Sam before and after his dramatic weight loss. Photo / Supplied
Sam before and after his dramatic weight loss. Photo / Supplied
Standing with his chest bare and wearing nothing but a pair of black jocks, it took Sam Walker-Goldsmith two weeks to decide whether or not he would upload a before and after photo of himself.
In the first image, the 22-year-old retail manager weighs 160kg. He's at his biggest, with "no confidence" and "no desire to achieve anything".
The second image is six months later, and more than 50kg lighter. It's a transformation that required the man from Birkdale in Queensland to overhaul his life, diet and exercise — but not opt for surgery, reports news.com.au.
"I based a lot of how I was feeling on my appearance," Sam said. "So, I decided to do something about it."
Joining fitness program F45, Sam said the first two weeks of his training were the toughest.
"To say this class wasn't one of the hardest things I've ever done physically, would be a lie," he said.
"The class had me vomit three times and not want to ever go back. But I ended up going back and really thought about what I wanted to achieve in my fitness journey.
Sam before and after his 51kg weight loss. Photo / Instagram
"Within the first two weeks of just training while eating minimal food … I lost 10kg."
Sam, who now documents his ongoing transition on Instagram, decided to kickstart his transformation by doing an eight week body challenge which required him to follow a set eating plan, and train at least four or five times a week for 45 minutes.
"Going into the challenge I thought the hardest part was going to be the training," he said.
"Oh boy, I was in for a shock. Changing your lifestyle isn't as easy as I thought, and sticking to a clean and healthy meal plan for two months after coming off fast food was probably one of the toughest mental decisions I've ever made.
"This is where I soon realised that for me losing weight isn't only a physical experience, it's a mental fight daily to achieve your goals.
Sam dropped 21kg after his first eight weeks on the program. Photo / Supplied
He said it took a month in to the challenge before a change in his mentality was made, and the shift in his weight started to happen.
"I started doing double sessions (45 minutes each)," Sam said. "I would do seven to 12 sessions a week, and by week eight, I was doing 15 sessions within a six-day period."
The challenge, which gives participants a meal plan to follow each week to get rid of water retention, eliminate sugar cravings and build muscle mass usually expects a five-day minimum for workouts, which are 45 minutes in duration.
The workouts focus on functional training and involve exercises like rowing, dead lifts, planks, squats and pushing weights.
According to Sam, by the end of the first eight weeks, he'd lost a staggering 21kg before jumping on board and doing a second body challenge.
Sam said the first session left him throwing up. Photo / Supplied
"These eight weeks were definitely a lot easier than the first. I loved the food, the foods I hated like green beans etc I now enjoyed. The training I loved, smashing sessions out,' he said.
Lunch: chicken and goat's cheese zucchini salad or broccoli and cauliflower pilaf with chicken strips or Chinese pork and bok choy stir-fry
Afternoon tea: protein almond shake or celery with tzatziki or an orange and 12 almonds
Dinner: veggie mash with grilled fish or pepper steak with spinach and avocado salad or pesto chicken with roasted vegetables
An example of what Sam would eat for dinner now, compared to a life of fried food he once consumed when he was 51kg heavier. Photo / Supplied
While satisfied with his progression, Sam says he still hasn't reached his goal weight loss target.
"My frustration with how I looked, drives my ambition and desire even more to achieve more, become faster, stronger, fitter and leaner," he said.
"Over the past six months I've had some doubts and days where things didn't go to plan. But from where I am right now, there is still a long way to go before I'm going to look in the mirror and be satisfied. But I'm looking forward to that day.
