In 2020, I was working for Public Health England, delivering big public campaigns around things like obesity and diabetes. While professionally I was very invested in the nation’s health and helping people lose weight, I put my own health on the back burner. I was working really long hours from home and I was getting what they call “skinny fat”. I was slim, but there was a lot of weight around my middle; my waist measured 88cm.
A new job took me back into an office in August 2022. Life had mostly returned to normal post-pandemic by then and I was socialising regularly. It was then that I knew I needed to get my act together and after a few months, enrolled the help of a personal trainer (PT). They helped me transform my diet and gave me a fitness routine to follow. A year later in February 2024, aged 42, my waist measured 78.5cm, I’d gained muscle and my confidence had soared.
My workload exploded during the pandemic. I was involved in communications around the Covid vaccine, so dieting and exercising weren’t really top of my agenda. Working from home was exacerbating my lower back problems. I didn’t have a good home office set up, so I was often hunched over a laptop in my lap.
I was getting a bit skinny too. I’ve always been slim but I was getting skinny fat (being a normal weight but having more body fat than is deemed healthy). I think as men get older, being too slim just doesn’t look good.
I was eating very little protein and definitely wasn’t getting enough fibre as I was having some digestive issues. I snacked on a lot of crisps, chocolate, cheese and crackers. I loved prosecco as well. It was my go-to drink and I could go through many glasses as well as a lot of double gin and tonics.
I’ve tried everything over the years to lose weight. My friend and I shared a PT many years ago but that was a complete non-starter as we had very different goals.
I also tried CrossFit, but that was a bit too full on. I injured my wrist and it’s never been the same since. I was doing a lot of HIIT classes, which I really enjoyed, but I knew I needed something that was tailored to me. I needed less cardio and more weight-based exercises to get the shape that I wanted.
I know people talk about the mental health benefits of exercise, but for me it was mainly vanity. I just wanted to look younger, fitter and stronger. Being single was also an incentive. I wanted to look better so I could feel more confident in my skin.
In August 2022, I started a new job and returned to the office three days a week. Going back to the office made me want to get my act together; it was a return to normality whereas before I was less bothered about what I looked like when I didn’t have to leave the house.
Back in the real world, I knew I needed to start putting myself out there more in terms of networking with work and also dating. I was also turning 40 and buying a property, so I wanted to look and feel my best as part of that.
I found my PT Adam Enaz via Instagram in February 2023 and was really impressed at the results of some of his clients. I reached out to him and we had a consultation to identify my goals.
I wasn’t eating enough protein for a start so he started getting me to track my diet using MyFitnessPal. I started eating grilled chicken, pan-fried tuna steaks or salmon fillets (in the air fryer) and whey isolate protein shakes. He put me on a calorie deficit; 300 calories less than the recommended 2,500 calories per day for men. It was a shock learning what was in different foods.
Adam designed this five-day gym programme for me as well. Everyday was a full-body weights session. That was a bit of a revelation because I had always thought that you have to do the classic, arms day or legs day or chest day but instead I was doing an all-around approach every day.
For me to go from no exercise to five days was just way too daunting. I started on about three days a week but I realised that, if I really wanted to achieve something, I needed to up my game. So I eventually built my way up to training five days a week in the morning and I started swimming more too.
In the summer of 2023 I went on holiday with friends, and they commented that I was looking really good. I suspected I was starting to look better but when you see yourself every day in the mirror, it’s really hard to tell.
I would have regular catch-ups with Adam and he would show me progress photos back to back and the difference was very noticeable, whereas obviously day-to-day it’s not.
Some friends had been on a fitness ‘journey’ before me so I found it really interesting to be able to discuss that with them. But then there were other friends who thought I was being a bit boring, especially when they could see me logging all my food in my app.
I’ve lost 10cm around my waist. I actually didn’t even know I had that much to lose.
In terms of weight, it didn’t change that much because I was building muscle at the same time. So, I went from 77kg in February 2023 to 69.6kg in February of this year. The actual measurements were most drastic as well as actually seeing physical change.
Since I’ve been more active and lifting heavy weights, my lower back problems have pretty much gone away. I think that’s partly because I’m doing more to strengthen my core and my posture is better too.
I’ve started putting myself out there more and I’m more confident meeting new people. I stick to single gin and tonics and I don’t drink prosecco.
I don’t feel self-conscious going to the gym anymore and I look forward to holidays more; I can take my top off with more confidence. I’ve had more success on dating apps and I’m getting more attention than I used to. I feel more confident reciprocating that attention as well.
Other friends have also now said that they want to do the same, now they know that it is achievable and they can reach their goals. I want to keep going. I’m pleased with how things have progressed, but I still want to build more muscle and stay active.
What I ate before
Before, I always had a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other, so I had good and bad days.
Breakfast
A toasted sandwich from Pret.
Lunch
I would go to Wasabi; I loved their tofu curry.
Dinner
A huge, huge bowl of pasta.
Snacks
A Twix and a packet of crisps. And glasses of prosecco.
What I eat now
Now, I don’t really have bad days and I’m pretty consistent and disciplined on the diet side.
Breakfast
Porridge with fruit and a protein shake on the side.
Lunch
Tuna steak or salmon with boiled potatoes and Tenderstem broccoli.
Dinner
Chicken with rice and vegetables.
Snacks
A banana before lunch. Now and again, I’ll have a protein bar, but I don’t have them too often because they are full of rubbish stuff.
Jamie’s three essential tips
- Be honest with yourself. Challenge the lies you tell yourself. I told myself I wasn’t a morning person and that I couldn’t do five sessions a week. But I was wrong.
- When you go back to the office there are more evening drinks and social events. So don’t plan your exercise after work. Go in the morning.
- Use tech. I used MyFitnessPal to track my calories and protein. I never knew what I was eating otherwise. I also use Strong to track my workouts as it spurs me on.
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