Jan 1st I launched a 12wk experiment where for the first 8weeks I will stop exercising and eat a high fat diet devised by STONEiMAGE food guru Patricia Caprice. The diet consists of me consuming 3500 calories per day which has since be revised and increased to 5000 with a fat percentage of 50%. After that I will devise an intense training program and eating plan along with Patricia to get back to peak fitness within 4weeks. The training programme will contain a mixture of power lifting, bodyweight training, boxing and high intensity interval running.
My reasons for putting my own health through such a strenuous experiment was to highlight the health risks that can be caused from eating so unhealthily while being inactive. Not only are there risks to health but also to create awareness that this lifestyle will affect your psyche, career, love life and other aspects of your life too. I also wanted to understand how difficult it was for my clients to make changes in their lifestyles, battling with the feeling of low self-esteem and lack of motivation to really put the work in and sacrifice the guilty pleasures to get to the point where they look how they wish to. It’s all about getting into the psyche of the average person living in the city.
So I’m well into the experiment now, fast approaching the last 2weeks of the unhealthy living part of it and ready for the business end. Over the last 5weeks I’ve grown more and more lethargic than ever before to the point where I haven’t been proactive in picking up new business, I’m having mid afternoon naps and struggling to get out of bed. That pretty much set in within the 1st 7days and has continued throughout. My body dynamics have changed greatly with the loss of muscle size and definition, replacing itself with increased bodyfat. Facially it is really starting to show with my eyes being the most visible of changes, looking extremely puffy. I am a little surprised in how well my body has battled with the change not increasing massively with weight and that led to Patricia and I reassessing my calorie intake and upping it by a further 1500kcals, so I’m now eating double the government recommended daily calorie allowance for a male. My diet now consists of on a average daily basis Frosties, toast and full fat Greek yoghurt and milkshake in the morning, 5 sugared doughnuts, large chocolate bar and juice mid morning, lasagne and chips for lunch accompanied by another 1litre milkshake, if that isn’t enough I’ll end the day with a fried food takeaway washed down with a can of Guiness and ice cream for desert. That’s enough to have you putting on weight just thinking about it. As we have approached the latter stages I can feel the changes in my mood occurring with my levels of patience shortening as well as just feeling quite down and low, to say I’m glad to be approaching the end would be an understatement I really miss training and being active again.