Adrian Shakes Again: "That All Too Familiar Path of No Return"

We have an update on Adrian's Man Shake journey, but first let's look back on his weight loss story... 

Adrian, October 2023

It was back in December 2021 when we first shared the incredible 18-month transformation of Adrian Mitchell, where he went from 245kgs to 91.8kgs.

In that time he won his 10-year fight with diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol.
For the first time in recent history, he was medication free and the 13XL shirts were no more.
He was on the path of change and his future was primed for a new life…

This brings us to July of 2023.
Adrian found himself looking in the mirror and realising that he was on that all to familiar path of no return.
After hitting his goal weight he let go of the reigns and began to relax. A dangerous decision for someone with a self-confessed battle with binge eating and drinking.

So, there he stood, looking at 178.5kgs on the scales, deciding “enough was enough… again!”

Regaining kilos after a weight loss journey is an all too common occurrence.
We sat down with Adrian again to see where he is at now, what has changed, and what can you do to pick yourself up again.

The Man Shake - Tell us a quick summary of your first weight loss journey?
Adrian - My first weight loss was extreme! I'm talking 1200 Calories and up to 2 hours of walking every single day. I was eating very low Carb as I thought they were the enemy (I'll come back to that later).

TMS – What led you back to your old lifestyle?
A - When you have been overweight for 99.9% of your life it’s all you know. Comfort food was always my 'Go To'. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol was an issue for me too, and with that comes binge eating for the entire day after a big drink session. And with a hangover the last thing I wanted to do was exercise - which is how I started to gain weight again and I gained it QUICKLY!

TMS – What inspired you to try again?
A - When I lost all the weight the first time around I kept some of the BIG Men's clothes as a reminder of where I once was. But as I started to gain weight back I had to start wearing some of those clothes again, they started off a bit baggy but they soon started getting tighter.
So, I thought to myself, OK you feel terrible, you look terrible, and you're about 2 kilo's away from needing to order bigger clothes.
I made the choice to do this again but this time try to learn from my mistakes from last time!

TMS – What have you learned from the last time? What will you do differently?
A - One of the main things I have learnt is that I went beyond my comfortable weight. I went too low! I knew where that point was but I got carried away.
I’ve learnt that Carbs are not the enemy. This time I have included them in my diet. I am eating around 1500 Calories a day and will increase that as I get closer to my goal which will be between 110-120kg. I estimate this to be the most comfortable weight for me with my height and build.
My exercise routine this time is a morning walk (most days) and a weightlifting session (at home - 4 to 5 times a week).

TMS – You are a massive inspiration to so many guys in The Man Shakers Community, what advice would you have for them?
A - Just be careful. Aim for a reasonable weight goal. We all want to lose as much as we can but make it attainable and realistic. Going to a weight below what is comfortable and hard to maintain can be a recipe for disaster, or at least it was for me - that is how I see it.
I still have a lot to learn myself and I am not an expert in any sense of the word.

As of the time of writing, Adrian has been able to lose 33.8kgs and is now sitting at 144.7kgs.
We will continue to update his testimonial as he continues on his new and improved journey.
You can follow along in our Facebook community group, The Man Shakers.

UPDATE 16/7/2024

Twelve months ago I started this all again.
Not quite back where it all began, but it might as well have been.
I had one goal in mind: end the cycle.
I didn’t want to lose weight, gain it back, lose weight, repeat. I had enough of my old ways of binge eating and drinking.
I can truly say that I have learned from my mistakes, I've lost 66kg, and now weigh 111.6kgs.
Although it’s not as low as I got last time, I am happy.
Last time I went too hard. The unnecessary restriction caused me to return to the old behaviours and had me losing more muscle than fat.
At 193 cm tall, I know that I will never be “on the scales thin”. I’m simply not built for that. I have a bigger frame and it all adds up.
From here I plan to hover around the 105-110kg mark.
But, as I said, it’s not just about the scales. There are wins elsewhere.
My blood pressure is 123/81, down from 170 over something, I’m finally seeing a physio to help with my back pain, I’m still walking every day, and I am lucky enough to be a source of inspiration within The Man Shakers Community Group. It’s something I never set out to be but I am happy to return the support that is kindly given to me 😊