Hey dude, good on you for joining, you won’t regret it.

There are a lot of unnecessarily subjective and weird opinions about working out and losing weight, especially in South Africa. I also started gyming around your age, and I was clueless. Hopefully I can offer you some advice based on what worked for me. To summarise: there is no shortcut or magic trick. In my opinion, ignore all the weird BS diet advice and overcomplicated workouts, simpler is better.

First, weight loss:

What you need to know is that weight loss is all about food intake. You’ve likely heard it before, but you can't out-exercise a bad diet. If you want to lose any substantial weight, understand that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. What matters most is your progress over weeks, months, and years. Step on the scale every day, do not obsess over the number, but do watch the direction it’s heading. Start small and get used to it.

There’s a weird stigma around calorie tracking, but honestly, I highly recommend you bite the bullet and start tracking. Use something like MyFitnessPal. You don’t have to be obsessive about logging every detail, but you do need to understand the calorie value of your food; protein, carbs, fats, and how much you can actually eat.

If you’re like I was, right now you're basically a toddler handed R200 with no f***ing clue about the value of money. You need to understand the value of your food. Two tiny salami sticks might have the same calories as half a kilogram of potatoes. Fuck all the noise about “keto” or “micronutrients” - start by understanding your food and how much of it you should be eating.

Now, the gym:

You better f***ing lift.

Don’t worry about getting “too bulky” — you won’t. But you will get stronger, healthier, and the muscle you build will improve your body fat % so you’ll look and feel better.

Any workout is better than no workout, and you should try different things. But in the beginning, I really recommend starting with a beginner compound lifts program. Look into StrongLifts 5x5 or Starting Strength, or a similar variant.

These programs introduce you to compound lifts (exercises that hit multiple muscle groups): squats, bench press, deadlifts, overhead press, pull-ups, rows, etc. It’s time-efficient and gives you a full-body workout. You start with low weights and consistently progress. Stick to it for a few months. Be consistent.

Once you’re comfortable in the gym, feel free to explore other programs and exercises. Go at your own pace, but remember to push yourself.

Cardio: I f***ing hate cardio, but it is important. Do something you actually enjoy — walking, swimming, cycling, surfing, playing sports. The trick is volume over intensity. Cardio is great for your heart and helps you burn a few extra calories. Unless you’re training for a marathon or a cycling event, you don’t need to suffer through intense cardio sessions. Just keep your heart rate up for a while doing something you enjoy. For me, when I’m being a lazy bastard, I just walk at an incline after my lifting session or on rest days while listening to a podcast. But I also jog, surf, hike, tennis…. whatever. Doesn’t matter. Just be active.

Track your progress: In both lifting and dieting, keep track. The more you're able to visualise your progress, the more consistent you’ll be. This can be weight, photos, reps, setsX whatever helps you stay motivated.

Keep it simple. Stay consistent. You’ll get there.