How I Lost 70 Pounds While Building My Real Estate Investing Business

By Wayne Hillier, Real Estate Investing Masters

May 5, 2025 | Edmonton, AB

For years, I poured everything into building my real estate investing business — scaling my portfolio, coaching others, and showing up every morning for our podcast. But behind the scenes, I was slowly losing control of something much more personal: my health.

I gained weight gradually over the years, just like bad habits creep into a poorly managed property. Eventually, it hit me: I was showing investors how to create financial freedom, but I wasn’t living with freedom in my own body.

That’s when I decided to take back control.

🧠 The Real Math: Calories In, Calories Out

Just like analyzing a real estate deal, weight loss starts with understanding the numbers. I stopped buying into gimmicks and focused on the core equation:

Burn more calories than you consume.

Track the numbers. Stay consistent. Compound the results.

It wasn’t fancy — it was foundational. The same way we teach investors to focus on cash flow before appreciation, I focused on habits before hacks.

🔁 Compounding Discipline

Whether you’re building muscle or building wealth, success comes from consistency over time. I didn’t overhaul my life overnight — I made small, sustainable changes:

• Walking daily while listening to podcasts

• Tracking food like I track rental income

• Removing decision fatigue with simple, repeatable routines

These small wins stacked up — and that’s when everything started to shift.

🏗️ Systems That Support Results

I didn’t try to white-knuckle it. I used the same mindset I apply to business:

• Build systems that make success easier

• Automate what you can

• Be brutally honest about what’s working (and what’s not)

When I teach real estate investors to create standard operating procedures for property management, it’s the same idea: build structure that removes chaos.

💥 You Can’t Scale Chaos

There’s a myth that you have to sacrifice your health to scale your business. I believed that for a while. But it’s a lie.

In reality, your business (and your energy, clarity, and leadership) scale better when you’re in control of your health.

🎙️ Want to Hear the Full Story?

This morning’s podcast dives deep into the behind-the-scenes of this transformation — the mindset shifts, the wins and setbacks, and the parallels between fitness and investing.

Listen to the full episode here:

🔗 Spotify

🔗 Apple Podcasts

Wayne Hillier - Alberta Real Estate Investing Expert

About the Author

Wayne Hillier is one of Canada’s trusted experts in real estate investing education, specializing in Alberta’s thriving markets. Based in Edmonton, Wayne has over a decade of experience building a high-performing rental portfolio and coaching investors to achieve strong cash flow, sustainable wealth, and creative financing success. As co-founder of Real Estate Investing Masters, Wayne is a respected real estate investing coach and mentor, dedicated to helping Canadian investors confidently scale their portfolios. He is also the host of the Real Estate Investing Morning Show, where he shares daily strategies and insights for mastering real estate investing in Canada.