They say a twin is a person’s best friend from the womb and that is surely true, but when that twin influences the other in more ways than ordinarily would be the case, that’s what true motivation can look like.
In this story of how John Kwame Markin transformed himself from 156kg to 100kg in a little over a year, the underlining influence of his twin brother, Joshua Kwame Markin, makes this an even more enjoyable tale.
Sharing his story with GhanaWeb after he initially made a post about his impressive transformation on Twitter, John said without his brother, he could never have achieved this great feat, especially in such a short time.
“In my media, there are other pictures of me and my twin brother who really is my motivation,” he said.
In a post he shared on June 11, 2022, John (@KwameBlack) explained his shock at the massive turnaround in his looks.
“Herh! 18 months down and I’ve shed 50kg! Not at my goal but 156kg to 106kg is huge for me! It really is a lifestyle change chale. God has been good to me! Thank you @kakra @Rajoamusic @edwardpappoe and whole gang for the motivation. We keep pushing!” he tweeted.
In his most recent post on his progress, John shared two photos that showed the great difference in his looks, going on to pat himself on the back for the achievement.
He also added, in his July 17, 2022 post, how this journey begun for him on January 6, 2021.
“Naaah. I did a thing! I’m now realizing how far I’ve come on my fitness journey. Not there yet but I’m happy I took that step on January 6th 2021. Maybe one day I’ll share the full journey,” he wrote.
His late father’s admonitions went on deaf ears
Sharing even more of his story with GhanaWeb, John spoke about how unsuccessfully his late father tried to get him to exercise and look fitter than he did.
Admitting that it has not been an easy attempt to lose weight, he stressed that his twin brother (who was equally overweight) got the better of him, influencing him so much so that he had no other choice than to pursue this longtime pursuit of the people closest to him.
“Almost two years ago, my Dad (of blessed memory) sat me down and told me I needed to get control of my weight and that it was another level of discipline I needed in my life.
"I have struggled with losing and maintaining my weight all my life because of binging and late eating. My dad was right because I had allowed myself to go down the rabbit hole: junk food and inactivity, telling myself “I can start whenever”. My weight became a problem after COVID hit and jobs became remote.
“After several discussions and interventions, my twin brother, Joshua, and I decided in January of 2021 to do something about it. We were both over 150kg when we walked into the gym (ProFitness at Adabraka).
“After 18 months of dieting, cardio, and resistance training with our trainer, Nicholas Namiru (Zizufitness), we lost over 53kg each. I feel great physically. My work as Cinematographer and filmmaker doesn’t feel like a chore anymore and I can go about my life with more energy. Even though we lost you too soon, dad, I know you’re proud of us from heaven,” he shared.
See the transformation of John Kwame Markin below:
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John and Joshua Markin hit the gym to transform themselves from being overweight