Francis Banayat: A pilot’s journey to weight loss

The fitness high at the start of the new year is quickly going down. Many people have fallen into a fitness plateau after just a month of diligently following their New Year’s resolution.

 At times like this, transformation stories help remind us that we are not alone in our fitness journeys and that if others have done it, we can, too.  One such story is that of Francis Banayat, a pilot who lost 52 pounds in 17 months by changing his lifestyle one workout and one meal at a time.

 THE PHILIPPINE STAR: Describe your fitness journey. What made you decide to start working out?

FRANCIS BANAYAT: I wasn’t really an overweight kid. I was kind of healthy. It wasn’t up until I was 11 that I developed an unhealthy lifestyle. By high school, it worsened because I wasn’t really active. I would just sit on the couch and watch TV and eat. By college I was pretty much obese. 

 After college, I went to flying school to pursue my dream of becoming a pilot. It was one of the most awesome things that I did. Going up in the air, doing what you wanna do for the rest of your life, pursuing your dream, your dream job. But in those days, I knew that I should be healthy because as a pilot, I ought to be fit and we have medical exams — without a medical certificate we can’t even fly, no matter how equipped we are.

The first thing I did when I embarked on this weight loss journey was to accept the fact that it was fully my fault. And that’s not easy. It hurts. But once you accept that it’s your fault, that it’s your responsibility, everything will move. 

In 17 months, I lost 52 pounds and I feel so great! However, I also have 28 pounds more to lose to achieve my target weight. It’s been really a good feeling losing weight, but at the same time, it’s hard because as I lose weight, it gets harder to lose more weight. Good thing I have my family to back me up and, of course, my gym buddies. They guide me in everything — my nutrition, my exercise and my gym motivation. It’s just about workout consistency. Consistency not only in your workout but also in your diet. 

What was the goal you set and what did you do to achieve it?

It all started with a small weight loss contest in school, which I signed up for.  From that day, I told myself “enough is enough.” It wasn’t easy, but I told myself that if I didn’t lose weight, I might die young. I might die of complications of heart disease, diabetes or anything that comes with being overweight and obese, and I didn’t want that. So, I told myself I was gonna push myself to the limit. 

How has fitness changed your life?

No matter how cliched it sounds, it’s not about losing weight, it’s about lifestyle change. And the first two to three months of my weight loss were really useful. I understood it was more than losing weight; it was about changing my habits, which I had for years and years. And since habits are hard to break, I had to make small adjustments little by little for me to get used to the lifestyle that I wanted. It wasn’t that hard for me because I’ve always had the suppport of my parents and siblings. At home, they always eat a healthy meal. 

 What advice would you give other people who are struggling with their fitness goals?

To all the people who are going through the same journey as I am, I know it’s not easy. Weight loss has a lot of setbacks. It includes gaining weight, not to mention weight loss, figuring out how to break through those. At the end of the day, we just need to continue what we need to do and just keep on believing in the process and keep pushing ourselves. We have put so much effort into losing weight. Why should we stop now? Ultimately, we are the only ones who are stopping ourselves and we know this.

To those who want to start their weight loss journey, it’s never too late. Take things one day at a time and take at look at the big picture. It’s about waking into a new lifestyle one step at a time, like having one healthy meal once a day, then incorporating two meals until it becomes a lifestyle.

When it comes to workouts, you just need consistency and keep pushing yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, nothing’s going to happen. No one’s going to lift those weights except you. No one’s going to run except you. Nobody’s going to eat right except you. At the end of the day, it is you who will be responsible for achieving physical fitness and attaining your life goals.

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