“How I lost 40 kg, became a coach and several times got fat and thin for the sake of the experiment,” says Denis Mgeladze

How I lost 40 pounds and became a coach

I know all the stereotypes about slimness that live in the head of a fat person. Because at the age of 21 he himself weighed more than 110 kilograms with a height of 166 centimeters. I also thought that only the elite have abs, and the rest are treacherously let down by genetics, a wide bone, and you can’t radically change anything, no matter how much buckwheat you eat.

Trained as a programmer, got a job. I had to spend a lot of time at the computer. Accordingly, I moved very little. I loved fast food, and at home I always had a cabinet full of instant noodles.

I ate and gained more and more weight. At the same time, he firmly believed that it was just such a constitution. That there are naturally thin people, but I had to buy clothes in large sizes and cut off half a meter from the trousers, because what fit around the waist was sewn on a person two meters tall.

After each trip to the studio, I made attempts to change something. sat down on dietsto at least stop the process of its growth in breadth.

I refused sweets, did exercises at home. But there was no system in this, I did not completely change the diet, but only reduced the consumption of some harmful foods. I rocked the press in the hope of removing my stomach, but the waist only got bigger.

Then I didn’t understand that I was doing everything wrong, that you can’t get a slim figure by pumping only one muscle group that you need to combine cardio with strength training and at the same time completely reconsider your menu. Therefore, the kilograms dropped during the diets very quickly returned back.

It took two years of these attempts to lose weight, until I finally firmly decided that either I would change drastically, or I would have to walk with extra pounds all my life. I told my friends about it, but few believed in the result.

Then I decided to ask for help from trainer. The first thing I did on his advice was to give up flour, sweet and fatty foods. He began to eat cereals, dairy products, boiled meat, eggs, vegetables. The coach put together a training program for me that was very different from the one I followed before. I stopped pumping only the press and arms and began to do exercises for large muscle groups - legs, back, chest. I went to the gym every other day.

It was not easy, but it was a shame to quit. I wanted to prove to myself and all my friends that I could.

I noticed the first changes in a month. And for me it was surprising that not only the body becomes different. There was a desire to move, there was more energy and more self-confidence. In a year, I dropped almost 40 kilograms, reaching a record mark for myself of 72 kilograms.

The club saw my transformation, and one day my coach asked if I would like to work here myself and help other people get in good shape.

I decided to try: it was a new challenge. He left programming, went through training and officially became a fitness trainer.

How, for the sake of the experiment, I gained 14 kilograms

When I started working with clients in the gym, I often heard phrases from them: “It’s easy for you to say, you are thin”, “I can’t lose weight - such genetics.” Even more often, people simply believed that you can only lose weight through sports: eat what you want, the main thing is to exercise. But with this approach, at best, you will simply remain at your weight. Some were very hard to convince.

Then I decided to show them what will happen to a person who eats everything, but continues to work out in the gym. So that there were definitely no questions left, he launched an experiment - something like a reality show. At that time, I already had a social project on YouTube "body tuningwhere I posted free tips and workouts for anyone looking to get in shape. There and on social media, I started keeping a diary of my experiment.

I continued to study in the gym, but at the same time I ate like crazy. I have a specific talent - I can eat a lot, starting in the morning and ending in the late evening, taking small breaks between meals. Due to the fact that he maintained intense loads, the weight was added, but not too quickly. Then I switched to night snacks, and the weight popped.

I ate everything: fried potatoes, meatballs, fast food, but most of all I liked sweets, especially ice cream. Those clients who believed in the power of sports without diets, looking at the speed with which my relief press and texture disappear, became thoughtful. They saw with their own eyes that I continued to train.

As a result, I gained 14 kilograms in three months. I gave myself the same amount of time to lose weight.

What happened next

To many witnesses of the experiment and subscribers in social networks, the mission seemed impossible. But there is no magic in losing weight. You just need to spend more calories than you eat. The formula for success consists of two things: a certain daily calorie intake and physical activity. This is a simple algorithm of actions that gives one hundred percent result. Therefore, I was not afraid to lose my former shape forever.

I managed to lose weight faster than I expected. Of course, the experiment was very revealing for clients and people who followed me on social networks. Many thanked, admitting that they reconsidered their views on food and sports. There was no hat. On the contrary, I realized how useful a thing I started. This is not some abstract theory from a book or a lecture. Here people see with their own eyes how the myth of losing weight collapses. And they see that they can also lose weight, like me.

After the first experiment, I tested many different myths on myself. For example, the theory of the "magic time" when you can eat and not get fat. I heard many times from clients and just acquaintances that until the 12th day all the calories received fall into some kind of black hole, even if you eat a whole cake for breakfast, you won’t get better. And after six in the evening, they say, it’s impossible to eat, on the contrary, even from a glass of kefir it will smash the figure. All this is nonsense.

People just don't understand simple things: you need a calorie deficit, and at what time of the day you get your norm, it doesn't matter at all.

Exceeded the norm - at least at 8 am, at least at 9 pm - the effect will be the same: you risk getting better.

I proved this with my experiment: I ate high-calorie food before lunch, and did not eat at all in the evening. As a result, the numbers on the scales grew by almost a kilogram per week.

There was an experiment with junk food. During the week I ate only fast food. Losing weight like to divide products into permitted and prohibited. But "bad" food is also a myth. You can’t eat a bun and immediately get better, given your allowable daily calorie intake.

I had a plank of 2,000 kilocalories. I ate only food from fast food restaurants. For a week, not only did not get better, but, on the contrary, lost two kilograms. But another thing is how this food affects your well-being: heartburn appears, the skin condition changes, acne breaks out. And most importantly, the energy is gone. Fatty and sweet nails to the sofa.

How I decided to gain 23 kilograms

I did my first experiment while continuing to train. Some people felt that so fast lose weight I succeeded precisely because I did not stop studying, that the typed weight derived from muscle mass.

I had surgery in 2019 and had to temporarily take a break from work.

I decided to take advantage of this and launch a new experiment. Gain 23 kilograms of fat. I started with an indicator of 72 kilograms on the scales.

I stopped counting calories altogether and ate whatever I wanted. From each serving of cakes, dumplings or pancakes I experienced great pleasure. What to hide - it's all delicious.

But the euphoria passes very quickly, and you lie down. A well-fed person is always a lazy person.

Remember: if you eat very tightly, you want to immediately lie down. And when you eat a lot regularly, you want to watch the world from a lying position all the time.

Due to excess weight, the hormonal background changes, there is less testosterone and more estrogen - female sex hormone. The mood is changing. I wanted to lie on the couch, look at the phone, any action required effort. The most uncomfortable experience. Honestly, this time I even waited for the time when I could return to my usual way of life.

I reached 95 kilograms. And no one had any doubts that the weight gained is exactly fat.

I returned to my weight in a couple of months. Now I weigh 82 kilograms due to a set of muscle mass.

What I learned after experimenting

In fact, all obese people are people with minimal physical activity and poor nutrition. I don’t believe in fairy tales about “hereditary” or “hormonal” fullness. Well, there is no person who eats moderately, moves a lot (trains, runs) and at the same time gains weight.

If someone promises you a super remedy, a miracle technique or magic pills for harmony, do not believe. In losing weight, the main thing is to understand that there is work to be done. Nothing will happen quickly - it is impossible to throw off in two weeks what you have eaten for years. The simplest way works: when you keep a calorie deficit and maintain adequate loads for your training. Anyone can lose weight.

I rejoice when a person has changed his body, and after a while he writes that everything in his life has changed. When people lose 50–60 kilograms, they begin to believe in themselves. Because for them, losing weight was something impossible. If a person has performed a miracle himself, then he believes that everything else that is impossible in life is possible for him.

I have never regretted that I decided to experiment. I myself was interested in testing theories about losing weight on myself, showing people how the rules that their trainers told them a thousand times about actually work. Just when you see with your own eyes, you believe.

But I do not advise anyone to conduct such experiments: they can be dangerous. Just follow your coach's advice and you'll be fine.