TL;DR: 35M, 5’5”. Lost 12.5 kg in one year, went from zero athletic background to lifting 5x a week, and logged 200+ workouts (Hevy). Started because I didn’t like how I looked in photos. Ended up enjoying lifting more than I expected
I used to see people who were so consistent with fitness and wonder how they managed to stay that disciplined. Yung tipong working out was already part of their lifestyle, while I couldn’t even imagine myself doing the same.
Funny how things change. Eventually, I stopped wondering if I could do it and just started showing up. One workout at a time, until it became part of my routine. October 15 marks my first year of taking fitness seriously.
For context, I’m 35, working a full-time job, and was never really into sports growing up. As in zero athletic background. Apparently, my athletic era needed 34 years of character development. 😅
Started in our condo gym in October 2025, then moved to Anytime Fitness that December. Original goal ko lang naman was to lose weight and look better in photos.
MY WORKOUT SPLIT (5 DAYS)
Day 1: Push (Chest, shoulders, triceps)
Day 2: Pull (Back, biceps)
Day 3: Legs (Quad-focused)
Day 4: Upper (Mixed upper body)
Day 5: Legs (Hamstrings, glutes)
Optional: Active recovery (recently got into Pickleball)
Usually train after office hours. Some days motivated, some days gusto ko na lang umuwi. But showing up has become part of my routine.
NUTRITION & SUPPLEMENTS
Calories: Mostly 1,800 during my initial cut, eventually increased to 2,000 to support heavier training
Protein: 160–180 g/day target
Food: Chicken, fish, eggs, rice, veggies, fruits, and basically whatever fits my macros
Supplements: Creatine (5 g daily), whey, fish oil, psyllium fiber
Tracking: Hevy, SnapCalorie, food scale, and occasional InBody scans
No extreme diets, no removing rice from my life (hindi ko kaya haha). Mostly calorie tracking, enough protein, and trying to be consistent.
SOME THINGS I LEARNED
Weight loss isn’t linear. May weeks na parang walang nangyayari, tapos biglang may movement sa scale. Recovery matters more than I initially thought, and apparently, getting an extra rep can be ridiculously satisfying.
Also, body image is weird. Even after losing more than 12 kg, may days pa rin na I don’t feel like I’ve changed much. Still working on appreciating progress beyond the mirror.
I’ve missed workouts, traveled, dealt with minor injuries, and had days na tinatamad talaga. Turns out, consistency doesn’t mean being perfect every single day.
YEAR 2 GOALS
Build more muscle, improve body composition, eventually do weighted pull-ups and dips, and keep getting stronger. Also trying to take sleep and recovery more seriously.
Original target ko was 70 kg, but I’m no longer too obsessed with the number. Mas interested na ako sa strength and overall physique improvements.
ONE YEAR LATER…
I started because I wanted to look different. I stayed because I genuinely enjoyed getting stronger.
12.5 kg lighter, a lot stronger, and surprisingly excited to keep going. Still have a lot to learn, but pretty happy with how far I’ve come.
Not bad for someone who spent 34 years avoiding anything remotely athletic. Haha.
Apparently, my midlife crisis came with tubs of creatine and a Hevy Pro subscription.
Here’s to Year 2! 💪