Sundried Ambassador Kris Hughes' Weight Loss Journey

Weight loss has never really been a goal of mine. Being 6ft 7 I have actually struggled with weight gain for most of my life. However, with hard work, I managed to peak at around 108kg to help with my performance in rugby. Since moving to Dubai, there has always been one thing at the top of my to-do list and that is a sky dive over The Palm! After eventually saving enough and paying the deposit I saw that I must be under 100kg to participate. This started my new, and first ever, weight loss journey. So many people worldwide struggle with their weight, especially losing weight. As a PT I see it on a daily basis so getting to live in their shoes was always going to be an eye-opening experience for me, so here is a tale of how I achieved this and how I felt through the process.

Preparation, commitment and dedication are what made this weight loss journey possible. If you keep true to these three things then weight loss is easy. Most people won't believe it but it can be that easy. I prepared healthy meals and a suitable training plan as well as training times, scheduled small indulgences, calculated calorie expenditure and intake requirements and always kept my eye on the final goal. It may sound like a lot, but in reality this didn’t take long at all and was a small sacrifice to pay for achieving my goals.

The healthy meal prep was my first priority. I kept to a low carb diet but with plenty of vegetables. For each meal that I cooked, I made spares to pack away so that cooking wouldn’t interfere with training and I wouldn’t panic and eat junk when tired. This is one of the most important parts of weight loss. The low carb meals worked wonders for me and tasted amazing so it didn’t affect my energy level at all.

The commitment and dedication not only refers to preparing meals but training on those rough days where you're a bit sore, tired from work, your friends want to go out etc. But keeping focussed on that end goal and knowing you have a time limit keeps you strong to your goals. Plus a 1-hour workout is only about 4% of your day, so there's plenty time to fit one in. For instance, a 500 calorie cross-trainer workout is achievable in under 40 minutes so that’s even less time! This exercise was one of my most utilised. If I was tired, I would just put Netflix on my phone, select an episode, and cross-trainer or cycle away until it was done. Circuits were usually done before this or in the mornings where I had more energy and focus on the techniques.

Was the process boring? Not at all. I still went out with friends. I still had the odd treat but it was all in moderation. I scheduled one night out and once or twice a week I would allow myself a small chocolate bar or something of that sort, something to look forward to and keep me focussed/sane. Removing all your treats completely can demoralise you and run a large risk of a relapse and over-indulging in junk food. 

Overall, I must have scheduled light training 5-6 days a week, sometimes 2 sessions, but steady-paced work just to keep the calories burning off. Safe to say the system worked! And I cleared my target weight with ease! If I can do it…anyone can. So don’t settle for excuses on being overweight or struggling to lose a few pounds. If you set your mind to it, you can achieve almost anything. The human body and mind is an incredible thing if you use it right.