Latest / This Is My Journey | The GLP-1 Podcast / S1 E9: Life After the 50kg Loss — The Reality of What Comes Next (with Brandon Gee @brangetsfit)

Transcript

S1 E9: Life After the 50kg Loss — The Reality of What Comes Next (with Brandon Gee @brangetsfit) · This Is My Journey | The GLP-1 Podcast

• 0:00
  Today on This Is My Journey, we are diving into the part of transformation that doesn't get talked about enough. What happens when the weight comes off? So here in the UK, it's estimated that around 1.4 million people are now accessing GLP-1 medications privately through online pharmacies. And that is compared to just around 200,000 who are getting it through the NHS every single month.
• 0:18
  So that is a sign of how people are now taking back control of their health. But it also highlights something really important. While the medication, you know, can help you lose weight, it's what comes after that truly defines, you know, your health and confidence and your future. Because the journey just doesn't end when the scale stops moving. And in many ways, that is where it really starts. So my guest today knows this better than anyone. So let's roll the intro and get into it.
• 0:49
  Welcome to This Is My Journey, the podcast where real people share real stories of transformation, resilience, and growth. I'm Mark, and after navigating my own path through major lifestyle change, I created this space to open up honest conversations around identity,
• 1:06
  mindset and what it really takes to evolve. So along the way we'll also hear from professionals you know from pharmacists to psychologists and fitness experts who help us make sense of the science and support behind these journeys. So whether you're just starting out deep in the process or you're finding your footing after big change you are not alone. This is your place, this is my journey, let's walk it together.
• 1:34
  Welcome back everyone. And today I'm joined by someone whose journey has inspired many people online on TikTok and Instagram, including myself, Brandon G, known by most of you as Brand Gets Fitter. Brandon's story is a reminder that transformation isn't a straight line. So after losing 50 kilos, which is around eight stone, on a GLP-1, he's continued to evolve, shifting his focus from weight loss to strength, confidence, and just overall wellness.
• 2:03
  He shares openly about the challenges of this journey, body image and the mental shift that comes massively with transformation. And today we're going to talk about life after the loss when you're nearly at goal or on maintenance and how to rebuild, refocus. Just keep growing long after you hit that goal weight.
• 2:23
  So Brandon, thank you so much for joining me today. That's my pleasure. Thank you for having me, Mark. And I've seen your journey online. And like you said, it's a massive inspiration. So also thank you for having me. It's a pleasure to be on today.
• 2:35
  Oh, thank you so much. For anyone who hasn't yet come across your page or doesn't know you at this point, I know many people will know you because you're everywhere on social media. Could you start maybe telling us just a little bit about you, about yourself? What's inspired you to, you know, start sharing your journey online and where you are today in terms of being on a GLP One?
• 2:54
  Of course. So for you who don't know, my name is Brandon. I started originally back in January of this year, so only 10 months ago. And it all started from, it's quite a strange story, but I was sitting in my car and I was with my partner and she was like, you need to sleep. And I was like, I know I've been thinking about getting tattoos for a really, really long time. She was like,
• 3:16
  no, Brandon, you need to get a sleeve. And I was like, what do you mean? And I felt so upset and I felt so hurt. And it was really the first time anyone's ever actually said, you know what, Brandon, you really need to lose weight. And at first I was upset and I was sad. And I was like, how can you say this to me? But over time I was like, you know what?
• 3:34
  you might be onto something here. And it is definitely time where I do make a change. And at that time, I was like, look, I don't really want to go straight into the bariatric options. I've had family members who have done it. I know it works well, and they've never had problems. And I'm always very open-minded. But I sat there and I said, look,
• 3:50
  let me look in to see if there is any alternatives. And I saw all different options at the time for GLPs, and I didn't really know much about them. So I was like, let me do some more research. And that's obviously when I found a certain GLP. And I started from there on the 16th of January. And then I said, you know what? I'm just going to hold myself accountable.
• 4:08
  If I don't do this, and I told people, my mom, family members, my partner, I'm going to die this time. I'm going to lose weight. And every single time they're like, I'm so sick of you saying this. So I decided to open my TikTok account and I just started posting. And at the beginning, it was just updates, like how my life is going, like how I'm reacting. And slowly over time, people started saying, hey, can you post more about this? Or like, what happened with this? And eventually I just started posting and posting and posting. And yeah.
• 4:33
  it got to the point where it was the first message I ever got, where it was like, hey dude, I started this because I saw your video. And at the point it wasn't like, I want to do this and get so many followers and things, but it was just that one person I knew I helped. The one single person, the followers didn't matter, the likes didn't matter, the one person I saw and I was like, this is what I want to do. So I started at that point and then I started losing weight. Since then I've lost eight stone on GLP ones. Since my highest weight, I've lost over 10 stone.
• 5:03
  And I did put a little bit on recently, but I'm sure we'll get into that a bit. No, that's crazy. And Joanne, I can relate so much to what you're saying there in terms of, you know, we all, I think we all have that moment at the very, very start sort of catalyst that sort of led us to starting on this journey. And you took that well, the comment at the start from your partner, but... I didn't let it start. I promise you that, Mark. When I was in the car, I almost told me to get out on the motorway, honestly. Yeah.
• 5:28
  you've done absolutely amazing and losing like 50 kilos like that's madness what has been the most surprising part of life after losing that the most surprising part for me Mark if I'm completely honest with you is
• 5:44
  There are certain things, obviously, that bother the image and fitting in clothes and all that is so exciting because I can actually go high street shopping and not like, like buying stuff, you know. But the main thing was noticing that I don't get out of breath at work. And that was the biggest one for me because I remember my job is very physical. I've never actually said it. So I'm going to say I'm a specialist cleaner. So I do a lot of like heavy duty cleaning, commercialized buildings, like cleaning.
• 6:07
  massive things sometimes we're doing machinery and a lot of times you know sometimes i do 10 to 20 30 000 steps a day and when i was that way i really struggled and it was really hard for me to actually do it and now where i still get tired just generally like you know exhausted i don't have the feet aches i don't have the back aches i don't have the feeling like i run a marathon constantly and i think that was the most thing that actually surprised me was you
• 6:31
  Although sometimes you look in the mirror, you may not see or feel the changes. Physically, if you actually focus harder enough, you can actually see massive difference. Those non-scale victories are just massive when you're on this journey. And I think your work is your life. So, you know, to have such a change in how you feel at work and how you are able to work is amazing. And obviously there is, like you just mentioned, there are so many other things.
• 6:55
  positives that come from this journey and definitely I can relate to the going into the shops and buying clothes and stuff like that. It definitely is a good one. And the feeling that you feel after being able to maybe get into clothes and stuff that maybe, you know, you haven't been able to even try on. For me, I always say like going into Zara or anything like that, which I would never went into before because they never did my size. And then going in now and I'm like literally just buying rings around me and it's just...
• 7:19
  It was awful, especially when I first realized I can fit into high street clothes, the amount of money I spent. And the thing is, I bought stuff and I would post the video and I knew it didn't fit me. And I always said it, I don't care if it doesn't fit perfect yet. The point is, I can now go into Zara H&M and actually try these clothes on. And it's not even the biggest size I have to try on. Whereas before, I didn't even dream of going to River Island or Top Man or anything like that.
• 7:47
  Yeah, no, I can totally relate. You've lost a crazy amount of weight and maintaining it, you know, I know you've mentioned just earlier there, just obviously we'll get into it now, but what has changed for you mentally once you reach the point where, you know, that scale sometimes stops moving and, you know, starts again and you maybe regain, you know, there's a lot of, I know I've felt difficulty with that, you know, mentally. How's that been for you?
• 8:15
  You know what, sometimes it's a struggle, especially when you've got, not to talk about the social media presence and all that, when you have people who are either messaging you saying, look, I'm struggling as well, I need your help, but then mentally you're struggling and you're in that sort of mindset of, how can I help someone if I don't know how to help myself right now?
• 8:33
  And it is difficult, but there was an analogy I heard the other day and it really sat with me is that if you rode a bike from Edinburgh to London and you fell off halfway, you wouldn't go back to Edinburgh to start again. So I always try to keep that mindset. And one thing I always try to say to people is when you start a weight loss journey, especially on a GLP, you need to make sure you're changing stuff.
• 8:51
  and i know a lot of people will go into it nonchalantly and they will manage to lose the weight without really caring too much because they naturally just stopped eating rubbish they naturally moved a bit more but when you're hyper fixating on it especially if you're focusing so much on the scales when i first started i weighed myself daily i was you know checking to make sure like my measurements were dropping
• 9:10
  And it is very easy to get into that hyperfixation state where you focus on nothing but then results. And it's so natural. It is because you're basically dedicating your life to losing weight. And regardless of what's going on around you, all that matters is that weight loss. And my biggest piece of advice and the biggest thing I would say, as long as you're building healthy habits and you're staying consistent, whether you fall off for a couple of weeks or a couple of days, it doesn't matter as long as you know, one, you were in the wrong for doing so. And two, know how to re-manage and how to get back on track.
• 9:40
  And that's why I always say healthy habits will build long term results. Really, really sound advice. And, you know, completely agree with everything you said there. I really love that analogy too. You know, it sort of lends itself well to, you know, this is a journey. And I think, you know, when you're on that journey, yeah, you're not going back to the start. You just have to, if you do have a little backtrack, you just need to keep pushing forward. It does feel like it because I know...
• 10:03
  when we switched over to recently with all that thing going on and i switched medications and i knew instantly it was the biggest for me personally and this is nothing against the medication it was the biggest mistake for me because it wasn't even a scientific reason it wasn't because i don't think it worked it was because purely my mental state knew what i did originally worked and switching feels like i sort of fell off that bike and i was like what am i doing
• 10:31
  And that's what a lot of people do. And a lot of people that message me saying, look, I was doing this and now I've changed this and I'm not getting the results. And it's always like, why fix it if it's not broken? I know sometimes it's out of your hands, sometimes pricing or financial, which is completely understandable. But if it is within the sort of,
• 10:47
  means and you can, then I always say, look, if it's not broken. And I learned that recently, you know, when I switched over, I put a stone and a half back on, I've managed to lose half a stone since I swapped back. But that was because it wasn't because of specific medication. And that's what I've been trying to say to you. It was because of my mentality. It was because of my mindset, because I fell out of routine. And if I was still in the routine and I was being more confident and I was, you know, going at it still, it wouldn't have happened. But because I'd let myself...
• 11:13
  fall out of routine is so hard to get back into it so hard yeah i know routine is such a massive part of it and it kind of relates to the next question that i kind of want to ask you so you know the physical part of this journey is hard the mental part is even harder i can you know vouch for that so how long did it take you for your mind to catch up with the changes in your body and just to caveat that i suppose from my own point of view it's something i'm still working on daily so how's that been for you
• 11:41
  100%. I think my main issue is because I've always accepted the fact I'm going to have to have corrective surgery for my loose skin. Which, you know what, I always try to be positive to people about because look, I was 25 and a half stone. I'm not going to expect the six-pack stretch marks after this. But obviously, the more you lose weight and the more you see your skin change, mentally for me, it did get harder. And it was a contributing factor to when I kind of
• 12:11
  Because it's easy to sit there and record a video for a minute, two minutes and say, right, this is how I feel. And then when the camera's off and you sit there and you're like...
• 12:20
  this really sucks. You know, first of all, how am I going to raise, you know, thousands and thousands of pounds to do this? And how am I going to be able to do this and work at the same time? Because a lot of times, you know, people forget we have real lives, we have real jobs, and we have real things. It's not obviously with this sort of social media stuff, you do have opportunities and you do, you are able to do certain things and that it does help. But it's still, you know, I can't just go tomorrow and go and get all my new skin removed, you know, without any effects on my life. So yeah,
• 12:47
  the mental strain is definitely a big part, I will say, especially when you're trying your best. And I love it. Don't get me wrong. I love having the ability to help people. But one thing that always gets me and it shouldn't is when someone messaged me saying, hey, I've been doing it for five months. I saw your videos. I'm not losing any weight. I'm trying, trying, trying, helping. It's like, you kind of feel that little bit of guilt inside. Like, oh, I should have helped you more. I should have, you know, try and done more. And it is, I mean, but look,
• 13:12
  I've learned that unfortunately you can't help everyone in the world. You can only try your best. And I am, like you said, still working on it mentally, especially with the physical changes on my body. It took me months, months and months to even see a change. But then when I started noticing it, looking at old videos and seeing my face structure has changed and everything else, I started to then realize, look, it's a process. It does take time, but we're getting there. We're getting there.
• 13:35
  agree with everything you're saying there and and it's just something it is something you just have to work on you know day to day and i'll never look in the mirror and be able to process the fact that i'm this person now and yeah i think there's lots of things there you've said i don't think it'll resonate with a lot of people and and yeah some good advice there too so in terms of you know you mentioned there by you know building habits and stuff and all that there you know these foundations are really really really
• 14:04
  key to longevity in terms of, you know, us being able to maintain weight and stuff going forward. What does that look like for you now, especially when it comes to like fitness and routine and nutrition and all that stuff? Yeah. So if I'm completely honest with you, I do kind of still take it like a day at a time. I'm one of those people that if I try to plan too far ahead and I try to do too much, I kind of crumble under the pressure. So I am trying to still take it. And
• 14:33
  it goes to show that it doesn't matter how much weight you lose, you still need to take it slow. And I personally believe it is that like, no matter how much, you know, once I hit my final goal weight, I've always said to people, don't sort of hyper fixate on certain things. Don't, you don't have to eat the same thing every day.
• 14:49
  you don't need to force yourself to eat certain things just because other people are eating them. And I think as long as you're building a balanced diet within your maintenance calories, and building it long-term, you're allowed to have your cheat days, you're allowed to have days off. Having the one day where you go out with friends and socialize, you're not gonna gain any weight. All you're gonna gain is more social confidence and better friendships. And I think that's one thing people forget with the whole weight loss thing is,
• 15:13
  when you were overweight, your social life wasn't as great as it's going to be now. Just factual. Your life in general, your quality of life is going to be better now. So you still have to enjoy them benefits. It's not always about the scales. And I think as long as you're building long-term sustainable habits, you know, if you like going to gym, go gym. If you don't like going gym, go for a jog. You know, not everyone likes the gym. I hate the gym personally. It's not because I don't want to go and I'm lazy. It's just because I don't like lifting weights.
• 15:39
  yeah yeah it's not entertaining to me yeah yeah but as long as you find a habit something that you enjoy football whatever even if it's just doing something like walking yeah think long term you'll be all right yeah no that's what it was for me like walking was was my exercise part of of this journey and i think 100 walking all i can say is if you struggle with fitness and you struggle with wanting to go gym and do anything walking is 100 what
• 16:05
  you know, catapulted my results and helped me get where I am today, a million percent. You know, and if you haven't, get something like a smartwatch or something that can track your steps, because trust me, it's really motivational saying, oh, I hit my 10,000, hit my 15,000. And it really, really does do. And if you focus on that every day, look, let's do that. You're going to stop focusing on the bad foods and your diet so much as well. And I think that did really help me.
• 16:26
  Yeah, no, that's really good advice. And I think, you know, for me, I can totally relate to everything you're saying there because, you know, I am not a lover of gym. I just, you know, a lot of it is prima donnas that are, you know, doing the weights and posing and whatever. And I know that's not, that's in my head. That's probably the misconception that I have of the gym, but it's just, it's just not for me. I don't enjoy it in terms of, of that, but yeah, it doesn't have to be, I think everybody thinks it has to be the gym and it doesn't have to be that at all. It's just like everywhere you can get movement in.
• 16:56
  Yeah, my partner has a ball at home where she does workout routines with that. Like, you can do things. And that's why we say, if you're, even if you're not able to go walking, you're not as mobile. I see people on TikTok and lives doing, like, sit down dancing. Just do something within your means. And that's 100% the way you go forward.
• 17:11
  And that's it. For anybody that's just maybe thinking about starting out in this journey, you know, maybe they're nervous about exercising, afraid of the gym. I know we've kind of just touched on it there, you know, maybe struggling to move, you know, what advice would you give them now about starting in terms of confidence and just moving?
• 17:31
  You know what, one thing that helped my confidence and helped me not really care about the sort of real world of losing weight is posting on social media. It's posting on TikTok because you're never more vulnerable than when you're posting on social media. For anyone to see, you know, every, I don't know who sees my videos, everyone can see them. And I feel like one, it helps you keep accountability. Even if you're not doing it to, you know, give advice, or it's literally just to give yourself accountability to try, I know so many people who just post daily updates, not even when they're facing it, not even with their videos, just how they're feeling. And then you have a community.
• 18:01
  You know, if you're worried about starting us, one thing I always say is, speak to people, speak to people, me, Mark, anyone, a lot. And that's the one thing with this community. Everyone has time for each other. Okay, not everyone, but majority of people have time for each other. So if you find people, don't hesitate. I get so many DMs, oh, you're probably not going to respond to this. I do. I respond to it. You know, maybe I've missed some. My apologies. I get a lot. I'm sure Mark does as well. But we try as much as we can, you know. Yeah.
• 18:24
  And that's one thing, even just making friends, it doesn't have to be creators, just people, you know, people who are doing it. And that will definitely help you, especially with learning what they're doing. And one thing I'll say is don't take what everyone says by gospel. Don't listen to it. You know, they tell you to eat a certain calories and stuff like that. Don't listen to that. Work your own way out, but definitely use it as inspiration because that will definitely help motivate you in the real world.
• 18:44
  Yeah, no, again, solid advice there. I can relate to what you're saying there in terms of, you know, starting my social accounts and stuff. It was all to hold myself accountable and almost just like a diary of...
• 18:57
  achievements and progress. And it is good from your own point of view, just to look back and see, because you don't always see what you have lost and having that diary, even if it's not even social media, like I even think like journaling or writing things down or just documenting things on your phone or anything like that, I think is really good to see how far you've come because
• 19:15
  You know, when you look back on all that stuff, like I look back on videos from like a year and a couple of months ago. And, you know, it's crazy to see the difference in how you look. And even, you know, it's so funny, I got a message quite recently and you've made me find this too. People who've watched videos from like really, really early on when you started your journey and they're like,
• 19:32
  oh you're like a completely different person now even how you speak is different because you're just you just feel lighter and because you're so much more confident and it's a nice thing to have a visual of being able to look back and seeing all that but but yeah totally yeah even if you put them on private or like you said if it's just in a journal like yeah you personally i think definitely i always say look even if it's measurements pictures photos whatever just have some sort of record because you will look back and say well if you told me a month ago i lost four pounds i'd be over the moon so it's very easy to get caught up in like
• 20:02
  you know what, I have actually lost four pounds. I am making a difference, you know? Yeah. Sort of moving on. We've touched on it there already, but like the emotional side of transformation and that can be really, really tough for anybody that's lost any sort of weight, let alone the types of weight that you have lost. So things like loose skin, body confidence, even the judgment from others, how have you learned to deal with that on your own journey?
• 20:28
  The way I've learned to deal with it is, I look back at photos of when I was 25 and a half stone, struggling to breathe. You know, Madhu was just about to be born, you know, and I'm looking at pictures of Mia at her baby shower. And I remember going to buy a suit and I had to go to nine shops to try and find the shirt because I couldn't fit into it. And then I take the little problems I have now. I lose skin and like little problems that keep myself feeling a bit uncomfortable and I go,
• 20:53
  How uncomfortable did he feel at that time? How uncomfortable was he where he had to go, where he embarrassed himself his seven shops or nine shops and couldn't find a shirt? You know, he's texting family members like, has anyone got a size 6XL shirt? And then you sit there and you're like, the problems I have now...
• 21:08
  aren't as big, you know? Yeah, some loose skin, cool. Yeah, some stretch marks that I don't want and some sagginess that I don't want. But then I look back and go, well, would I rather be like this or would I rather be 25 and a half stone again? You know, not being able to take my top off, not being able to fit into clothes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, all of these problems, you know? I don't know how close, and I say it, I've said it in videos, I don't know how close I was to, you know, dying.
• 21:30
  Like, let's be honest here. You know, I've seen your videos, you know, where you said similar. And, you know, I was 26. Well, at the time, you know, 25, 26. And now I'm 27. Weight I haven't been at since I was 17. So it's like, how many years have I gained back for the sake of some loose skin? And I think it's always, one thing about loose skin and saggy skin is, even if it takes a couple of years, you can always save up and get corrective surgery. You can always save up and, you know, do things. I've seen yourself recently, you know, I've got a profit coming in, Mark. I need to be useful. They did an excellent job, but...
• 21:59
  You know, things like this can be fixed. It's not the end of the world. It can be fixed and it is more about your health and more about I'd rather have saggy skin for the next 50 years than be what I was and only live for the next five. But all that stuff that you're saying there, like it's that stuff is fixable. If you have the money behind it and all that there, you know, you can get all that fixed.
• 22:20
  not be in here, you can't fix. You can't fix it. You can't fix dying at 30. Sorry to be blunt, you can't fix dying at 30 and leaving your family. You can't. And that's the way I see it is that it's so easy because you look back and it's like, well, where's the past? You're not that big anymore. This is your problem now. But if I didn't get to where I am now, I would still have that problem.
• 22:37
  You know, and that's one thing people get so fixated in the current. And it's like, well, yeah, I know I've lost this weight. And why haven't I bought a six pack yet? And it's like, it's so easy to get caught up. You need to just think of where you started. And I've seen so many people that, you know, are doing so well and lost so much weight. And I do look and it's, you know, I look back to me and I'm like, I was so close to not being here.
• 22:56
  And I see all these problems. Obviously, you still get the times where it's like, you know, sad. And it's like, hey, I wish I didn't have this. But then when you actually take a step back and look at a bigger picture, you understand the scale of it. Skin is nothing when you look at it.
• 23:10
  It's emotional hearing you talk all about that because I see so much of me and what you're saying. And, you know, it's I, if there's anybody that can relate to every word that you're saying, it is me right now. And it's so many other people listening to this. I'm sure it will be exactly the same. And I think, you know, it's, it's a scary thought, but you know, at the end of the day,
• 23:27
  what you've done and what you've achieved so far is absolutely amazing and you should be so proud of yourself of getting to where you've got to and and continue to go because the longevity in terms of your life that that you have gained as a result of that is just priceless relating to all that support is such a massive part of this journey because we couldn't do what we've done without support of people friends family
• 23:52
  social media, all that. So who have been them people that have really kept you grounded and motivated through your journey, through all them highs and lows? If I'm honest with you, at the start, my partner, my partner started, I did a little series of it on TikTok. You know, she wasn't as big as me, but she was uncomfortable with her weight. And we both started the same time. She's now in maintenance. She's lost over four stone. She reminds me of it every day. Thank you very much. But she's done an amazing job. And for the first, you know, four or five months, it didn't take her long.
• 24:21
  once she got down to maintenance, she kind of balanced her diet out. I'm still kind of losing. So it was sad to see it sort of, we have a little battling going on. It was like, if I lost more weight than her, it was obviously joking because it's whatever, but we'd rub it in each other. And it was just that little bit of friendly competition. But also, and I keep going back to it, it's just the daily messages I get, and I'm sure you get them as well, of, wow, you've done amazing. And while yes, getting thousands of them kind of numbs it out sometimes, still having that one person that messages you and goes,
• 24:51
  man, you're doing so well. You've helped me change my life. And I've had, and I'm sure you have, I've had so many people who've gone, dude, I've watched your videos like seven months ago. I just hit my goal weight. And I'm like, that's crazy. The fact that you've watched me, just a regular guy who's trying to lose weight and you've now, and it's so motivating for me. And when I sit there and I'm like trying to, you know, I fancy Chinese or I fancy chocolate and by all means, have your cheat days. But when I'm getting into that spiral and I'm like,
• 25:14
  hey, I've sat down, I've motivated someone to do this and they have done it. Why should I not do it? Do you know what I mean? You can't motivate someone to do it and then, you know, be a hypocrite. And that's one thing I've tried to link by because just seeing, and it's one thing as well, people like you, Mark, and I've literally been watching all these people, you know, all of like my Manjaro friends from when I first started shrink. And every time it feels like I open TikTok, everyone looks better. Everyone looks healthier. Everyone looks happier. And I'm seeing people, I've hit my goal weight. And it's like,
• 25:43
  crazy to me because when I first started following all of these people, they were still overweight, they were still struggling, didn't really know what to do. And it just shows, it just takes time and patience. And once you have that patience, the results will come. And I promise that just be patient in a calorie deficit and the result will come, honestly. Yeah, I think that's the biggest problem most people find. Like...
• 26:03
  you know, people just, it's just human nature. Like when you start a diet or anything like this, you just want to be at the end right away. And I always say, I always say, you know, you'll get there eventually. It doesn't matter how long it takes. Just keep pushing through. Just keep pushing. Like, you know, yes, it maybe went faster for me at the start. It didn't go fast at the end. And you're experiencing the same thing. Yeah.
• 26:24
  the first week on GLP one, I lost 14 pounds and obviously weight blow. I know that. But at the time I was like, holy crap. Like I'm going to be skinny this time next month. You know? And you then realize over time, the one pound or two pounds, the normal weight loss, the healthy weight loss, the sustainable weight loss. Even if you lost two pounds a week, which is the healthy range for a year, that's over a hundred pounds. Yeah.
• 26:45
  You know, there's only realistically a handful of people that need to lose over £100. And them people, even if it takes you a year and you're 30 years old, it didn't take you a year to get to where you are. It took you many, many years. And the same with me, it took me five, six, seven years of horrific eating habits to
• 27:00
  to get to where I am. So if I can manage that in a year or two years, I've managed to eradicate seven years of bad choices in two years, seven years of bad health problems, potential health problems, seven years of bad habits in a year or two. And I feel personally, now that I've been on it a long time, Mark, the longer it takes you to lose the weight, I personally feel the more successful you'll be at the end, in the long term, because you've spent that time building habits, a better relationship with food. When I first started, a month or two in, I was over the world, I lost three stone, but...
• 27:28
  was that sustainable to keep doing that every single month? No, it wasn't. And I quickly learned that. And when I switched weight loss medications, basically, I learned that. I learned that I didn't build the right habits. I put weight back on and I should have done more. And that's where I'm now back on my journey. I've still got around about a stone and a half to lose before I hit my final goal weight. And after that, we'll see what happens. I don't really know. Maybe I'll start having to load up the gym again, Mark. Who knows? Maybe I'll have to get the muscles. But so far, it's been great. It's been an ecstatic. I've loved this journey. Like,
• 27:56
  Absolutely loved it. And I think just having the community around us, Mark, has definitely helped. A hundred percent. Yeah, no, definitely. That support from everybody online and stuff has been key to my success too. And I definitely think, I'm not saying it's by no means been an easy journey or anything like that. And, you know, you're saying that too. There is still the down days, the struggles and all that there. But you do have to keep picking yourself up. And it is easier, I would say, to...
• 28:22
  push yourself forward. Whereas before not being on this medication, I would have been, you know, you would have been right back.
• 28:28
  back to the Chinese is back to, you know, wherever McDonald's, whatever. And then that would be me back on a downward spiral. And yeah, I just find being on this, if I do have them sheet days, I find it easier to get back on track again and stuff. So yeah, we are nearly ready to wrap up, but I've just two more questions for you. So one is if someone listening to this right now who's reached their goal, but feels lost
• 28:54
  on what comes next what's that biggest piece of advice you would give them for staying consistent and building confidence again the whole idea of losing weight was to get to where you are now so if you are where you want to be just keep pushing at the current rate you are you know if you've got new habits you're going to the gym you've been enjoying the gym you're doing things now that helps you lose the weight or you're at that goal weight from doing certain things
• 29:19
  Just keep it going. It's so easy to hit a goal weight and take a step back. It's kind of like a bodybuilder when they win a competition and they go stuff, they're going to McDonald's. You know, you don't need to see it like that. You don't need to see it in a way of, oh, I've hit my goal weight, now I can go back. You've spent all this time building, you know, going to maintenance. I'm a massive fan of maintenance, especially if you've been on a higher dose and you're trying to wean off here. I wouldn't say cold turkey at all. That's my opinion. Not medical advice, obviously. But I would definitely say, look,
• 29:44
  if maintenance is an option for you, do that while continuing to build the habits. And that's one topic for this whole thing is keeping on top of the habits you've built. Because once you fall out, and I did, I fell out of my routine and I stopped doing what I usually did. And the weight can really create. And because you're not hyper, you're not focusing on
• 30:01
  your weight loss you're not focusing on your scales the time goes past really quick compared to when you are focusing on the scales you know when i did daily weigh-ins each day felt like a year but the last couple of months where i switched and switched back it just happened so fast and bam i've got a stone and a half and it's like just keep just take it easy you know one bad day two bad days isn't going to be the end of it remember to enjoy your social life and just remember what you learned over this whole time and you should be fine
• 30:28
  Yeah, no, that's really, really good advice. Don't overthink it. Don't overthink it. If you're overthinking it, that is it. It will cause you to gain the weight. It will. Just stay doing what you've been doing. You've done it so far. There's no reason why you can't maintain. Yeah, that's really inspirational words there. And, you know, I would totally back everything you said there. I think it's just keep pushing forward. You're going to have them days that you maybe feel like you're going backwards. But, you know, just keep looking forwards. Just remember, if you start cycling from Edinburgh, fall off halfway, you don't have to go back to Edinburgh.
• 30:55
  you can carry on going yeah no i love that so yeah really just sort of finish up obviously anybody that maybe doesn't know you or follows you they fully know you now because you've led us into a lot there and yeah just where can people find you and just on final note what is kind of next for you
• 31:16
  So yeah, of course, people will, you can find me on TikTok at Brian Gets Fit and you can find me on Instagram, Brian Gets Fitter, purely because my main Instagram was banned for absolutely no reason. And I've always said to people, be careful with what you post on social media regarding to weight loss. You have to be very, very careful because sometimes they will just nuke your account. So if you haven't followed me on Instagram, please do. I'm trying to get the account built back up. But what's next for me, Mark, if I'm honest with you, I want to one, hit my goal weight. I want to get back down to my goal weight. And I do, I would like to build some muscle. I don't want to just lose all the weight and feel weak. I want to build it up and
• 31:46
  I think what I want to do in the future, Mark, is help motivate people who I used to be. And I think that resonates a lot with you. And that's one thing that's why I still post so often. That's why I still try and inspire. Because I wish I had someone like you, Mark, when I first started. You know, when I was sitting there and I had that voice to someone who has done it, someone to tell me it's possible. And I feel like without TikTok social media, I didn't have that. So I want to be that voice of the people similar to what you're doing now and keep inspiring people to make the better choices.
• 32:13
  Yeah, no, I think thank you so much for the guy who was very flattering. And, you know, I have no doubt that, you know, everything you're doing on social media and inspiring is inspirational. And anybody that doesn't follow you, I really encourage everybody to follow you on Instagram and TikTok because, you know, you do see videos on social media and there's a lot of people out there that just, you know, there's the controversial videos and all that there. But for me, what works best is the.
• 32:41
  the straight talking, the, you know, just say it how it is and doing this journey the right way. That's what your account is. So I'd really encourage anybody to go follow you. And yeah, all that is left for me to say is thank you so much for joining me. Thank you so much for sharing your journey and where you are now with me and everybody listening. It's been really inspirational listening to you. And yeah, I wish you all the best in the future. And who knows, we'll be back for a season two once you hit your goal.
• 33:09
  Yeah, maybe I have to come over to Northern Ireland and join you personally. That would be good. That would be good. Thank you so much for having me, Marco. Thank you to everyone who's listened today. And yeah, let's see what the future brings.