I Defied 0.47% Odds, Shed 56 Pounds With a Secret Fitness Ingredient Experts Rarely Discuss
It’s powerful, and I wish I’d known it sooner.
My fitness journey has ebbed and flowed, but writing about it here has kept me accountable. Thank you for being a subscriber. If this blog brings you any value, feel free to share it—it helps us grow.
For six years, I was clinically obese.
I struggled with confidence because I broke promises to myself through silently destructive behaviour.
I felt stuck in a never-ending cycle of failure.
I’d rely on fast food three times a week, come up with creative excuses to miss the gym and then replace that time with binge drinking.
According to one national health study, they say that:
“The chances of returning to a normal weight for someone who is already obese are extremely low: one in 210 chances for men and one in 124 chances for women.”
I’d have thrown in the towel if you had initially given me the 0.47% success rate odds.
An old buddy used to say to me, “Jay, the quickest way to be happy in your life is to problem-solve. If you can solve problems, I’m pretty sure it’ll lead to happiness.”
He was right.
All the pain points in my life were because I hadn’t solved that problem. Fitness, and, in particular, losing weight, was my Mount Everest.
It became less of a mountain to climb when I added an ingredient experts hardly ever discuss.
A 12-Year-Old’s life lesson
The lesson is Strategic Public Accountability.
Recently, I’ve been hanging out on Instagram. A 12-year-old boy named Reed Harrington, who has learning difficulties, has amassed 500,000 followers.
He posted a video saying he’d do one push-up for every 100 followers he gained.
So, the internet being the internet, thought, heck, we’ll follow him on mass, and when we do, we’ll hold this guy’s feet to the fire and make sure he does the push-ups. When the young chap inevitably doesn’t, we’ll delight in his failure and tell him in the most toxic way possible.
The comments became so bad that the boy’s mom had to post something on his page highlighting his learning difficulties and encouraging people to lay off.
Because Reed is physically unable to do the push-ups due to his weight and age, he’s had to find other creative ways to fulfil his promise, like doing a Karate kick for every 1000 followers.
The details of what he does as the activity are irrelevant.
But Reed placed himself in a position where he became unintentionally, yet undeniably, publicly accountable.
I relate to this on a deep level.
When I made the mental shift and shared my fitness journey on social media, including beer-drinking friends and before-and-after pictures here on this blog, any action other than following through on my words felt fraudulent.
When I observe others not following through on their promises, I immediately think, “Wait a minute. If I can’t trust you on this, what else can’t I trust you on?”
That’s why publicly expressing your goals is such a decisive, no-going-back tool — we want people to trust us.
It’s like the church minister who preaches honesty but gets caught being a perpetual liar or doing something wrong. They can never regain that reputation when it’s in a downward spiral.
Public accountability is the fear of not wanting to let others down, and if used strategically, it can become a fuel that makes you unstoppable.
Let’s dive in.
First, create smoke.
Business mogul Gary Vaynerchuck once described pursuing an idea that leads to action as “Turning smoke into fire.”
The constant smoke I was creating of me thinking about getting fit turned into talking about it, which toppled the final domino. Action.
My smoke started by accident.
The pandemic inspired me to take lunchtime walks to ease my anxiety instead of sitting in the break room.
What started as me thinking about getting out for a lunchtime stroll ended up with me adding more spokes to the tyre with longer hikes, running, and weight lifting.
The small momentum I built with my fitness became a growing part of my public identity.
As my actions started to map towards a fitter and healthier life and I lost weight, it became what people asked me about more and what I began to speak about often.
Work colleagues started asking me for advice because now I was the health and wellness guru of the office.
The slow ascendency of my public identity, this blog, and my desire to keep my promises to myself have kept my nose to the grindstone.
Strategic Public Accountability is the single thing that helped me beat the odds of 1 in 210.
Final Thoughts.
The secret ingredient is Strategic Accountability.
I now always make myself accountable to an outside force regarding my health and wellness.
I never like to let others down or feel like I’m the person who doesn’t follow through.
That fear was the missing ingredient that now drives my consistency.
I took my accountability one giant step further.
Today, I use an online fitness professional, a friend called Chris, who helped me lose 33 of the 56 pounds.
Everything is exposed on a dashboard for us both — daily weight, progress photos, meals, body measurements, steps, and workouts.
It’s a framework I can’t escape.
Nor would I want to.
Special Offer for My Readers
Chris, the online fitness pro who revolutionised my fitness journey, is offering a free discovery call exclusively to my readers.
If you’re ready to transform your fitness and tailor a plan that suits your unique lifestyle, this is your chance.
Click here to book your FREE call with Chris and start your journey towards a healthier, fitter you. (affiliate link).