5 min read
Tom Bailey, 35, a finance director from Manchester, United Kingdom, was no stranger to fitness. As a semi-professional soccer player, he was used to keeping his body in shape. After his retirement, he noticed his weight steadily increasing, despite keeping up with cardio workouts. There were two moments that served as his wake-up call to make some changes in his life. Read how Tom completely transformed his body, and toughened his mind in the process.
I PLAYED SEMI-PROFESSIONAL soccer from age 18 until age 28. This meant games and training three times per week, plus regular gym sessions with the team. I was in the best shape of my life. Then work and kids took over. (I have two boys, ages 6 and 3). I stopped playing, and so did most of my exercise routine.
I gradually gained weight between 2021 and 2025. I snacked a lot. I found myself buying junk to eat at work, turning to convenience food, and keeping a stash of chocolate and sweets at home. I also drank more than I probably should have. I’d indulge in the occasional mid-week beer after work or at home.
Now, I was still doing cardio. I completed two marathons. One in 2023 and the other in 2024 with 3 hours and 30 minutes being my run time. Despite these accomplishments, my weight gain continued. My issue was my diet and a complete lack of weight training. I tried to start strength training on my own during that time but failed due to lack of knowledge and accountability. It was always too easy to give up and stop.
In 2025, I was 34 years old and weighed about 209 pounds. I was my heaviest and had never been so unhappy. Then I had two breaking points.
The first happened when I was away with my family on vacation. We were at the beach, and my wife took a picture of me—fully clothed, because I wouldn’t take my shirt off. It was awful. I asked her to delete it.
The second turning point, which shook me to my core was an off-hand comment from my 6 year-old. He told me I was looking fat and not healthy. It cut deep. My main goal in life is to be a positive role model to my boys, so I knew I needed to make a change.
He Got More Precise About Working Out
I knew I needed to go back to weight training. I needed to accountability.
The first thing I did was re-educate myself about exercise. Which workouts did I need to do? How frequently? How to do them correctly? Instead of wasting time with a trial-and-error gym routine, I went to a fitness expert. I put my trust into my personal trainer, Adam Bailey, at Ultimate Performance’s Manchester gym, and it was the best decision I’d made. I learned how important weight training is for health, both short term and long term. I also learned that getting in the great shape I’d seen men in online and in magazines is achievable with hard work.
Tom Bailey doing pull-ups at the gym.
My weekly workout was made up of three full-body sessions, plus one or two cardio sessions. I also made sure to do more than 10,000 steps a day. In the first few weeks, I was already seeing my results pay off. My weight was coming down, and my body was starting to look different. Seeing these changes motivated me to keep going.
Protein Targets Took The Weight Off
Along with revamping my exercise routine, I knew I also needed to change my diet. Before 2025, I never tracked my food or understood the importance of macros. Needless to say, I wasn’t hitting my daily protein needs.
I prioritized my diet to focus on meals with high protein and low carbs. My protein mainly came from meat and eggs. I also upped the amount of vegetables I ate too. I kept to 1,900 calories a day.
Most days I would start with eggs of some sort followed by a lunch containing pre-prepared chicken breast or beef, with lots of vegetables to keep me full. I would have the same home-cooked meal my family ate in the evening. I was keen to have family time at dinner, so I’d save calories for then. Once the kids went off to bed, I would snack on Greek yogurt and blueberries.
I initially averaged a weight loss of just over two pounds a week. But over 14 weeks, I lost 31 pounds and my body fat went from 21.6 percent to 9.7 percent.
How Tom Bailey looks now.
The biggest positive was how my boys reacted to my weight loss. They are so proud! Both of them say they want to be healthy like their dad. Losing weight also made a huge difference to my health metrics. For example, I had high cholesterol for years. I used to blame it on genetics. But after my weight loss, I see my unhealthy habits played a factor. My cholesterol levels are normal now.
His Stamina Skyrocketed
My sleep improved a lot. So it’s no surprise my energy got a boost, too. Before my weight loss journey, I was quite reliant on coffee to get through the day. Now I’ve significantly reduced the amount I drink.
Having more energy helped me become a much better dad. I have the stamina to play games with the boys, take them to the park, and play football with them in the garden. In the gym, I have the energy and also the confidence to work out.
His Determination is Now His Superpower
The key to maintaining my weight loss is repeating this simple, but effective mantra: I’ve got to.
I’ve seen a lot of people lose weight only to put it back on. I’m more committed than ever to make permanent changes to my lifestyle and routine to ensure this never happens to me. To help me with this endeavor, I have set short- and long-term goals for myself. In April 2026, I will be running the Manchester Marathon in England. I will also keep up weight training and my healthy lifestyle from my mid-30s to my 40s and then later in life. It’s so important to me to see my kids grow up, and to be as present for them as I can.
My advice to anyone starting a weight loss journey: go to the experts. Rather than wasting time trying to experiment with what works for me, I let my personal trainer, Adam, guide me. Most of all, he kept me motivated. He believed in me more than I did at the beginning. We did this journey together, and I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did without him as my partner. Above all: believe it can be done.
Lisa is an internationally established health writer whose credits include Good Housekeeping, Prevention, Men’s Health, Oprah Daily, Woman’s Day, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire, Glamour, The Washington Post, WebMD, Medscape, The Los Angeles Times, Parade, Health, Self, Family Circle and Seventeen. She is the author of eight best-selling books, including The Essentials of Theater.
