me, and a bunch of nay-sayers who loved to point their fingers and question what I was doing. I was stuck at 105kg and my mind, body and community all desperately wanted me to push back up to the comfort of 120kg. At this point the lack of self-belief was affecting my ability to change. I just didn’t see how I could drop this weight. But when that summer’s day realisation happened, something changed inside of me. All of a sudden, the doubters didn’t bother me, and I was able to shut off the devil in my head who kept prodding me back up to my heaviest. My time had come, and now getting up at 5am to train, do my steps and cardio wasn’t an issue. What I really gained this time that I lacked before was high levels of accountability through my coach and the check in process. After 8 weeks of kickstarting RNT, I was addicted. My body was going into metabolic overdrive. The fat was melting off, and I knew I was onto something different here with RNT. It was time to kick the devil where it hurt and knock him down. Only this time he wasn’t going to get back up – it was my turn to win.”

Battling Scars During Three Hell Weeks

There’s something to be said for the place your mind goes into when you push your body to the absolute maximum. You can do a lot of quality introspective work and personal development when you’re placing yourself under (good) physical pain. There is no better example of this than during ‘The Grind’ period of a fat loss phase, which typically lasts anywhere between 3 and 6 weeks. It’s where we ‘pull the pin’ and ‘drop the hammer’ to make a transformation go from good to great.

For Diksesh, his time to really grind came six weeks away from his goals, and more specifically, in the final three weeks, or as Diksesh now refers to as the three hell weeks! The details of what it entailed isn’t what’s important here. What’s been transformative is the effect it’s had on Diksesh’s mind. These hell weeks have allowed him to dive deep into his inner psyche, reflect on his life, and deal with many of the scars he accumulated during his childhood upbringing. Rather than carry the mental baggage of 50 years, Diksesh went to his very core to neutralise his emotions around his events, come to terms with his father, and become crystal clear about what he wanted his next 50 years to look like.

In his mind, this was never about the physical. It was merely a vehicle to the greater good, and enabling him to live a better life doing what he loves most with the people he loves most. In order to do so though, he needed to shed 50kg of physical bodyweight and 50 years of mental scars.

There’s no experience quite like grinding hard to a fat loss checkpoint, and it never fails to amaze all of us at RNT just how transformative it can be to all aspects of life. The lessons, insights and growth make the physical pain you have to go through worth it a hundred times over.

DP: I found a single mindedness that I had never felt before in my 50 years of living. I was completely focused on the goal I had in mind, and achieved a level of introspection I didn’t think was possible. I must have re-lived every major pain point in my life and spent time now callousing over it. It was my ‘me’ time to callous the mind, a phrase I took from one of my favourite books ‘Can’t Hurt Me’ by David Goggins. I listened to this book four times during the three hell weeks. Goggins book kept me going. I felt many similarities in his struggles, mindset and ability to continue against all odds in life, and that resonated on a level I’d not experienced from a book before. My mind was in such dark places at times that I found myself wiping the tears from my eyes while on the Stair Master. Everybody needs this time to introspect, to dive deep into your inner core, and to face all the pain you may be running away from in fear of the consequences.

In these last three weeks, which I know sounds extreme, but when you’ve dropped over 40kg and need a few more still, it requires the extreme! I had to break it down into one step, one LISS session, one workout, and one day, just to keep me going. No one in my circles believed I could do it. I had haters everywhere, except for one place: the RNT Family. The support I gained from them was unbelievable, and this would not have been possible with every single one of them. The daily words of encouragement from people all over the world was something truly special.

Ultimately, the three hell weeks meant I had abs in the first time in my life. A former 120kg 49 year old man had transformed into a 71kg conditioned 50 years young stud! This made me realise I could simply do anything life.

A Booming Business

You only need to spend 5 minutes with Diksesh to see just how confident he’s become. The shy, introverted man of his 20s, 30s and early 40s has disappeared. Having left the banking world 3 years ago to be a full time entrepreneur (after 25 years of running businesses on the side), Diksesh’s business success reached a tipping point this year. This isn’t a surprise. When you place an intense, single minded focus on yourself, it naturally reflects outwards. Pushing your body to the limit requires that focus, and by showing everyone the value you place on your body and mind, it creates confidence in your work and what you do.

DP: What can I say, this was completely unexpected. I suddenly created an aura within myself that reflected outwards, and I don’t know where it came from! It feels great. I’m the same but different, and people have noticed it. Life will never be the same, and I love that. It feels like I’ve begun an entirely new chapter of my life. My business is now on a whole new level. Having a single-minded laser beam on my health somehow created a focus on my business. My strategy was crystal clear, new clients were seeing the differences, and people were asking what the hell I was up to!

Muscle Building at 50 Years Young

It’s no easy feat to build muscle. Not the least at 50 years young, where through a year of training like an animal, Diksesh was able to build muscle and lose body fat through his journey. The gym was his temple and his hour of therapy, and it reflected in his work ethic inside the four walls. Heavy presses, countless sets of one arm rows, and brutal sets on the leg press meant that by the time he’d lost 50kg, he was left with an athletic, strong physique. The irony being that what triggered his weight gain in the first place was to become the strong and muscular person he’d now become. Diksesh had come in full circle.

For any men in particular reading this, how are these for quads?! They say it’s leg day that separates the men from the boys, and it’s clear to see what side Diksesh is on!

No Excuses

The biggest inspiration drawn from Dikseshs’s story is how he’s dismissed all excuses. Anyone with a special snowflake syndrome may need to think twice and have their bubble burst when they hear what he’s accomplished.

Active father? Check.

Multiple businesses? Check.

Age? Check.

Health issues? Check.

Social commitments? Check.

Time is the same for everyone, and it ultimately depends on what you value, and how you align your priorities. One thing for sure is being ‘too busy’, or having a lack of time is never an excuse for not taking charge of your mental and physical health. It’s too important to neglect, and if you throw being ‘too busy’ at the problem, you’ll only be ‘too busy’ trying to solve it later.

DP: In the past I simply gave up and made too many excuses. Not this time. I was held accountable to a coach who I trusted implicitly, and I didn’t want to let him or myself down. Any excuse I found, my coach had an answer. I had my ‘why’ firmly placed at the front of my mind, and I simply did not want to let go. I wanted to prove to myself I was the real deal. I wanted to be a proud father and someone my boys could look up to. This is a non-negotiable for me after my childhood, and spurred me on through my darkest days. I now feel 10 years younger, and I’m constantly bouncing around like Tigger! And it’s all because I said no to excuses. I had no knowledge on how to transform my body, but that was a god send. It allowed me to completely focus on the process and execution of my coach’s orders. If you’re reading this, remember, we all have it within ourselves to create something special of ourselves.

The Return to Asia

It all started for Diksesh upon his return from Thailand in the summer of 2018. Having experienced his lowest moment in front of the mirror shortly after the trip, Diksesh’s journey went full circle exactly a year later, as he travelled back to South East Asia with his family.

Three months after his photoshoot, and having successfully consolidated his results – something he’d never been able to do in decades of trying, he was back in Asia, but now standing on the beach in a pair of red trunks, and flaunting his results! A complete 180 for him, and no better way to mark a truly life changing transformation

DP: As I sat on the plane travelling to Asia, memories of last year in Thailand came rushing back. I remember feeling bloated, overweight and in pain. This time was a different story – I felt like a million bucks! To stand on a beach with my small red trunks was a proud and confident day for me. It felt amazing. Self confidence is sometimes understated, especially body confidence. It makes all the difference, even an increase in 1%! For years I was told I need to eat less and the old favourite of ‘you look fat and ugly’. It took its toll on me, and it nearly cost me my life. Life as I know it will never be the same. Ever. And the best lesson I’ve learnt is that you have to take control of yourself, otherwise someone else surely will.

To listen to one of most impactful podcasts we’ve ever recorded, tune in to Episode 76 of RNT Fitness Radio where we sat down with Diksesh straight after his #50by50 photoshoot:

Watch Diksesh’s thoughts on his journey, which was recorded at our Christmas Meet Up in November 2018 (approx.15kg away from his leanest at this point) here.

Stats & Pictures:

Starting Bodyweight: 120kg

Leanest Bodyweight: 71kg

Starting Waist Size: 38 inches

Leanest Waist Size: 28 inches

This is a picture comparing Diksesh’s heaviest to his leanest (120kg to 71kg):

This is from the last year where Diksesh started with RNT (105kg to 71kg):

Testimonial:

I am a Business Mentor/Coach and serial entrepreneur. I am Founder & CEO of Lighthouse Capital, a company forged on the principles of Honesty, Transparency and ultimate Integrity.

I am a father of 2 young boys and have run multiple businesses. I lost my father at a very young age (he was 51 years old at the time), which really made me grow up faster than I would have wanted. Having worked within the Investment Banking arena for over 25 years, I found life just got away from me and noticed my body struggling some 3 years ago. Having frequent gout attacks, high cholesterol, onset of diabetes together with real pain in my body I decided that I simply did not want to die when I had not even reached 50 years!.

In October 2017, I decided to undertake some DNA, blood & urine tests as the first measure to find out the current state of my health, which really opened my eyes up. It was at this stage I came across RNT Fitness, having seen some amazing results from two of my good friends Akash Desai and Shiv Haria, that’s when I thought there must be something in this and decided I wanted to work with RNT Fitness. The crazy thing was, I signed up in April 2018, but physically did not kick start my RNT journey until August 2018 – I call these the lost months.

When I joined, I remember suggesting I would be happy with a 10/15 Kg drop. At this early stage I simply did not have the self belief that I could drop even 10 Kilos, let alone the subsequently amazing results that have come through. At the time, the team even gave me some ballpark numbers for my shredded weight and even mentioned that I could even get to a 28 inch waist – which I politely laughed off. Well, I can safely say that RMT was 100% right in saving my life.

All my health markers are now stable, with diabetes, cholesterol and gout all gone. I can safely say that I have been given a second wind in my life, having recently turned 50 I now look forward to the 2nd chapter in my life. RNT Fitness, lead by the able Akash Vaghela, I simply say they are the most caring bunch of people I have ever had the pleasure of working with – life changers. The process, systems and accountability they provide their members continue to inspire and change people’s lives. The support is incredible and goes above and beyond the call of duty.

Feels great to feel young again and full of energy. Not only have I improved my life as a Coach/Mentor, my business has exploded, and as RNT puts it, the ‘Physical is the Vehicle’ for great immeasurable things in life. For those who want to find a way to boost the value of their life, RNT is the way, they are simply priceless.