Weight-loss secrets of a born-again Adonis

Following on from my last blog “Boylemia to Manorexia”, Adonis himself has decided that a man’s point of view is needed. So, I’m delighted to have him as a guest blogger to share his side of the weight loss story.
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I can do this blog thing too.

I just finished my first ever “diet” – following the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation programme with my wife Suellen. It worked, so of course I’m now an expert. Here’s the things I learned along the way.

1) It’s a lot easier to take it off than it is to put it on.

It took me 10 years to go from 85 to 95 kilos, and I have to admit I worked hard at it. An ocean of Guinness, a lake of wine and a mountain of fine food have been consumed, often to excess. No exercise beyond chairobics, either – the only organ in my body benefitting from regular exercise was my liver.

I don’t think Adonis meant Venice Beach style Chairobics either!

And yet…a single kilo per year was the extent of the toll. It may not seem like it, but our bodies can take a fair amount of abuse before they lay down the fat. I admit I deserved my beer-gut, but I had to work hard to get it.

On the other hand, it took me 10 weeks to go from 95 to 85 kilos. 10 years vs 10 weeks? – that’s a bargain I can live with.

2) Beer tastes better than thin feels.

Sad but true. I never met a beer I didn’t like, so the the first order of weight loss business was to cut down the booze. Six booze-free nights a week became our policy, and even on the free night we stopped at a max half a bottle of wine each. Now, I won’t say I didn’t miss it – but I missed it less than I feared. And this wasn’t like a 12-step programme – I had 7 nights out of various types over the 10 weeks – it was the footy season, after all! Net result was an average 10 units per week – enough for some fun, but inside the guidelines too.

3) Trainers get you fit, but diets make you thin.

Everyone tells you weight loss is simple; do a little more, and eat a little less. Well, I think it’s simpler than that. If you want to lose a little weight, eat a little less, If you want to lose a lot of weight, eat a lot less. Adding in training is a bonus. Now, I am the laziest man in Sydney, I believe. I hated exercise before, and I still hate it now. But I don’t hate feeling fitter and I LOVE looking better. Though I’d never admit it to my trainer, sometimes I even look forward to the gym. But I am very clear on the three keys to weight loss: diet, diet and diet.

4) All your excuses are valid ones.

There is no doubt that life gets in the way of losing weight. Friends, family, restaurants, pubs, supermarkets and food companies are all engaged in a gigantic conspiracy to make you pile on the pounds. One of the main reasons I lost the weight was stopping doing the things that put the weight on. So, for the most part we cleared our diaries, of all fun-filled – and calorie laden – engagements. We religiously followed the prescribed diet – not because we loved it, or because it was the best diet ever, but because the discipline involved took all conversations like “will we nip out for a curry?” right off the table, so to speak. We got organised to see off the saboteurs, and I think that was a big thing.

5) JFDI.

In the final analysis, dieting is a chick’s game – all touchy-feely, supportive, “you go girlfriend” kind of stuff. Does nothing for me, I have to admit. I reckon I lost the weight because I decided to just do it.

So there you have it – the weight loss secrets of a born-again Adonis – I hope they work as well for you as they did for me.
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Men really do have a different outlook on life don’t they? And just quietly, sometimes they even get some of it right!

Boylimia to Manorexia

For the past 10 weeks, my husband and I have been following a nutrition and exercise plan in an effort to lose a few additional kilos and to get healthy. It is Michelle Bridges’ 12 Week Body Transformation (yes the Michelle from Biggest Loser, Crunch Time books and workout DVDs & Celebrity Masterchef fame).

Over the past few years, my own weight had slowly crept up to about 10 kilos more than what I consider my ideal weight. My BMI had just crawled into the ‘overweight’ category, I was feeling uncomfortable in my clothes and although I was seeing a trainer a couple of times a week, I didn’t feel my overall fitness was really improving. So, as I’m a huge fan of Michelle Bridges (in fact I may have a girl crush), I decided to give her 12WBT, as we insiders call it, a go.

Now, my husband, who is tall, dark and…Scottish, has NEVER been on a ‘diet’ nor does he do any exercise, other than bending his elbow to lift his Guinness. He (ScottyDave) is also 6’2″ and blessed with a tall, lanky frame and good health, so he has never needed to do anything. He knew I was about to embark on my latest weight-related fad – I try them all I have to admit – and as always, was prepared to stand by the sidelines and ‘support’ me (as long as his own lifestyle wasn’t impacted).

However, after a BIG weekend in the Hunter Valley with friends during which we literally just ate and drank for 3 days and nights, ScottyDave decided that perhaps he too would join me on the 12WBT program to drop a few kilos. I was ‘officially’ enrolled in the program, but he thought he’d just tag along for the ride and eat the meals prescribed and he’d be back to his normal weight in no time.

At this point, his BMI was well and truly in the middle of the ‘overweight’ category and his waist measurement was nudging at ‘greatly increased risk of chronic disease‘ but he has a positive body image and thought he looked pretty hot with just a bit of a tummy.

ScottyDave loves good food and wine and beer and doesn’t believe in letting a bit of a tummy or a ‘greatly increased risk of chronic disease’ get in the way of his gluttony. In fact, we coined the phrase ‘boylimia’ for him. It’s like Bulimia, episodes of recurrent binge eating, but without the compensatory behaviours of purging, enemas or over exercising.

So, in the lead up to the 12WBT, Michelle set up a series of pre-tasks to complete. One of these was to ‘Get Real’ and identify all of the excuses we make for not sticking with a program and for self-sabbotage. One of mine was that ScottyDave is a sabbateur and “makes me eat and drink stuff I shouldn’t.” Well it’s true, he does *throws toys out of pram and stamps foot*. We also had to write down our solution to this excuse and mine was to stop blaming ScottyDave for my lack of willpower and just learn to say no. As it turns out, I never had to put that solution to the test because what happened next is truly amazing.

We start on the program, which ScottyDave has informed all friends, family, acquaintances and most likely strangers, is not in fact the 12WBT but rather “The No Fun Diet”. This time, things are different.

We effectively cleared our diaries for 12 weeks of all but the most essential social events. This included ScottyDave’s “boy dates” to the pub, footy, lunch etc. ScottyDave sticks to the eating plan rigorously. Usually he sneaks in extra potatoes, eats biscuits with his cup of team, has a beer or glass of wine with dinner and scoffs chocolate bars once outside of the house. Most amazingly, he actually begins exercising and I mean really exercising. It starts off with a daily, brisk 3km walk and over time increases to a 7km walk/jog. WOW! The man who doesn’t exercise is now doing it every day – yes, 7 days/wk – and enjoying it (shhhhh – don’t tell anyone!).

Guess what happens next…yes the weight begins to literally drop off. Within weeks, his BMI is already at the top of the healthy range and his waist measurement is now in the “slightly at risk” category. But does he stop? NO! When he started, his goal was to lose just enough weight to get into the acceptable BMI range. But, with such good results and feeling pretty cocky, he now decides to aim higher and get his weight down well into the healthy range and what’s more, he now wants to get his waist measurement down to healthy too! There’s no stopping the man!

Ah, but then, fate strikes. A torn meniscus (much worse for men than women apparently ;)). Well, I think cynically, that’ll be the end of the exercise. But no! ScottyDave does the unthinkable and joins the personal training studio I go to so that he can “work around his injury”. OK, impostor, what have you done with my husband?

So, here we are now with only 2 weeks left on the No Fun Diet and we’re still at it. ScottyDave has lost 13.5% of his body weight and a massive 10cm off his waist! He is sleeping much better, his indigestion has disappeared and he says he feels better (but only to me). Unfortunately he didn’t officially register as a member of the 12WBT so he’s not in the running for any of the major prizes :(.

The problem is, he now sits down after dinner and tells me that he feels like his stomach has grown and he’s “getting fat again”, which is rubbish. He has been heard to refuse a beer and a glass of wine! He stops eating when he is full and doesn’t go back for 2nds or 3rds. He feels disappointed if he doesn’t fit his exercise in. He even asked me the other day whether something he was wearing made his stomach look fat! He now refers to himself as Adonis. OMG, Michelle, what have you done to my husband? He’s gone from suffering from Boylimia to Manorexia in only 10 weeks!

Seriously, I’m so impressed with his commitment, motivation and for being such a great role model for our nearly 6yr old son. I’m also truly grateful for his support because I too have achieved some great results if I do say so myself. I’ve lost 12.2% of my body weight and at last count over 30cm in size (that’s 2 dresses!). This weekend we’re doing the Mother’s Day Classic 8km run for me and 4km walk for Adonis and child. If someone had asked me to put money on this happening 12 weeks ago, I would be facing bankruptcy!

Disclaimer: I am not taking the serious eating disorders of bulimia and anorexia lightly. I understand that these are truly terrible conditions that affect many women (and men). So please, no offence intended.