Post by @mistajam

I used to be 40 stone. 254kg. Around 560lb. Today I trained before a four-hour DJ set in the Wild Corner at Hï Ibiza. A few years ago I’d have found every reason not to. I’d have convinced myself I didn’t have the time, the energy or that sitting by the pool was the better option. Everyone asks me how I lost the weight. For me, the why came first. Operation: See My Kids Get Old started long before I ever stepped into a gym. It started when I reconnected with myself, found a spiritual connection that felt authentic to me and decided I wanted more years in this body, not just less weight on the scales. These days I’m in a body recomposition phase. My weight loss journey has become a strength journey. I’m trying to build muscle, improve my mobility and create the kind of fitness over 40 that fits around real life. Real life for me means radio, airports, hotels, DJ sets and family. Sometimes it means training while travelling. Sometimes it means squeezing a workout in before playing one of the biggest clubs in the world. The gym still got done. I’m still a novice. Still learning. Still figuring out what works for me. I don’t think that makes me less qualified to share the process. If anything, I think it makes this fitness journey more relatable. I’ve got no meal plan to sell, no supplement stack to push and no workout programme with my name on it. I’m not a guru and I don’t want to be. I’m just sharing my experience as a normal Dad in his 40s who needed to make a change. My office just happens to look a bit different sometimes. This isn’t about having the perfect body after massive weight loss. It’s about body confidence after weight loss, looking after my health, building strength over 40 and giving myself the best chance of staying active for as long as I can. I’m not training because I hate my body. I’m training because I want more years with my kids. Operation: See My Kids Get Old continues. If you’re on your own weight loss journey, fitness journey or trying to get healthier after 40, I’m much more interested in your why than your how. What’s the reason you decided it was time to change?