"Understanding something and living it are two very different things," Dr. Stephen Sanders, a physician, hit the nail on the head when it came to his own physical health. Between brutal shifts, a medical practice, and family, Sanders ran his body to the ground. And he built himself back again from scratch.

As someone who constantly advised others on optimizing their health, Sanders found himself at odds with that reality. The weight kept creeping up, and he kept neglecting his physique. Speaking with Lisa Mulcahy from Men's Health on his surprising physical journey, Sanders quipped,

"In 2019, I was 39 years old, and I weighed 261 pounds. Seeing that number on the scale was jarring. I felt awful."

However, matters reached a fever pitch when Sanders went biking in Colorado in his late 30s, and someone snapped a still from the outing.

"I had to do a double-take. I literally did not recognize myself, and it shook me to my core," the physician told Mulcahy per Men's Health.

Sanders hopped right back into the driver's seat of his life and made small, consistent changes. Within 15 months, the doctor lost a solid 60 pounds.

Sanders' foolproof strategy to lose weight

Before any fancy shift, Stephen Sanders overhauled his pantry. He cut out all processed foods and liquid calories and followed intermittent fasting for 18 hours daily. His meals prioritized protein above all else, relying on meats like chicken, salmon, and tuna.

Eating the same meals every day "removed the guesswork" and kept the nutritional value consistent, which included 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight.

Another simple lifestyle change Sanders incorporated was 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night. Additionally, he also walked 8,000 steps every day to boost his metabolism and supplement his work inside the gym.

Speaking of which, treating his workouts like yet another appointment on his calendar prevented Sanders from missing a session.

"I wouldn’t skip a patient appointment, so I wasn't going to skip out on myself," he explained in the same interview.

The key was to start small and keep stacking up the sessions no matter what.

Ultimately, fitness is seldom about massive physical transformations or swoon-worthy physiques. It's about finding a path that works for you and sticking with it. What's your takeaway from Stephen Sanders' journey?

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Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi