Scott Harrison at 42 (left) and at 50. Scott Harrison/Max Ellis 2025-04-16T14:20:54Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Scott Harrison's weight crept up as a father with a busy work schedule. At 42, he decided to learn about nutrition and get in shape without counting calories. He's now a personal trainer and runs a fat loss coaching business. Scott Harrison distinctly remembers looking at the other parents at school pick-up in December 2015 and thinking they all looked unhealthy. "What example was that setting for their children?" he thought."Then I looked at myself and I realized I was one of them," the dad of three from the UK told Business Insider.It was the turning point that saw Harrison lose weight by focusing on three things: eating nutritious, whole foods; learning about how calorific foods are without counting calories; and not eliminating treats from his diet. Harrison, 51, shared how he got in shape and has maintained his physique for a decade without giving up treats or alcohol, and started a business to help others do the same. Scott Harrison has maintained his healthy lifestyle and physique for a decade. Scott Harrison Harrison's weight crept up over the decadesHarrison started his working life as a trader in London, and worked hard and played hard for nine years. "I would be taken out by brokers all the time and could choose any restaurant. One of my favorite meals was steak covered in Stilton cheese, and my alcohol consumption was horrifically bad," he said. At the time, Harrison wasn't thinking about his health, he just wanted to have fun. Now, he realizes he was "chipping away at my body in a negative way."After leaving banking, Harrison worked various jobs during his 30s and 40s, including opening a small chain of sunbed and beauty salons, a jewelry shop, and a double-glazing company.Work and parenting kept Harrison busy, and he would typically skip breakfast then eat food like sausage rolls (pastry filled with sausage meat) and sandwiches on the go. In the evenings, he and his wife enjoyed at least one glass of wine and generally shared a bottle on the weekends."It's not that we were piss-heads or anything, we were totally normal and functioning. We've got kids, we weren't falling over or feeling drunk," Harrison said. "You don't realize alcohol has a gazillion calories."He also ate big portions of food and would order every starter on the menu when eating out. Harrison before and after losing weight. He now helps others get in shape. Scott Harrison Harrison knew he would be healthier and feel more energized if he lost some weight, but his attempts generally consisted of eating a packet of ham for dinner, which never worked. "I didn't know what I was doing," he said, adding that he thought the ham packet, being a relatively small amount of food, was the answer.Registered nutritionists and dietitians have previously told BI that to lose weight sustainably, people should focus on eating a variety of whole foods with a balance of protein, carbs, and fats, plus plenty of fiber, to keep yourself feeling full and nourished. Focusing on high-volume foods, which take up a lot of space on your plate for relatively few calories, can also help.Focusing on whole foodsAt age 42, Harrison's schoolgate revelation prompted him to make his 2016 New Year's Resolution to get in shape in 90 days. The goal? "Get a six-pack, the ultimate male visual," he said.Harrison didn't have much of a workout regime but started running and whipping battle ropes in the garden. "I could barely run for one kilometer at the beginning," he said.His aim diet-wise was simply to eat as many nutritious, whole foods as possible, including lots of chicken, fish, and vegetables.Harrison learned about the anti-inflammatory Zone Diet and simplified its principles of counting specific amounts of protein, fats, and carbs. He didn't count calories, but he learned about them. For example, he's more sparing with olive oil when cooking than he used to be.To help keep himself accountable, Harrison posted on Facebook about his goal and 36 of his friends and followers decided to join him. "I got 19 to the finish line," Harrison said.He didn't offer meal plans, recipes, or workout regimes at the time, but he enjoyed motivating others to hit their goals. So he did it again later that year. This ultimately led Harrison to launch his coaching business, The Six-Pack Revolution (but he acknowledges the name is a turn-off for those who aren't striving for a six-pack, so is in the process of rebranding).Harrison is now a qualified personal trainer and also has a registered nutritionist, psychotherapist, and primary care doctor on his team. Harrison believes that what you eat makes 80% of the difference when losing weight, so he focuses on nutrition and mindset with clients, with less emphasis on workouts. Harrison focuses on nutrition to get results. Scott Harrison Harrison got his six-pack gradually, and his healthy diet became his lifestyle. "I looked like Wolverine and I felt like him as well," Harrison said. "I could stop cars with my bare hands. That's how I felt."His diet is less strict now, but he has maintained his physique (he never weighs himself as he prefers not to focus on numbers) by eating mostly nutritious foods without depriving himself of what he enjoys.A healthy lifestyle includes the occasional treat Harrison is against cutting calories too low because it's unsustainable. Instead, he encourages people to focus on nutritious, filling, whole foods in reasonable quantities."I teach everyone how to keep their results and still party twice a week, which is for me the best of both worlds," Harrison said. "So if you want a bit of chocolate or a pint or a curry with the girls or whatever else, it's going to bounce off you because your body is now a machine that burns fuel efficiently."Partying could mean going to an actual party, or it could be enjoying a tub of ice cream on the sofa with your kids. Either way, Harrison stressed that for sustainability, it's important to still be able to enjoy your life."Everything that you've ever been, everything that currently are, and everything that you are to become is reliant on your health," Harrison said. "Because if you don't have that, you don't have anything." Recommended video