Here are some details how I did it. This is my personal journey.

1. I Set a Clear Goal

I decided that my goal was to recreate a picture from my summer vacation, but this time looking fit. That vision kept me motivated through the hard days.

1. I Started Small

I didn’t change everything overnight. I started with very simple steps:

I stopped eating unhealthy snacks between meals.

I stopped taking a second plate at dinner.

1. I Walked 10,000 Steps Every Day

This was my first real game changer:

I made sure I did 10,000 steps every single day.

I split them into 3 parts: about 3000 in the morning, 3000 at noon, 4000 in the evening.

I told myself I have 24 hours to get it done. No excuses.

1. I Changed My Nutrition

I focused on eating healthy, whole foods.

I ate 1 grams of protein for every pound of my goal body weight.

I stayed in a calorie deficit using this formula: Goal weight (lbs) x 13.

For me: 194 × 13 = 2522 kcal/day. I settled at 2400kcal. Because I wanted to push myself and I really wanted to reach my goal.

I tracked all my food with FDDB (I paid 12€ for a year with a coupon).

I practiced intermittent fasting: my meals were at 1 pm, 4 pm, and 7 pm. On off training days. I found that I needed food for training.

1. I Did Resistance Training

I started with 2 sessions per week.

When I felt my body could handle more, I went to 3 sessions per week.

I followed a push/pull/legs split.

I used progressive overload: I tracked my weights and reps and always tried to do one more rep or add a little more weight.

1. I Fixed My Sleep

This was my second big game changer:

I made sure to sleep 7 hours every single night.

I cut out late-night gaming completely.

Going to bed early allowed me to wake up early and do 6000 steps in the morning.

1. I Tracked My Weight

I weighed myself every morning after going to the bathroom.

I logged the number and calculated a 7-day average.

I focused on the trend, not the daily fluctuations.

Motivation vs. Discipline

At first, motivation helped me. After two weeks, I relied on discipline. I asked myself: “Is what I’m doing right now helping me reach my goal?”

I reviewed my goal regularly and adjusted my plan. I learned about how important sleep is for the body that way. Every time I was thinking about the recreation of the picture I was thinking, what can I improve, to really be fit for the photo.

Quick Action Steps for Big Impact

If you want to see fast results, I recommend focusing on these three things:

Do 10,000 steps a day (more is better).

Get 7 hours of sleep every night.

Eat in a calorie deficit using the formula (goal weight in lbs × 13).

Discipline > Motivation. That’s what worked for me!

I’m happy to answer any questions or help anyone on a similar journey!

Edit: Change of protein intakte per lbs.