MensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex
  • Nutrition
  • Style
  • Weight Loss
  • Life
  • Podcasts
  • Motoring
  • Video
MensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex
  • Nutrition
  • Style
  • Weight Loss
  • Life
  • Podcasts
  • Motoring
  • Video
Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic
Watch 0:10

Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic

{headline}

{headline}

This Guy Did 100 Pushups And Pullups Every Day for a Whole Month

This Guy Did 100 Pushups And Pullups Every Day for a Whole Month

Strongman Eddie Hall Helped This Guy Lose Nearly 15Kg In 6 Weeks

Strongman Eddie Hall Helped This Guy Lose Nearly 15Kg In 6 Weeks

Radio Star 'Wippa' Is The First MH Transformation Of 2020

Radio Star 'Wippa' Is The First MH Transformation Of 2020

This Is The Workout Behind Rami Malek's Transformation In Bohemian Rhapsody

This Is The Workout Behind Rami Malek's Transformation In Bohemian Rhapsody

{headline}

{headline}

The Super Easy Diet Plan That Helped This Guy Lose 60 Kilos

The Super Easy Diet Plan That Helped This Guy Lose 60 Kilos

This Guy Pulled Off a 71kg Weight Loss in 9 Months by Cutting One Ingredient From His Diet

This Guy Pulled Off a 71kg Weight Loss in 9 Months by Cutting One Ingredient From His Diet

Rob Lowe Opens Up About His Diet, Workout, And How He Essentially Hasn't Aged In 30 Years

Rob Lowe Opens Up About His Diet, Workout, And How He Essentially Hasn't Aged In 30 Years

{headline}

{headline}

Meet Vance Hinds, the Man Whose Incredible 90-Kilo Weight Loss Transformation Went Viral

Meet Vance Hinds, the Man Whose Incredible 90-Kilo Weight Loss Transformation Went Viral

Christian Bale Reveals The Shocking Effects Of His Body Transformations

Christian Bale Reveals The Shocking Effects Of His Body Transformations

This Man's Fitness Transformation Helped Him Build Muscle and Carve a Six-Pack

This Man's Fitness Transformation Helped Him Build Muscle and Carve a Six-Pack

He Was Teased for Being Skinny — So He Gained 15kg of Muscle

He Was Teased for Being Skinny — So He Gained 15kg of Muscle

How This MH Staffer Lost 11kg In Only 8 Weeks

How This MH Staffer Lost 11kg In Only 8 Weeks

How Singer Shawn Mendes Went From Scrawny To Brawny

How Singer Shawn Mendes Went From Scrawny To Brawny

First Sam Smith Lost 22kg, Now He's Piling On The Muscle

First Sam Smith Lost 22kg, Now He's Piling On The Muscle

  1. Home
  2. Weight Loss

A Simple Diet and Workout Plan Helped This Guy Lose 35 Kilos and Get Ripped

At his heaviest, Thuan Nguyen weighed nearly 115kg
  • 13 May 2019
A Simple Diet and Workout Plan Helped This Guy Lose 35 Kilos and Get Ripped
Thuan Nguyen

When he was at his heaviest, Thuan Nguyen recalls feeling as if he was "trudging through life in the mud." He was unhappy with work, had just ended a challenging relationship, and was struggling with depression. A combination of stress and emotional eating—combined with working a sedentary job that involves up to five hours of daily commuting— had caused his weight to peak at roughly 115 kilos. "I had never felt so low in my life," he says.

Nguyen, 33, who works as a UX designer in the Bay Area of California, had struggled to lose weight in the past, but says that the need to make a change "just clicked" in the moment. "This time, I told myself, 'Just keep going. Even if you stumble, just keep going. You'll look back and be glad you did'," he says. "Two years later, I certainly am glad I did."

It helped that Nguyen had spent more than a decade following the latest science around weight loss and bodybuilding, and training with people who knew what they were doing. "I'd cut down a couple times before," he says. "I had the experience, knowledge, and self-awareness to transform. The challenge was: How do I now do it at this scale?" Nguyen's goal was ambitious: He wanted to cut down to around 83 kilos.

The idea of losing nearly 31 kilos would feel daunting to nearly anyone, so Nguyen decided to approach it with a combination of baby steps and milestones to make it feel more manageable. "First, I counted my calories every day for a week to roughly determine my maintenance intake," he says. "Then I decreased the calories by a couple hundred to initiate weight loss. I made incremental reductions, only doing so if my weight plateaued too long. If I reduced my calories too drastically, I knew I would suffer and risk giving up," he adds. Once he had the nutritional component locked in, he aimed to work out three or four days a week.

Meanwhile, he stayed patient, knowing the results would come. "It's science. When consuming in a deficit, weight loss will happen," he says. That's a point he makes often when advising other people on how to begin their weight loss progress. If you're struggling and tempted to hire some outside help, he says to look for a reputable, evidence-based coach. "Make sure they use scientific research to inform much of their thinking," he says. "Even today, I suspect the majority of coaches still believe in myths and bro-science."

urbanponderer View Profile
13 likes - View Post on Instagram
I've decided to post my lifting videos, to record my progress and form, and also to lift my spirits when I need it. So, today: 405 lbs. (184 kgs) x 3 x 4 sets. This was the smoothest 405 x 3 had ever felt! Gives me confidence I can hit 500 lbs soon. Today's learning: Trust myself. Take my time with my reps, carefully hit the bottom of each rep, and trust that I'll find my way up. Going slowly also minimizes bar shifting and enables a straighter bar path = more efficient, less wasted energy. #powerlifting #squats #405squat

No matter what you do, Nguyen's number one rule is to enjoy the process as best you can. (Easier said than done, we know.) Part of enjoying the process for Nguyen meant taking it slow. "That enabled me to have sufficient energy, to enjoy eating, and maintain lean tissue," he says. It took the better part of two years, but Nguyen made it—completing a dramatic 70-pound weight loss transformation. "I feel amazing," he says. "Like a gazelle. I feel athletic, lean, healthy, and more confident—I know that's reflected in my attitude."

While Nguyen hit the goal he initially set for himself, he says he's not finished just yet. He'd like to focus on getting a bit leaner, see how far he can push his physique. "If I get lean enough, maybe—just maybe—I'll enter a natural bodybuilding competition," he says. But as with his previous transformation, he expects to take it slow once again, celebrating the little victories along the way, and tracking his progress on his Instagram account. "It's important to make this a lifestyle change," he says. "Make your approach sustainable, and something you can enjoy every day."

This article originally appeared on Men's Health

  • Weight Loss
  • Body Transformation

Subscribe Now-6 Issues just $36.99

Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now

Subscribe Now-6 Issues just $36.99

Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now

Recommended to you

Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic
Watch 0:10

Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic

{headline}

{headline}

This Guy Did 100 Pushups And Pullups Every Day for a Whole Month

This Guy Did 100 Pushups And Pullups Every Day for a Whole Month

Strongman Eddie Hall Helped This Guy Lose Nearly 15Kg In 6 Weeks

Strongman Eddie Hall Helped This Guy Lose Nearly 15Kg In 6 Weeks

Radio Star 'Wippa' Is The First MH Transformation Of 2020

Radio Star 'Wippa' Is The First MH Transformation Of 2020

This Is The Workout Behind Rami Malek's Transformation In Bohemian Rhapsody

This Is The Workout Behind Rami Malek's Transformation In Bohemian Rhapsody

{headline}

{headline}

The Super Easy Diet Plan That Helped This Guy Lose 60 Kilos

The Super Easy Diet Plan That Helped This Guy Lose 60 Kilos

This Guy Pulled Off a 71kg Weight Loss in 9 Months by Cutting One Ingredient From His Diet

This Guy Pulled Off a 71kg Weight Loss in 9 Months by Cutting One Ingredient From His Diet

Rob Lowe Opens Up About His Diet, Workout, And How He Essentially Hasn't Aged In 30 Years

Rob Lowe Opens Up About His Diet, Workout, And How He Essentially Hasn't Aged In 30 Years

{headline}

{headline}

Meet Vance Hinds, the Man Whose Incredible 90-Kilo Weight Loss Transformation Went Viral

Meet Vance Hinds, the Man Whose Incredible 90-Kilo Weight Loss Transformation Went Viral

Christian Bale Reveals The Shocking Effects Of His Body Transformations

Christian Bale Reveals The Shocking Effects Of His Body Transformations

This Man's Fitness Transformation Helped Him Build Muscle and Carve a Six-Pack

This Man's Fitness Transformation Helped Him Build Muscle and Carve a Six-Pack

He Was Teased for Being Skinny — So He Gained 15kg of Muscle

He Was Teased for Being Skinny — So He Gained 15kg of Muscle

How This MH Staffer Lost 11kg In Only 8 Weeks

How This MH Staffer Lost 11kg In Only 8 Weeks

How Singer Shawn Mendes Went From Scrawny To Brawny

How Singer Shawn Mendes Went From Scrawny To Brawny

First Sam Smith Lost 22kg, Now He's Piling On The Muscle

First Sam Smith Lost 22kg, Now He's Piling On The Muscle

MensHealth
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement

Brands

  • Women's Health

Our Network

  • Paragon Media Pty Ltd
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from Men's Health

Magazine Subscription Offer

Subscribe Now-6 Issues just $36.99

Shop This Offer
Subscribe Now