Too Unfit to Start? How Connor Lost 27kg in 16 Weeks

Connor could not do a box jump. He could not do a burpee, skip, run or hang from a bar. Sixteen weeks later he was 27kg lighter, and his coach was telling him he was right up there with some of the top performers who had come to Fitness Street.

If you have ever told yourself you need to get fit before you can go to a fitness retreat, his story is the reason that thought is backwards.

How do you end up too unfit to start?

Slowly. For Connor it began with an injury.

"I had an injury a few years back and just lack of knowledge about what to eat, when to eat and the weights just started piling on and I became less mobile. Yeah, less fit and honestly a lot less motivated to try."

Notice the order. The injury came first. Then the weight. Then the loss of movement. The loss of motivation came last.

In Connor's case, the problem did not start with willpower. It started with a body that hurt and a plan that did not exist. He found Prime Revive online, and in his words, it "seemed like the answer".

Why were the first three weeks the hardest?

"When you join the program, it's overwhelming, honestly. It's tough but very worthwhile. My first three weeks was a struggle. It's not until I did everything that I was told to do that I started to lose weight."

That last sentence is the one to keep.

Not most of the plan. All of it: the sessions, the food, the recovery. By his own account, the weight only started to move once he did everything he was told.

What does a programme look like when you can barely move?

It starts where you are, not where a fit person is.

"If you're one of those guys who can't move ... You can't move your toes or you can't move your hands past your knees. This program will work for you. It will be adjusted. I had to start new."

The evidence backs starting small. The World Health Organization says plainly that any amount of physical activity is better than none. The adult target in the NHS guidelines, at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week plus strengthening activities on at least 2 days, is the destination. It is not the entry requirement.

At Prime Revive that means a coach at every session, with one coach for every four guests, and movements adjusted for injuries and mobility until they fit the body in front of them. Connor's list of what he could not do on day one was long.

"I couldn't do a box jump, couldn't do burpees, couldn't do skipping, couldn't run, couldn't hang ... And now I'm up there with some of the people, like I might sound like I'm bragging, but I'm up there with some of the best people rowing."

What does 27kg feel like?

Not like a number.

"I feel like I'm walking taller. And I feel better about myself."

He arrived with few clothes and bought something that was "kind of the biggest on the shelf and that was still too small". By the end of his stay, he said, "I'm finally wearing that with confidence on the street."

What did he take home?

"You will gain knowledge and information, not only throughout the course, but enough to bring home with you and make that progress on your own."

That is the real test of any stay. Not what you do while a coach is watching, but what you keep doing when nobody is.

Is a fitness retreat right for you if you can barely move?

Honestly, Connor's result is his. He stayed 16 weeks, and the most common stay is 4 weeks. Your starting point and your stay will give you your own result.

What stays the same is how you start. Day one is an induction, a baseline 3D body scan and a first coached session at your level. Every week after that brings a new scan and a sit-down review of what moved and what to change.

If that sounds like the start you need, read how the weight loss retreat in Phuket works or see prices and accommodation. When you are ready, tell us where you are starting from and a coach will write your plan, free.