To say that Precision Nutrition Coaching client Yano had a great year would be an understatement. During the last 12 months he lost 20% body fat and, in the process, won $10,000.
Once over 255lbs and pre-diabetic, he’s now 70 pounds lighter. He’s ready to tackle new adventures with his new body. And he wants to share his photos, and his story, with you …
Yano's Transformation
Lost 76 lbs and 20.9% body fat!
- Age: 35 years
- Weight Lost: 76 lbs (from 256 lbs to 180 lbs)
- % Body Fat Lost: 20.9% (from 34.1% to 13.2%)
- Waist Inches Lost: 10 inches (from 43 inches to 33 inches)
It was in Banana Republic in downtown San Francisco — among the socks, bored sales staff, and khakis — that Yano suddenly realized he was in great shape.
“I stood there looking at the pants and thought, ‘I can finally buy off the rack.'”
Now you have to understand how big of a deal this is. Imagine you’re 5’10 and 255 pounds. You can’t walk more than a few blocks without breathing hard and sweating uncontrollably. Because of your gastroesophageal reflux disease, you have to prop yourself up at night so you don’t choke on your own vomit while you sleep. You avoid scales with a vague sense of guilt and stuff your face at night without thinking.
It’s not all bad — you’ve got a great job, a beautiful fiancé, and amazing friends.
But you still can’t fit your fat ass into a pair of khakis.
“It was humiliating,” says Yano. “The goal was always to find a pair of pants that looked the least bad. Even then it was nearly impossible. The sales staff always had to go in the back and rummage to find a pair I’d fit in.”
But now you’ve lost 70 pounds of fat over the past year. You’re lean, muscular, and totally in shape. You have definition in your abs.
Forget walking — you can sprint a few blocks and barely break a sweat.
And all this hits you when you’re standing in the Banana Republic, staring at a pair of size 32-waist pants like you just found the Holy Grail.
Now you try to wipe the smile off your face.
“I’ve spent a lot of money in the past to get healthy, but I was paying all the wrong people,” says Yano.
It’s a gorgeous Saturday afternoon and Yano just returned from the Farmer’s Market where he stocked up on local produce. “Once you taste an apple that was picked 24 hours ago, you’ll never go back to the grocery store,” he tells me.
He’s talking with me before he heads to the gym and out dinner with family and friends. This is his typical Saturday.
I ask him what he means by “paying the wrong people.”
“I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic before I started Precision Nutrition Coaching,” he says. “I had pills to take, check-ups, tests — the whole nine yards. It cost a lot of money, and I wasn’t addressing the real problem. But now I haven’t been to the doctor in over a year, except for one routine check-up. My doctor’s amazed at the progress I’ve made. When you’re unhealthy the world basically sucks. But you don’t know the full extent of how much it sucks until you find yourself on the other side.”
Yano, as he puts it, was tired of “putting lipstick on a pig,” looking for ways to sweeten up his life without first looking at the quality of his life.
“I’d already achieved some success in my career, and was in a great relationship with my wife. But I started looking at everything that made my life worth living, and there was a big elephant in the room — me. It was a glaring weak spot.”
So he started paying more people.
“I read every diet book you can think of. I even hired a personal trainer and did one-on-one training for six months. I actually gained weight during that period. It was incredibly frustrating.”
Finally, Yano decided to pay himself.
“I made a promise that I’d sign up with Precision Nutrition Coaching, and follow through with whatever I was told to do,” he says. “They were guaranteeing results, and I felt like I had nothing to lose.”
A good start, but a promise can work two ways: Either you keep it, follow through, and build confidence, or you break it and suddenly have an internal struggle to get back on track.
But Yano knew how damaging that could be. So he rode the wave of swelling and shrinking confidence and stayed consistent.
“When I didn’t want to go to the gym I went anyway,” he says. “When I didn’t want to do follow the lessons, I did it anyway. It was all part of the pact between me and the coaches — I wasn’t about to let either one of us down.”
It was this consistency that allowed Yano to have so much success — a total of 70 pounds and 20% body fat lost in less than a year.
“There were times where I’d have doubts and questions, but I learned to push through it. And the amazing thing was when I had a question there was usually a lesson in the program that answered it that week. It was pretty incredible how in tune the coaches were with us.”
And while Yano took an active interest in the program — he offered support in the Precision Nutrition Coaching forums and regularly checked in with his coach — he didn’t bother with the details. At least not at first.
“I wasn’t really interested in why things were working or even the science behind everything,” he says. “My mindset was: give me my daily lesson, give me my daily workout, and let’s see some results.”
When Yano walks into the gym — or anywhere, really — he gets an earful.
“I’ve worked out at the same gym for a couple of years now, and I always see the same guys. They tell me how strong I look or how they think I’ve lost too much weight.”
Yano laughs when he says this.
“Too much weight? Really? Then it occurred to me that these guys hadn’t made any changes over the years. They still look the same.”
And when he’s at a restaurant, waiting for clients or friends he hasn’t seen in months, he sips gourmet coffee and smiles because he knows what’s coming.
“They usually walk right by me. Then they do a double-take and their jaws hit the floor.”
But that’s not the best part. Not even close.
“After a few minutes, the waiter comes to take our order, and my client or friend looks at me to make the decision,” says Yano. “And I get the salad with lean protein and they follow my lead. It’s fantastic.”
As Yano sees it, people generally operate with “pack mentality.” So, if someone wants nachos, they’ll look to you to see what you order before placing their own. It’s a sort of validation for their poor decisions. Thing is, most people aren’t happy with their decisions and feel like they have limited control.
“It turns out that a lot of people have health and weight issues, just like I used to have,” he says. “And often they don’t want to eat poorly; they just do it because everyone else is doing it. That was my problem for a long time. But if you take charge and stick to your guns, they respect that. And it helps them make better decisions, at least for that hour.”
Yano’s in the gym with a dip-belt around his waist and a couple of plates hanging and clanging between his legs. He grabs the bar and busts out a set of weighted chin-ups.
“My first chin-up hurt,” he says. “I weighed 250 pounds. My joints and muscles ached, and I fatigued quickly.”
This was at the beginning of the program, when Yano used the assisted chin-up machine, a counter-balance apparatus that “takes the pressure” off the person working and allows them to go through a full range of motion. It’s definitely not easy — but it’s not very hard either.
As Yano kept working and the pounds kept coming off, he’d take a little weight off the assist, making it harder.
“Then I went from that to using a light band, which was fun because you’d just shoot up since the tension of the band had this rebound effect,” he says.
From there it was strict body weight chins. And now, the clanging of the plates.
“It’s a satisfying sound,” he says. “I get this intense focus when I’m preparing for my set, too. One of the guys who trains at the same time I do commented on how he can feel my energy from across the room.”
And when he heads to the locker room, he gets a welcome surprise.
“You see yourself every day so you never really know the progress you’re making. The changes don’t always seem dramatic. But sometimes it’ll just hit you.”
It hits Yano when he takes off his shirt and turns around, catching a glimpse of his back in the mirror. The muscles are hard and defined, and the love handles he once wore like a suit are gone.
“My back is definitely my favorite body part now,” he says.
“Looking back on how I used to eat, it’s night and day. I felt like I was lost in the woods, bouncing around and not knowing what I was eating or why. It’s almost like learning a new language.”
I ask Yano what he’s going to order tonight when he sits down for dinner with his friends and family.
He’s not sure. But he thinks he wants some wine. And maybe a little dessert.
“You have to earn those meals and really appreciate what you’re eating,” he says. “There’s nothing inherently wrong with dessert. But I don’t have it that often, which is why I appreciate it. I feel a lot of people who are on diets don’t succeed in the long run because the nature of the diet means they’re not enjoying the food.”
The habits Yano has learned from Precision Nutrition Coaching are ingrained within his daily routine now. He preps all of his meals on Sunday. He makes solid food choices, trains regularly, and enjoys life. And what’s not to enjoy?
“Since I’ve lost the weight and changed my life, I’m interested in more athletic activities now. I love to go skiing and hiking. And I really want to be able to dunk a basketball.”
But what made Precision Nutrition Coaching different? More important, what made Yano stand out and get phenomenal results?
“What makes me special? Absolutely nothing. I knew that by signing up with Precision Nutrition Coaching I was making a commitment with myself and if I didn’t follow through I’d be doing myself a huge disservice. I took all the lessons to heart, even if it was something I didn’t know or necessarily agree with. I put my fate in the hands of Precision Nutrition Coaching.”
“People have to understand that they’ll get amazing results if they’re willing to simply follow instructions,” he continues. “The confidence will wax and wane, and that’s to be expected. You’ve got to push through that.”
But now Yano has to go. He’s got to get ready for the gym and dinner.
“It’s funny, man,” he tells me, before he hangs up. “My wife was very excited when I started the program and has even started to make some dramatic changes in her lifestyle—she’s already lost ten pounds. We have a great, rewarding relationship. But the best part is when we talk about our marriage.”
What do you mean? I ask.
“She always says that most guys get fat and lazy when they get married. But not me. I did the complete opposite. She says she lucked out.”
Want to read more great stories like Yano’s? Then come meet a few other men, women, and couples who lost weight, started eating better, and took control of their health.
Want help finally getting the healthy, energetic body you’re after?
Most people know that regular movement, eating well, sleep, and stress management are important for looking and feeling better. Yet they need help applying that knowledge in the context of their busy, sometimes stressful lives.
That’s why we work closely with Precision Nutrition Coaching clients to help them lose fat, get stronger, and improve their health…no matter what challenges they’re dealing with.
It’s also why we work with health and fitness pros (through our Level 1 and Level 2 Certification programs) to teach them how to coach their own clients through the same challenges.
Interested in Precision Nutrition Coaching? Join the presale list; you’ll save up to 54% and secure a spot 24 hours early.
We’ll be opening up spots in our next Precision Nutrition Coaching on Tuesday, July 16th, 2024.
If you’re interested in coaching and want to find out more, I’d encourage you to join our presale list below. Being on the list gives you two special advantages.
- You’ll pay less than everyone else. At Precision Nutrition we like to reward the most interested and motivated people because they always make the best clients. Join the presale list and you’ll save up to 54% off the general public price, which is the lowest price we’ve ever offered.
- You’re more likely to get a spot. To give clients the personal care and attention they deserve, we only open up the program twice a year. Last time we opened registration, we sold out within minutes. By joining the presale list you’ll get the opportunity to register 24 hours before everyone else, increasing your chances of getting in.
If you’re ready to change your body, and your life, with help from the world’s best coaches, this is your chance.
[Note: If your health and fitness are already sorted out, but you’re interested in helping others, check out our Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification program].
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