At Fitter London we pride ourselves on giving people the knowledge and expertise to transform their health for the rest of their life. Check out Rob’s story and his incredible results….
The Situation
So, I’ve been training at the gym now for almost 10 years. My body is a very different machine now than when I started as a skinny lad in his early 20s. Back then I was lean and gained definition quickly. I ate whatever I wanted and drank like a fish. Over the past few years, despite training regularly, I became a little soft around the edges.
I think the places I noticed it most was my tired and puffy looking face and the fact that all my shirts felt a little stretched at the buttons. With 3 months to play with before a holiday to Miami, I decided to look at my diet if I wanted to look hot in my budgie smugglers. Keris had been bugging me for years to try out the Paleo diet, but I insisted that I went to the gym so that I could eat what I wanted. This attitude is fine in your 20s…not so much in your 30s.
Implementation
Over the 3 month period, I trained 3-4 times a week (**check out Rob in Action) and made sure I rested on the other days. I was very strict with the diet, no hiccups at all. Initially I found it difficult as I really enjoy cooking, but found that most of my meals included either pasta, rice, potatoes or grains plus the many other things excluded in the Paleo diet (ask Keris for the list). It meant thinking creatively (which can be hard after a long day at work) to find alternative foods and cooking methods to bulk up my meals in order to feel full. The amount of preparation also seemed crazy as I was making breakfasts and lunches as well so felt like I spent all my time in the kitchen. I also started taking some fish oil as I’m not a huge fan of fish so find it difficult to get Omega-3 in my diet and also Vitamin D as it’s not often the sun graces us with its rays here in the UK. As an Aussie, I’m on a double dose. I’m also on to the clean greens which I have every day regardless of whether I train and I have a post workout protein shake.
Results
Did all the effort have an effect? Sure did. I lost over two stone.
I fit in to clothes again that I’d grown uncomfortable in so it felt like I had a whole new wardrobe. I really noticed the weight loss in my face as the puffiness and lines disappeared and people commented that it looked noticeably thinner and some said younger too. Hurrah! People also commented on my skin as all blemishes and pimples had gone and my pores and oiliness had reduced. With regards to my training, my strength and stamina have increased considerably and I’m achieving regular PBs.
Is it worth the effort?
For me, eating Paleo is now second nature. I don’t really think of it as Paleo though, I think of it as eating natural, unprocessed, digestible foods. I enjoy being creative in the kitchen and now have a huge bank of yummy recipes to pull from and come up with new ideas every day. I’ve played around with adding some foods back in to see the effect, like some of the less processed dairy, and now eat them when I feel like it, but not every day. I have treats once a week which is usually dessert focussed, but I don’t really miss things like pasta or bread. Now when I eat them I feel bloated and uncomfortable so it puts me off.
The last 6 months of eating right has had a more positive effect on my body than almost 10 years of training. I’ve finally realised that you can train as much as you like, but if you put crap in to your body, you’ll get crap out of it. Crap that floats according to Keris and apparently that’s not a good thing.
