'There is huge support out there' - man who shed 42kg in six months

A man who lost 42kg in just over six months and who last week won €20,000 in a fitness challenge has described the “huge support” he encountered from the public while encouraging others to stick to fitness goals.

Software developer Jason Sant was named the winner of the ‘100 Day Fitness Challenge’ organised by social media fitness platform Bulletproof.

The father-of-two was urged to enter the challenge by his wife Francesca, following long-running health concerns, including dangerously high blood pressure and severe sleep apnea. He was also not able to take part in activities with their two young children for years.

But he has not stopped there; since the challenge ended in April, Sant has gone on to lose a further eight kilos, meaning that in just over six months he has lost a total of 42kg.

Describing winning the award as “surreal”, Sant explained how, more than the prize money, it “gave me huge newfound confidence in myself to break out of my comfort zone”.

Recounting his life before undergoing the rapid weight loss, Sant said he used to struggle when using stairs and regularly awoke to pain in his knees and back. “It was hard to travel or do anything”, he said.

“For more than a year, I’d been using a sleep apnea machine, because tests had shown I was in grave danger of losing my breath while sleeping. I used to wake up gasping for air like someone was choking me.”

A visit to the doctor a year earlier had left him taking daily blood thinners after tests revealed dangerously high blood pressure.

Facing such daily struggles left him exhausted and with little energy to spend quality time with his family, he explained.

“I was irritable and always tired, and I never played with the kids. I didn't join in at the park because I could barely walk, " he said. "When we had movie nights, I would just want to sleep, and I wouldn’t join card games sitting on the floor because I couldn’t easily get back up.”

Ultimatum

Eventually, his wife Francesca gave him an ultimatum: “She wanted to go on more road trips, adventure and hiking holidays and said either I lose weight and get healthy and join or she'll go alone”, he said.

Resolving to tackle his weight once and for all, Sant started a regimen of daily exercise while strictly controlling his diet, since he had an addiction to food.

The father of two lost 29kg in 100 days.

When he won a year of free gym membership in a radio competition, he started regularly working out.

Soon, Sant dropped five kilogrammes, bringing his weight down to 155kg. Not long after he enrolled in the Bulletproof challenge. After 100 days, his weight had dropped 29kg to reach 126kg, but he did not stop there.

He lost another three kilogrammes before starting a separate Bulletproof summer challenge, which he is currently taking part in, recently weighing in at 118kg, meaning he lost 42kg in six and a half months.

And his life has changed immensely.

'Great shape compared to where I was'

“Physically, I still have a long way to go, but now I can jog, hike and go to the gym effortlessly. So, I’m in great shape compared to where I was,” he said, adding that the weight loss had also reduced his stress levels. 

Sant no longer needs to take blood thinners or use a sleep apnea machine, and earlier this week was recognised for his efforts when he was crowned the winner of the Bulletproof challenge.

Sant has adopted a strict working out regime. Photo: Jason Sant/Instagram.

Asked about his plans for the prize money, he said he would take his family on an “adventurous” holiday in September, before investing in a home gym to encourage his children to stay healthy and avoid his experiences.

While Sant has received the money for his win, earlier this year a group of youths filed a consumer complaint against Bulletproof for "misleading advertising", after it allegedly failed to choose a winner and pay the promised €10,000 for the brand's Project 360 challenge.

The consumer affairs authority later confirmed it was investigating the complaint.

'You're not alone'

With many people opting for weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, was Sant tempted?

“I was always scared of the side effects, and I wanted to work on being disciplined and to overcome my food addiction,” he said, adding that aiming to stop using blood thinners had been a big motivation to help him cut weight.

Sant now enjoys activities he was unable to take part in, such as hiking. Photo: Jason Sant.

Does he have any advice for others seeking to lose weight?  

“You are not alone. I thought that when I went public with my videos, people would judge me, but there is huge support out there. People want other people to feel better and be better versions of themselves,” he said.  

“Do not fixate on the weight; it will take time to get results, but most important is to take care of the habits. Make a list of habits and stick to them. If I can do it, anyone can.”