Meet Agnaldo, a data science consultant from Brazil who’s no stranger to weight-loss medication. He talks about the importance of having a routine and professional support.
Hi Agnaldo. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Well, I have a very stressful job. I’m a data science consultant which requires me to travel a lot, but I still have to sit at my computer most of the day. Some days I work from 8am to midnight, so I don’t have a lot of time to take care of myself or to dedicate to a routine.
In my free time, I really like playing competitive video games like Counter Strike – I’m a nerd! I’m originally from Brazil, which is full of beautiful mountains, so when I have the chance I like to travel and go hiking.
What is motivating you to want to lose weight?
For starters, my health. I just turned 30 and I know that my health will deteriorate if I don’t take better care of myself. Secondly, to be honest, my appearance; I want to lose weight to look better. And thirdly, I want to be able to do the things that I like more easily, hiking for example.
How does your weight affect you?
Well, it definitely affects my everyday life. I’ve been overweight for a long time so I think that the people in my life are used to it, but I’m not – and I don’t want to be. I want to lose weight for myself, not anyone else.
How have you tried to lose weight in the past?
I had a lot of success with weight-loss medication two years ago, which is why I chose Manual’s programme. Last time I lost 12 kilos in a few months, but when the professional support stopped I simply started gaining weight again.
I stopped taking the medication because I had to travel a lot for work and that messed up my routine. I quickly fell back into my old habits and undid all the progress I’d made. Having a routine is just so important and when you have a coach looking out for you, it’s much easier than doing it by yourself.
Tell us about your weight-loss coaching experience.
The big difference to what I’ve tried in the past is the coaching aspect. Having now tried this, I think coaching is essential when you’re trying to lose weight; you have someone to talk to, steer you in the right direction, celebrate your progress with, and calm you down if you’re having a bad day.
Before joining the programme, I expected the coaching to be more robotic and less personal, but I feel that the coach really wants to get to know me. He’s definitely someone that I can text and contact any time with issues that I have, it’s been very personal, which is great.
What kind of changes have you noticed in yourself?
From past experience I already knew that some weight-loss medications work very well, so I expected to have some side effects like last time, but I haven’t had any nausea at all.
Since I started taking the medication my appetite’s changed. I have a sweet tooth but I don’t have cravings for chocolate or ice cream in the afternoon anymore. And the amount of food that I eat in general has gone down.
I feel really motivated since I decided to embark on this journey, and I want to stick with it till the end, until I hit my goals.
