Aadil Baig, 41, a support services manager in the private care/retirement living industry from London, UK, has been on a weight-loss journey before. But his initial success with getting into shape disappeared eight years ago when he developed debilitating hip pain. Aadil could no longer continue his usual gym and diet, causing him to regain the weight he initially lost. Despite dealing with chronic pain, Aadil decided to restart his weight-loss efforts with guidance from his doctors and trainer. Learn how he lost 115 pounds and overcame his circumstances.
LIFE COMPLETELY CHANGED for me in 2018 when I experienced a sudden onset of debilitating hip pain. I had to have major hip surgery in February 2020 but unfortunately, the surgery wasn’t successful. My health worsened. I was living with chronic pain on top of a degenerative disc disease, gastric issues I’ve had since childhood, a ligament issue, and a ruptured plantar fascia. My energy levels became extremely low.
Mentally, I was in a difficult place. The healthy eating habits I had just spiraled. I lost all common sense when it came to portion control and would often have high-calorie meals delivered to me for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’d eat more than one meal at a time in addition to constant snacking. There was no more structure, no more awareness of calories, or macros. Years ago, I joined Ultimate Performance gym and lost around 70 pounds in seven months. And in about a year, I’d regained all the weight that I’d lost.
The hardest part was not just gaining that weight back but knowing I’d lost my achievement of getting in shape. I felt like I’d let myself slip. I was deeply unhappy. It got to a point where I genuinely couldn’t look at myself in the mirror. That was when I knew something had to change.
Why Willpower Wasn’t Enough
MY DOCTOR WAS very clear: losing weight would help reduce the pressure on my hip. Once my health was in a more stable place, I decided to transform myself again. This time, however, it wouldn’t be just about losing weight. I wanted to prove to myself that I could still take control of my health even when life goes sideways.
When I lost weight the first time around, I relied on motivation and sheer willpower. This time, I needed more. Motivation simply wasn’t enough. I needed to approach this weight-loss journey with more structure and discipline. One thing was certain: if I’d lost weight once, I could do it again.
I went back to Ultimate Performance and met my trainer Dan. They weighed me and I was classified as severely obese at 260 pounds. My body fat weight was over 91 pounds.
The initial emphasis was on structure. With expert guidance from Dan, I built structure into training, nutrition, and routine. The goal was to keep everything simple and repeatable.
Structure, Structure & More Structure
I PREVIOUSLY LOST weight with a heavy focus on cardio rather than resistance training. This time I focused on high-intensity resistance training three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays). With my hip and back issues, I couldn’t train recklessly. I needed every session tailored to keep my health problems from exacerbating while still providing a meaningful challenge. For example, hack squats and deadlifts were always the most challenging because of my back and knee issues. More than any specific exercise, though, the biggest benefit came from learning to push past my discomfort (that wasn’t pain). That’s where the real progress happened.
In terms of diet, I shifted toward high-protein meals built around lean chicken, prawns, rice, and vegetables. Protein became the foundation of every plate because it kept me fuller for longer. It also preserved muscle while I lost fat. I also focused on maintaining a calorie deficit while limiting portions of carbs and fats.
My typical day involves multiple protein shakes, lean protein meals, and very minimal processed carbs. It was repetitive but that’s what made it effective. One surprise was how much I enjoyed the consistent approach of eating the same meals. I learned that when your body starts feeling better, you begin to crave foods that make you feel good.
Why Consistency, Not Motivation, Was Key
THE JOURNEY I’VE had with Dan has been genuinely life-changing. More than anything, I’ve learned that consistency and execution for training and diet are everything. Working with Dan made me accountable. I knew someone was tracking my progress, reviewing my food, and expecting me to show up.
It wasn’t always easy. There were plenty of mornings when I was tired, sore, hungry, or stressed from work. On the days, I wasn’t working with Dan, there were times when I had to talk myself out of being too tired or unmotivated to exercise. I always defaulted back to the promise I made myself: to follow my plan regardless of how I felt that day.
Consistency is key. Motivation is unreliable. It’s discipline that changes your life.
My other challenge was patience. I live in a world where everyone wants instant gains, myself included. Yet there were weeks where the numbers on the scale barely moved—despite doing everything right. Still, I chose to trust the process and focus on daily habits rather than chasing immediate results.
Why I’m Not Done Yet
ULTIMATELY, I LOST about 115 pounds in under 10 months. I’m around 145 pounds now.
When you’re living with chronic pain, it’s easy to feel limited. This process completely changed that mindset. Transforming my body gave me resilience, confidence, and a belief that I’m still in control of how far I push myself despite ongoing health challenges. More than anything, I trust myself again because I’ve proven I can rebuild from a difficult place.
Next, I’m focused on building muscle while maintaining a lean physique. I’m looking forward to increasing my calories in a controlled way and continuing to train with the same level of discipline.
To anyone who wants to improve their fitness, I say: start before you feel ready. Once you stop debating a weight transformation and commit to following it through daily, everything becomes much simpler. You don’t need the perfect plan—you just need one you can stick to.
Looking back now, I see that my transformation wasn’t really about losing 115 pounds. It was about proving to myself that I was capable of doing something extraordinarily difficult and seeing it through.
Lisa is an internationally established health writer whose credits include Good Housekeeping, Prevention, Men’s Health, Oprah Daily, Woman’s Day, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire, Glamour, The Washington Post, WebMD, Medscape, The Los Angeles Times, Parade, Health, Self, Family Circle and Seventeen. She is the author of eight best-selling books, including The Essentials of Theater.
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