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Case Study:

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Welcome to RNT Fitness Radio. Today I'm joined by RNTer Kate Bell, who comes on the podcast to share her journey of getting into the best physical shape of her life.

Kate is an entrepreneur living in the Cayman Islands, and a mum of three with five kids in the house. She travels often and has been into health and fitness for a while, but had never quite got the results that truly reflected what she wanted to see in her body.

Kate found us through a podcast I featured on a couple of years ago, where I talked about the identity gap that so many people fall into, the all-in or all-out trap. They're great Monday to Friday, then completely derailed at the weekend, and as a result never achieve the body they dream of. That's what drew Kate in, and it's exactly what she's been overcoming on her journey with us.

She's now in the best shape of her life, 22 lbs down, and looking forward to building muscle, getting stronger, and refining her lifestyle solution as she continues to thrive in business, as a mum, and as an all-round high performer.

So without further ado, let's dive in.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:12 Meet Your Host

2:08 Trigger Moments & Finding RNT

4:57 Living Two Identities

6:02 The MyFitnessPal Trap

8:22 Family Reactions To The Change

10:43 Protein Rice Discovery

11:13 Relationship With Exercise Then vs Now

14:08 Family Dynamic With 5 Kids

15:41 Meal Prep For A Family Of 7

19:08 Why Intermittent Fasting Backfired

23:01 Bridging The Split Identity

26:01 Weighing In As An Anchor Point

29:04 Hitting Checkpoint: 22 Lbs Down

31:21 Considering Ozempic

34:23 Fear Of Success & Consolidation Mindset

37:57 Managing Cravings & Close Calls

39:44 Identity, Trust & Business Impact

42:58 What's Next For Kate

44:37 Final Advice For Listeners

46:19 Outro

Follow us:

Website - https://www.rntfitness.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rnt_fitness

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/akashvaghela

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@akash_vaghela

Built for Life Newsletter: https://builtforlife.io

Twice-weekly emails for high performers who want to look good, feel great and perform at their best

Book a 1-1 strategy session: https://www.rntfitness.co.uk/ytapplynow

–

Creatine isn't just for building muscle, it's one of the most exciting brain health supplements on the market right now, and most people have no idea.

In this episode of RNT Fitness Radio, Akash breaks down what creatine actually is at a simple, no-nonsense level, then dives into the brain benefits that have been flying under the radar: cognition, mood, energy, neuroprotection, and even sleep quality. You'll also get the full rundown on the classic performance benefits, exactly how much to take, when to take it, and why creatine monohydrate is the only version worth your money.

Whether you're an athlete, a desk worker, or a student, if you've got a brain that needs to perform, this episode is for you.

This isn't about chasing shortcuts. It's about giving your body and brain what they need to function at their best, because life by design beats life by default every time.

Got a question about creatine, or a topic you want covered on a future episode? Email podcast@rntfitness.com.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

0:47 What Is Creatine

7:18 How to Actually Take Creatine

10:42 Who Benefits and Final Thoughts

12:39 Outro

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Follow us:

Website - https://www.rntfitness.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rnt_fitness

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/akashvaghela

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@akash_vaghela

Built for Life Newsletter: https://builtforlife.io

Twice-weekly emails for high performers who want to look good, feel great and perform at their best

Book a 1-1 strategy session: https://www.rntfitness.co.uk/ytapplynow

Case Study: https://www.rntfitness.co.uk/how-sharmilee-patel-lost-18-5kg-after-menopause-without-surgery

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On this episode of RNT Fitness Radio I'm joined by Sharmilee Patel, who has been with us since November 2024. Her trigger moment was a combination of a few things:

• The 35-40 lbs she'd been carrying for two decades, since the birth of her two children, that simply wouldn't shift

• Reaching her early 50s and experiencing menopause, and seeing high cholesterol in her annual blood test

• Plantar fasciitis, which was starting to affect her ability to walk and her day-to-day life

Since then, she's dropped 40 lbs and gone well beyond what she ever expected. Perhaps the biggest win of all: as a lifelong insomnia sufferer, she now falls asleep almost as soon as she hits the pillow, rather than the two to four hours she used to lie awake.

She was also diagnosed with hypothyroidism many years ago, and as a result believed getting into shape was simply never going to be possible for her. But her journey with RNT over the past 18 months has completely changed that belief, and she's gone on to inspire many others to join RNT and take charge of their own health.

At her daughter's wedding a few months ago, she was continuously mistaken for the bride's sister rather than her mother, which is surely the ultimate compliment.

I'm excited for you to listen to this one. So without further ado, let's dive in.

Chapters:

0:05 Introduction

2:24 Two Decades Of Stuck Weight

4:39 The Hypothyroidism Diagnosis

6:38 Rock Bottom: Plantar Fasciitis And Menopause

8:39 Joining RNT At Thanksgiving

10:49 The Rock Bottom Moment In Depth

14:04 Clean The Palate Phase

16:26 First Day In The Gym

18:10 Process Phase: Travel And Meal Prep Strategies

24:04 Cultural Food Adjustments

25:15 Biggest Challenges: Steps And Insomnia

27:45 Beating Insomnia: Screen Time And Journaling

29:13 Weight Loss Results And The Photoshoot Decision

31:38 Daughter's Wedding: Mistaken For Sisters

35:16 Lessons Learned: Protein, Sleep, And Boundaries

40:16 Investment Phase: What's Next

42:56 Advice For Women Considering RNT

45:42 Closing Thoughts

–

Follow us:

Website - https://www.rntfitness.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rnt_fitness

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/akashvaghela

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@akash_vaghela

Built for Life Newsletter: https://builtforlife.io

Twice-weekly emails for high performers who want to look good, feel great and perform at their best

Book a 1-1 strategy session: https://www.rntfitness.co.uk/ytapplynow

Why Your Partner Resists Your Fitness Journey (And What to Do About It): https://www.rntfitness.co.uk/why-your-partner-resists-your-fitness-journey

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Why does your partner sometimes resist your fitness transformation, even when they say they support you?

In this episode, Akash and Ed break down the three phases where relationships tend to hit friction on a body transformation journey: the conversation before you even sign up, the moment your partner realizes how much is actually going to change, and the long-term shift once you're in shape and staying there.

They cover the different "buyer" archetypes people fall into when starting a program (including the ones who join in secret), why preaching to your partner almost always backfires, and how to ask for support in a way that actually works. Akash and Ed also share their own relationship habits, from a weekly five-point check-in ritual to how they've learned to divide training time with their own wives, and close with a simple but important point: if you wouldn't want your partner to overhear how you talk about them, that's a sign the conversation needs to happen directly.

Whether your partner is fully on board, quietly skeptical, or actively pushing back, this episode gives you a framework for navigating it, without turning your transformation into a source of tension at home.

Chapters:

0:05 Intro

1:02 Why Partners Resist Your Transformation

2:39 Phase 1: Before You Even Sign Up

5:48 Phase 2: Realizing What They Signed Up For

15:45 Phase 3: The Long Game

18:34 Getting Over the Resistance

21:16 Relationship Check-Ins and Marriage Talk

23:29 Avoiding Small Talk

24:08 The Preaching Trap

30:21 Reframing the Partner's Fears

30:28 Marathon Banter

30:53 Following Through and Specific Asks

33:48 Kids Logistics and Lockdown Lessons

35:46 Training Separately, Together

39:05 You Don't Need Matching Intensity

40:09 Paddle and Personal Purchases

42:20 The Weekly Relationship Check-In Ritual

44:45 Final Words

46:51 Outro

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Follow us:

Website - https://www.rntfitness.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rnt_fitness

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/akashvaghela

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@akash_vaghela

Built for Life Newsletter: https://builtforlife.io

Twice-weekly emails for high performers who want to look good, feel great and perform at their best

Book a 1-1 strategy session: https://www.rntfitness.co.uk/ytapplynow

–

On this episode of RNT Fitness Radio, I'm joined by Dr. Margi Patel, a dentist and mum living in the state of Georgia in the US, who is nine months into her journey with RNT and so far over 60 lbs down. She's on a truly remarkable journey of changing her habits, her lifestyle, her mental health, and her overall well-being.

For Margi, the trigger that hit home was seeing an HbA1c of 6.4 in a lab test. The moment she saw that number, she couldn't sleep all night, and shortly after, she came across RNT and knew it was the solution to get her back on track. Fast forward eight months, and not only is she 60+ lbs down, but her labs now show an HbA1c of 5.1, which is genuinely life-changing and life-extending, as she's avoided diabetes through this journey.

Margi's checkpoint is coming up in the next couple of months, so this is part one of her story, as we're still en route to that milestone, and I'm excited for her to reach it. What's especially cool is that only a few months into her first year, Margi committed to her second year, and recently committed to her third, knowing the power of the long-term journey with us at RNT. She's here for the full multi-year, five phase experience, not just to get in shape and move on. So let's dive in!

Chapters:

00:05 Introduction: Margi's Story

01:24 Welcome to RNT Fitness Radio

02:23 The Trigger Moments That Started the Journey

08:26 Choosing a Holistic Approach Over GLP-1s

11:01 Life Before RNT

17:06 Current Lab Results

19:16 Navigating Family and Cultural Judgment

27:17 A Word From RNT Fitness

27:50 The Conversation With Her Husband

33:52 Committing to Year Two and Year Three

37:21 Fitting Back Into Old Clothes

39:44 Balancing Motherhood, Work, and Training

43:12 Energy, Mindset, and Confidence

46:44 Becoming an Inspiration for Other Women

48:19 Advice for Anyone Fearing Judgment

49:39 Family Coming Around, Parents Join RNT

51:38 What Almost Kept Her From Starting

53:57 Looking Ahead to the US Event

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Follow us:

Website - https://www.rntfitness.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rnt_fitness

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/akashvaghela

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Built for Life Newsletter: https://builtforlife.io

Twice-weekly emails for high performers who want to look good, feel great and perform at their best

Book a 1-1 strategy session: https://www.rntfitness.co.uk/ytapplynow

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Welcome back to another episode of RNT Fitness Radio. Today I'm joined by RNTer Eric Gandhi, who comes on the podcast to share his experience four months into his journey.

Eric started back in February alongside his wife Shivali, and in this episode he talks about why he started, what the journey has been like so far, the results he's achieved, and why it's so powerful doing a transformation as a couple.

If you've ever considered transforming alongside your partner, it's one of the best things you can do. The more support you have in the household, the better your results will be.

So without further ado, let's dive in.

Chapters:

0:05 Intro

0:42 Host intro - Akash Vaghela

1:39 The trigger moments

4:18 Accepting his body had changed

6:23 The "enough is enough" moment

7:58 Doing the program as a couple

9:36 Getting the family on board with nutrition

11:09 Challenges as a couple

13:48 Overcoming the time obstacle

15:07 Home gym setup

15:37 Driving force and motivation

17:35 Sponsor break - Free book offer

18:05 Navigating social events and travel

23:52 Long term goals post-checkpoint

25:08 Mastering maintenance

27:07 Physical transformation as a vehicle

28:06 Advice for someone starting

29:34 Final words

30:08 Outro

Follow us:

Website - https://www.rntfitness.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rnt_fitness

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/akashvaghela

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@akash_vaghela

Built for Life Newsletter: https://builtforlife.io

Twice-weekly emails for high performers who want to look good, feel great and perform at their best

Book a 1-1 strategy session: https://www.rntfitness.co.uk/ytapplynow

Lean Vs Shredded: The Cold Hard Truth https://t-nation.com/t/lean-vs-shredded-the-cold-hard-truth/283897

Back in 2017, I wrote an article four weeks out from a bodybuilding show for T-Nation called "Lean Vs Shredded: The Cold Hard Truth" and it went a little viral, maybe because, for the first time, there was a clearly written piece on what it actually takes to go from great beach-lean condition to absolutely shredded, and the real cost behind that.

In this episode, I dive into the eight differences between being lean and being shredded: what defines each, and how you transition out the right way so you can avoid many of the mistakes I've made in the past.

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Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:00 Competition Winner Announcement

1:53 Can Everyone Get Shredded?

2:36 Defining Lean vs Shredded: Body Fat Percentages

4:47 What Shredded Actually Looks Like

5:43 Do You Ever Need to Be Shredded?

7:06 The 8 Differences Between Lean and Shredded

18:53 Altered Perception of Reality

20:04 How to Transition Back from Shredde

22:27 The Binge Restrict Cycle: My 2014 Story

26:09 How to Break the Cycle

28:38 Outro

Follow us:

Website - https://www.rntfitness.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rnt_fitness

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/akashvaghela

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@akash_vaghela

Built for Life Newsletter: https://builtforlife.io

Twice-weekly emails for high performers who want to look good, feel great and perform at their best

Book a 1-1 strategy session: https://www.rntfitness.co.uk/ytapplynow

Ailie moved to the UK from New Zealand in early 2024. Burnt out, stagnated, and carrying more weight than she'd let herself acknowledge. It took a series of photos at an event to make it undeniable. Six months later, she was 15kg down and standing in front of a camera at her photoshoot checkpoint.

What made this story stand out: Ailie was already losing weight on her own when she joined. She didn't think she needed much help. This conversation gets into why perimenopause made strength training non-negotiable, how she stayed on track through 4 weeks in Australia, what the final grind actually felt like, and why a shopping trip in Australia became one of the biggest wins of the whole journey.

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Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

5:45 The Photo That Started Everything

7:45 From Zookeeper to Desk Job

10:53 Sailing Past Every Plateau

13:12 Perimenopause and the Case for Strength

15:30 Her Real Why

17:25 Early Struggles With Nutrition

21:21 Why Protein Was Always Missing

22:04 Meal Prep in 15 Minutes

25:43 4 Weeks in Australia

28:48 Why She Booked a Photoshoot

30:30 The Grind 32:08 How the Physical Became the Vehicle

37:28 What Almost Stopped Her Joining

38:22 What She'd Say to Other Women

45:11 Final Words

Follow us:

Website - https://www.rntfitness.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rnt_fitness

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/akashvaghela

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@akash_vaghela