From coach to cut: How a 39-year-old trainer dropped over 6 kg, shredded to 8% body fat, and built a sustainable lifestyle in just 8 weeks with Root Fitness.

This wasn’t just any transformation ... it was mine.

Over 8 weeks, I took myself from 14% body fat to 8.2%, dropping over 6 kg, from just above 80 kg to below 73 kg. The stats are cool, but the story behind it? That’s where the real value lives.

At the start of my journey, I wasn’t happy with the person staring back in the mirror. It wasn’t about how I looked so much as how I felt. I knew I wasn’t operating at my best. I didn’t feel sharp, energised, or confident. So, I set a clear goal and got to work, not just on the body, but on the tools and habits to make lasting change possible.

Building the system

Because I was coaching myself, I had to be both the trainer and the trainee. I built tools to track everything: Calories, macros, weight, sleep, hydration, and more. I knew that consistency would win out over perfection, and that data would help me stay honest—it was a constantly evolving process.

Here’s what my non-negotiables generally looked like:

• 10,000 steps a day.

• 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily to support muscle growth.

• Balanced carbohydrates and fats to support training, recovery, and mood.

• A 4-day upper/lower workout split, focused on hypertrophy and progressive overload.

Being a pescatarian added an extra layer of challenge. Lean protein is harder to come by when chicken and red meat are off the table. It meant more planning, label reading, and experimenting in the kitchen to keep things interesting and in check.

Life happens (and that's the point)

Smack in the middle of this body transformation, I took a trip to Indonesia and managed to stay on track. Not perfectly, but consistently. I stayed active, made smart food choices where I could, and didn’t let a change in environment become an excuse to derail the process.

That trip reminded me that real progress happens when habits are strong enough to hold up in out-of-the-ordinary conditions, not just in the bubble of a routine.

What made the difference?

This wasn’t just about food and training. These things made the real impact:

• A solid support network of people who had my back and "got" what I was doing.

• Hydration and recovery ... massively underrated.

• Building sustainable habits like shopping for the right foods, learning to cook more at home, and finding affordable sources for quality nutrition.

• Keeping my energy high, my hunger low, and my life as stress-free as possible. The goal wasn’t just to get lean, it was to stay lean without making my life miserable.

Final stats in 8 weeks:

• Start: 80.2 kg and 14% body fat.

• End: 73.8 kg and 8.2% body fat.

• Big wins: Confidence, clarity, and a lifestyle that feels good and sustainable.

This process reminded me why I love what I do—change is always possible when you’ve got the right systems and support. If you’re a busy professional in Singapore looking for in-person training or someone seeking online coaching or nutrition support from anywhere in the world, we'd love to help—we've been through it too!

At Root Fitness, we specialise in strength training and hypertrophy, weight loss and weight management, sustainable habit building, personal training in Singapore, and online training and nutrition coaching (worldwide).

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