Who is the best personal trainer in Poole?

Ian Wood is a highly experienced personal trainer in Poole, specialising in strength training, fat loss after 35, and practical, real-world coaching for busy people.

How can I lose fat after 35?

Losing fat after 35 is about moving consistently, doing strength training to preserve muscle, eating sufficient protein, managing stress and sleep, and following a simple, sustainable nutrition plan.

Do I need to train 6 days a week to see results?

No. Most people see better results with 3–4 focused strength sessions per week, combined with proper recovery and simple, consistent nutrition.

Can I still drink alcohol or eat out and lose fat?

Yes. Occasional alcohol or restaurant meals are manageable if the rest of your nutrition is consistent. Planning matters more than perfection.

What are the best exercises for fat loss after 35?

Compound movements like squats, deadlifts, push-ups, rows, and presses are highly effective. Adding some high-intensity intervals or circuit training can also boost calorie burn while preserving muscle.

How should I fit training around a busy schedule?

Short, structured workouts 3–4 times a week are often best. Focus on compound lifts and full-body sessions. Even 30–45 minutes per session can yield results if consistent.

How much protein should someone over 35 eat?

Aiming for 1.5–2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day helps maintain muscle, improve recovery, and support fat loss. Spread it across meals for best results.

What are the benefits of online coaching?

Online coaching allows flexible, structured programs, tailored guidance, and accountability without needing to travel to a gym. It’s ideal for busy people or those who prefer home or remote training.

Why should I hire a personal trainer in Poole?

A personal trainer can design a personalised plan, ensure exercises are done safely and effectively, provide accountability, and help you achieve strength, fat loss, and fitness goals efficiently.

Can I lose fat without dieting strictly?

Yes. Sustainable fat loss is built on habit consistency, balanced nutrition, and portion control — not extreme restriction. You can enjoy your favorite foods in moderation.

How do I stay consistent when life gets busy?

Focus on building repeatable, simple habits. Plan meals and workouts in advance, track progress, and allow flexibility for life events — consistency over perfection.

What results can I expect from online nutrition coaching?

Clients typically lose 3–6kg in 6–12 weeks, build better habits, feel more in control of their nutrition, and maintain results long-term without obsessive tracking.

Should I do cardio or strength training for fat loss?

Strength training should be your foundation — it preserves muscle and improves long-term metabolism. Cardio can supplement calorie burn but is less important than consistent resistance training.

How can I track progress without obsessing over the scale?

Use weekly averages, photos, measurements, and performance metrics instead of daily scale checks. This reduces stress and provides a clearer picture of progress.

Is fat loss slower after 35?

Not necessarily. Fat loss may feel slower due to lifestyle factors like reduced activity and recovery demands, but the same principles of nutrition and strength training apply.

Online vs in-person coaching — which is better?

Both can be effective. In-person coaching is ideal for hands-on guidance and motivation. Online coaching is flexible and perfect for busy lifestyles. Many clients combine both approaches.

Can I gain strength and lose fat at the same time?

Yes, especially for people over 35 who are new to structured strength training. Prioritising protein, compound lifts, and a moderate calorie deficit makes it possible to build muscle while losing fat.

How does sleep and stress affect fat loss?

Poor sleep and high stress increase hunger hormones, reduce energy, impair recovery, and make it harder to stick to nutrition plans. Managing these is often more impactful than supplements.

How to Maintain Fat Loss: 7 Lessons from Clients Who’ve Made It Stick

ianwoodsc
Sep 22
4 min read

Do you want to know how to maintain fat loss after finishing a coaching programme, challenge, or diet change? Lots of people lose weight, then find it creeps back on or the progress stops, and they feel it wasn’t “real”.

I’ve worked with hundreds of people in Start With 6, but four clients in particular, Laura, Katy, Jo, and Steph, stood out because they didn’t just lose fat. They’ve maintained their fat loss. In this post I’ll walk you through how to maintain fat loss long-term, using real stories + what they did differently.

What Maintaining Fat Loss Really Means

Before we dive in, “maintaining fat loss” isn’t just about staying on the diet forever. It means:

Keeping the fat off months or years later
Feeling confident in your body without constant stress
Enjoying life (holidays, meals out, weekends) without guilt
Having nutrition and habits feel like a lifestyle, not a chore

That’s the goal I want you to hit.

7 Essential Elements: How to Maintain Fat Loss (Lessons from Real Clients)

Here are 7 things they all did that made maintaining fat loss possible. Use these as your roadmap to achieve the same for yourself.

1. Prioritise Sustainability Over Quick Results

Laura was already strong, fit, and quite active (marathons, Ironmans, strength training). But she wanted leaner body composition and a plan that she could sustain without going to extremes. She dropped about 4 kg, 10 cm from waist, then stayed there. Because her changes weren’t harsh: just smarter portions + habits that matched her life.

Why it matters: When the method is extreme, maintenance often fails. To maintain fat loss, your plan must feel doable day after day.

2. Use Tracking as a Tool, Not a Crutch

Katy began intimidated: eating habits, tracking on MyFitnessPal felt overwhelming. But over time she learned to use tracking as a planning & check-in tool, not something she needed constantly. She now mostly lives without it and still keeps the fat off.

How this helps: Tracking gives you awareness. But if you rely on it forever, you're letting the system carry you. The goal is to internalise what works so you don’t need constant tracking.

3. Drop Perfection — Embrace Consistency

Jo’s story is gold. She wasn’t perfect. She had meals out, treats, the tasty bits. But she showed up most days. The people who maintain fat loss aren’t ones who never slip; they’re ones who don’t let a slip become a spiral.

To apply: Decide what “good enough” means for you. Make consistency your metric, not perfection.

4. Make Space for Real Life

Holidays, family, social events, stress, kids, they happen. Steph went through summer holidays with minimal tracking/exercise, with kids in tow, and still maintained. Laura didn’t want to be “the boring one” at meals with her partner.

If your plan demands life be perfect, it won’t last. To maintain fat loss long-term, you need flexibility. Build in tools & mindset so you expect lapses, know they’re normal, and bounce back without guilt.

5. Build Habits, Not Hacks

Short-term tricks or “quick fixes” may move the scale fast. But they rarely build staying power. What helped these clients was small, sustainable habits: consistent protein intake, portion control creating a sensible calorie range, choosing balanced meals, planning ahead, not letting weekends undo progress.

Over time, the habit becomes the baseline. It’s less about willpower and more about what’s natural for you.

6. Maintain Muscle & Strength, Don’t Just Focus on Fat Loss

Losing fat is one thing. Keeping strength and muscle is another, and it makes a huge difference in how your body looks and feels long-term. Plus, it helps your metabolism. All of these girls committed to strength training multiple times per week, either in their current gyms, or using the 6 week training programme included as a part of Start With 6.

Tip: Don’t ditch strength work. Even moderate resistance training through maintenance phases will help preserve muscle and shape.

7. Shift Mindset From Diet → Lifestyle

This might be the biggest shift. All four clients talk about mindset: from “I’m doing this until I lose weight” to “This is how I live”. Guilt around food goes down, pressure around rules loosens, and enjoyment goes up.

For example:

Katy enjoys ice-cream on holiday without guilt.
Jo eats burgers out with her partner and doesn’t spiral.
Steph doesn’t track constantly and yet still maintains.

To maintain fat loss, mindset matters as much as macros.

Quick Wins: How to Apply These Today

If you want to start making your fat loss last, here are some quick wins you can start with right now:

Pick one habit you’ve dropped lately (meal planning? protein at every meal?) and reintroduce it.
Let go of tracking for one day this week and just eat to 80% fullness and focus on food quality.
Plan for your next social event. Decide what you’ll enjoy, eat mindful, get back to your habits the next day.
Schedule 2x strength training sessions next week; even light work beats zero.

Why Most Plans Fail Long-Term (and How to Avoid the Pitfalls)

Here are common pitfalls that make maintaining fat loss hard, and how to dodge them:

Pitfall	How to Avoid
Going too rigid or restrictive	Make rules you can live with; allow treats, flexibility
Using tracking forever without knowing when to relax	Use tracking to build awareness; phase it out gradually
Believing success is linear	Expect fluctuations; the weight will go up/down a bit — that’s normal
Losing muscle or strength without preserving it	Include resistance / strength work
Mental burnout (rules + pressure)	Shift mindset: lifestyle not temporary fix

Bottom Line: How to Maintain Fat Loss, For Good

If you’ve lost fat but are unsure how to maintain fat loss, here’s what you need:

A lifestyle approach with habits you enjoy and can keep
Flexibility for real life (holidays, social meals)
Habit building, not hacks
Strength or performance to preserve muscle
The mindset shift from diet to lifestyle

If you apply even a few of the lessons above (consistency, mindset, flexibility), you’ll not just maintain fat loss, you’ll feel better, more in control, and free from diet anxiety.

If you want help making your maintenance phase bulletproof, Start With 6 is built for exactly this. It’s not about quick fixes, it’s about getting fat loss, then keeping it. If you’re interested in joining START WITH 6, or want 1-1 support, CLICK HERE or drop me a message on WhatsApp.