“I haven’t been to the gym in 13 years,” he tells us.

Until recently, Fevola hasn’t exactly felt his best physically, and he makes no attempt to obscure that fact. “After I retired, I just didn’t see the point because I had no reason to keep fit,” he says. “Eating as much as I used to was fine when I was playing footy, because I burnt a lot of it off with exercise. But after I started not exercising as much, it all stacked up.”

Fevola, before his weight loss transformation

Earlier this year, Fevola decided it was time to make a change. “I’m getting old now at 43, but I want to be able to keep up with my kids, and when you’re carrying a bit of extra weight that’s harder to do,” he says.

He was cautious of hitching his wagon to any plan of action that claimed to be a silver bullet, however. “I’ve tried to lose weight a few times before and have done a few challenges, but I haven’t really stuck with any of them and have just ended up putting the weight back on.”

Today, Fevola is a changed man. He’s lost 30kg on the year and shed 16kg in just the last month by overhauling his diet with a 30-day challenge with keto.com.au.

While he hadn’t had much success in getting fit in the past, Fevola did recognise that fixing his diet was crucial. If he could do that, everything else would fall into place, he says. “My main problem was my diet. I used to eat pasta, pizza and chips every day. I reckon I had hot chips with gravy for lunch every day for like two years.”

Based on his previous experiences with diet plans, Fevola found that, to get results, he needed to limit his carbohydrate intake but maintain his ingestion of fats. This made a ketogenic diet – which is a low-carb, high-fat eating plan designed to get the body into a state of ketosis, where it burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates – the logical choice.

Fevola’s role in breakfast radio on Fox FM also presented a challenge, with the footballer being forced to structure his eating habits around atypical hours while also battling tiredness throughout the day. “My lifestyle can just flatten me sometimes,” he says. “The breakfast hours I work mean I’m tired at the wrong times, and before I was just eating constant carbs and not getting the good stuff to keep me awake. I don’t want to put all the blame on breakfast hours though, because you can still eat well at those times, but it’s all about the decisions you make.”

Fevola signed up for a 30-day challenge where he would only eat keto.com.au meals for a full month, with the aim of changing his diet cold turkey and reaping the rewards. He had a variety of ketogenic meals and snacks delivered to his door, which made up most of his caloric intake every day – completing the total overhaul of his diet.

Given his previous experiences with dieting, it’s easy to understand why Fevola was pragmatic about the potential outcomes of his challenge. “Really, I just wanted to try this out and see if it worked,” he says. It did.

When he speaks to Men’s Health, Fevola has one day left of his 30-day challenge, but he’s already seeing results across the board after losing of 16kg. Although, he insists weight loss wasn’t his primary goal. “I didn’t really do it for weight loss. It was more about feeling better and changing my habits.”

After completing his keto.com.au challenge, Fevola’s habits have been well and truly changed. “Before, my meals were always something full of carbs, now I look for something else to eat. Today I had cottage cheese, avocado and tomato in a bowl for lunch. I would never have that before, but it’s clean and it makes me feel good,” he says.

“I’ve been having keto bars for the last month if I get hungry, and they fill you up. Then I’ll have one of [keto.com.au’s] healthy ready-made meals for lunch and dinner and that’ll be it,” Fevola continues. “I was eating like 5 or 6 meals a day before, now I’m down to just three.”

But it isn’t just the quantity of Fevola’s meals that has improved for the better, it’s also the quality, thanks to the healthier alternatives provided by keto.com.au meals. “Instead of having fried rice or chips, I’m having cauliflower rice and cauliflower mash. There’s a mac and cheese, which you’d think isn’t good for you, but you swap out some of the ingredients for cauliflower and it is. Then there’s a zucchini pasta, and I love pasta coming from an Italian background, but I never would’ve eaten zucchini before.”

Fevola’s new outlook isn’t limited to weight loss either. He’s also been taking keto.com.au Sleep+ gummies to improve his sleep. “I’ve never been a great sleeper,” he says. “But now I sleep through the whole night right up to my alarm.” keto.com.au offers a wide range of gummies, some of which can help you sleep better, while others can help control insulin spikes or quickly convert fat into energy and switch your body into a ketosis state.

All in all, Fevola has lost around 30kg in the last 12 months – 16 of which were shed in August with his keto diet – and has reduced his previous total bodyweight of around 130kg by more than 25%. So, will he stick with it? To that question, Fevola provides a characteristically unconventional answer. “I’m not going to make any promises that will get printed, but I hope so,” he says before signing off.

If you’re keen on trying out the keto diet for yourself, you can sign up for keto.com.au’s meal delivery service, or shop a range of keto gummies and bars, here.

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What you can and can’t drink on keto

The post Brendan Fevola reveals the diet that helped him lose 16kg in 1 month appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

YOU’VE ALMOST CERTAINLY heard the term ‘body fat percentage’ before, whether in conversation in the gym changing room, marketing fodder for fitness transformations, or even in a Men’s Health article. With a little bit of know-how, the measure can act not just as a motivator on your fitness journey, but better yet, a dependable marker of health. But that begs the question, what is a healthy body fat percentage?

‘When starting on a fitness journey, the odds of you actually sticking to it has been shown to be only 33 per cent,’ explains Josh Silverman, head of education at Third Space London. ‘Unlike BMI, this measurement takes into account your lean mass as well as total weight. Being in the healthy range will reduce your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome and more.’

Let’s chew the fat about body fat.

Fun fact: due to it being so active in the body’s functioning, fat is technically an organ. Far from being something to fear or vilify, fat is actually essential for human life. There are different types – brown, white, subcutaneous, visceral – and each has its own function, for better or worse. Visceral fat and subcutaneous fat are the two we’re going to focus on here.

Visceral fat is stored around internal organs as a protective mechanism, explains Silverman. ‘It’s the first fat that is usually used for fuel when you go on an exercise regime,’ he says. ‘This is why you might see the scales go down by your body appears to look the same for the first few weeks.’ Visceral fat is the most dangerous kind, but thankfully, it’s also the easiest to lose.

The less harmful stuff, subcutaneous fat, is the type that prevents your abs popping. ‘It’s the one stored between our skin and muscles which give us that ‘fluffy’ look,’ explains Silverman. ‘It insulates the skin and acts as stored energy for times where the body doesn’t have food in its system.’ Which although evolutionarily important, is practically redundant in today’s landscape where food sources are abundant.

What is body fat percentage?

Put simply, your body fat percentage is a measure of the proportion of fat mass in your body. It is the total mass of fat, divided by total body mass, times by 100. If you weigh 100kg and have 10kg of fat, for instance, you’d have 10% body fat.

Knowing your body fat percentage can be a good measure of fitness and functionality, says Dr Steven Heymsfield, professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Centre. For men aged 20-39, a score of above 25 per cent is classed as obese, for gents aged 40-59, this cut off point is raised slightly to 28 per cent.

Although higher percentage can represent health risks, the goal should never be to reduce body fat as far as possible: we’re talking about gym-goers who strive to get their score as low as possible, aiming for that worrying point where ripped meets translucent. We’re certainly not suggesting you go that low. ‘Pushing your body fat percentage below five per cent is very risky,’ says Heymsfield. ‘There are reports of deaths at these levels.’

The Royal College of Nursing defines a healthy body fat range as 8-20 per cent for 20-39 year old men, rising to 11-22 per cent if you’re between 40 and 59. ‘The value often cited for healthy men with normal BMIs is 15 per cent,’ says Heymsfield.

Vascular, lean muscle is one thing, a shrink-wrapped human is another. So, what is a healthy body fat percentage? Nuffield health recommends for men:

• 20-39 years old 19% or less
• 40-59 years old 22% or less
• 60-79 year olds 25% or less

Whereas the American Council on Exercise (ACE) recommends for men:

• Essential fat: 2-5%
• Athletes: 6-13%
• Fitness: 14-17%
• Acceptable: 18-24%
• Obesity: >25%

How to measure body fat percentage

First you need to accurately measure what you’re working with. These days there are a wealth of different tools you can use to measure your body fat. Below, Silverman runs through your options, varying in reliability.

For the best results, take the tests first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, don’t drink water or participate in strenuous exercise beforehand – yes, including running for the bus – and re-test in the exact same conditions every three to four weeks.

DEXA Scanner

Known as the ‘gold standard’ due to its reliability and applicability, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is an X-ray machine designed to measure bone density that doubles up as a neat little body fat percentage scanner. You’ll find them at pop up clinics, but again they’re pretty expensive and will demand a couple of hours out of your day.

Hydrostatic weighing

Also known as hydrodensitometry or underwater weighing. You’re plunged into a big tank and scientists measure your fat levels using the Archimedes principle of fluid displacement. It’s expensive and time-consuming, but also considered one of the most accurate and reliable.

Calipers

Calipers are handheld devices used, quite literally, to pinch and measure your fat in different areas with a calculation that determines your body fat levels. The accuracy really depends how well-trained the person using them is – for this reason, they can be a little hit and miss.

Bioelectrical impedance analysis

You’ve probably spotted Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis scales in your local health club – they use electrical currents to measure your body fat (and often a wealth of other things, too: muscle mass, water, bone mass, etc). They’re your best bet for an affordable measurement of body fat percentage, though some makes are admittedly better than others. The main drawback, however, is that there is a higher degree of inaccuracy, especially when the electrical currents measure water percentage, which can be affected by dehydration.

What are the risks of high body fat?

According to the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH), the health risks of being overweight & obesity are:

• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Sleep apnea
• Metabolic syndrome
• Fatty liver diseases
• Osteoarthritis
• Gallbladder diseases
• Cancer
• Kidney disease

What are the risks of low body fat?

Fat plays and important role in the body. It is our largest form of energy storage, helping us to survive during periods of low food supply. It also provides insulation and produces hormones that regulate metabolism and support our immune system. Whilst it’s important to have a healthy body fat percentage and high muscle mass, there are some symptoms associated with having very low body fat. According to an article published in Open Oregon Educational Resources:

• Osteoporosis and low bone mineral density
• Increased risk of infection, delayed wound healing, and greater post-surgical complications
• Cardiovascular disease, including stroke, heart attack, and coronary heart disease
• Some cancers, plus poorer response to treatment and survival rates after diagnosis
• Decreased semen quality

What is a realistic body fat percentage?

A healthy body fat percentage isn’t the same for every person – it will fluctuate depending on your height, age, genetics, as well a host of many other factors. As long as you’re within the recommended ranges, though, you needn’t worry. While incredibly important to be kept at healthy levels, regardless of your body fat percentage, it’s important to focus on:

• Balanced meal portions adequate for your energy needs and goals. You could adjust this using various methods such as calorie counting or mindful eating for weight loss, maintenance or gain. To work out your calorie goals for fat loss, use our guide here.
• Enough protein in your meals. For those with goals of getting leaner and gaining muscle, 2.2g of protein per kg of body mass is suitable. You can check out our guide on protein intake here.
• Adequate fibre intake from whole foods. Aiming for 30 grams of fibre per day is suitable. This can be obtained from fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains.
• Resistance training 2-5 times a week with adequate recovery. This will ensure you maintain and gain muscle mass which is vital in maintaining a healthy body fat percentage.
• 150 minutes a week of moderate cardiovascular exercise or 70 minutes of vigorous activity. This can be split up in a way suitable for your needs and fitness levels. It can even be completed doing low impact activities such as brisk walking or swimming.

This article originally appeared on Men’s Health UK.

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The post What is a healthy body fat percentage? appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

WHEN YOU THINK about weight training, you likely picture guys the size of Arnold moving huge stacks of plates. While weight training is a key component to putting on mass, it’s also a useful tool to help you lose weight.

If you’re trying to lose weight, you likely mean losing fat – not muscle. Our muscles are vital to supporting our joints, bones, and carrying out bodily functions. Our fat mass can cause a whole buffet of health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke, along with depression and anxiety.

“Oftentimes people think that they need to be killing themselves with cardio in order to shed unnecessary weight, when really they’re burning good muscle,” says Tommy Reardon, C.S.C.S. To lose fat and maintain muscle, you’ll need to do more then log hours on the treadmill.

This is where weight training comes in – weight training allows us to maintain our muscle mass, especially while trying to lose fat. Below, we lay out how weight training can aid in your weight loss, and how to start.

How can weight training help you lose weight?

“Weight training can be a tool to address excess fat, also known as adipose tissue, which tends to be stored in the midsection for men throughout life,” says Fatima Cody Stanford, M.D., M.P.H., obesity medicine physician and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, and Men’s Health advisor.

Muscles support our joints and power our movements. Plus, our muscles require a lot of energy to perform their duties – meaning they burn a ton of calories for fuel. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn at rest.

That’s not the only reason you want to do weight training if you’re aiming to lose weight. Weight training also preserves our muscles while we’re in a calorie deficit. “Preserve” is the key word here – it’s important to note that you will not make massive gains when it comes to building muscle if you’re in a calorie deficit, but you will prevent muscle loss as a potential side effect of the lower energy intake.

Plus, if brutal high intensity interval training sessions or long steady-state cardio isn’t for you, weight training is a great option to get your heart rate elevated and your blood pumping. And, according to Harvard Health, 30 minutes of vigorous weight training only burns about 30 calories less than 30 minutes of vigorous high-impact aerobic exercise, like running. Add in that it’ll keep your muscles in check, and the pros start to balance out the cons.

What exactly is weight training?

So what counts as weight training, anyway?

Basically, weight training is exercising your body by adding extra load via equipment such as barbells, kettlebells, and dumbbells.

“Doing exercises with these weights forces your body to adapt to loads greater than those it faces on a regular basis, and the adaptations your body makes to move those loads leads to better muscle and strength,” says Men’s Health Fitness Director, Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S.

What are other benefits of weight training?

Weight loss isn’t the only thing weight training can do (in addition, obviously, to increasing muscular strength).

Adding load to your workout routine can help build bone density, according to the Mayo Clinic. “An increase in bone density during an individual’s younger years pays dividends for when they get older.”

Our bones lose density with age, so adding in a strength training routine can help prevent bone-related issues like osteoporosis later in life. Building muscular strength also improves joint stabilization and overall balance, which can help reduce the risk of falls and help you maintain independence.

Weight training will also help combat the risk of chronic diseases, like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. It can even mitigate symptoms of these diseases – a study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine found that those who followed strength training regimens were able to minimise the severity of some of the symptoms of their chronic diseases.

How to start weight training for weight loss

If you’ve never lifted weights, talk to your doctor first before starting an exercise routine. If you’ve done that, and you’re ready for something to help kickstart you into a routine, take a look at our beginner guide – a full body strength training program that teaches you all the basics to get you comfortable with weights.

Before you stack up the plates, it’s most important to get movement patterns down. Start with low weights and focus on form. Gradually add on the plates when your starting weights start to feel easy. “Do it light, do it right,” Reardon says. “Perfecting the movement is more important than the weight being lifted.”

This article originally appeared on Men’s Health UK.

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The post Here’s what you need to know about weight training for weight loss appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

All diets are different, and some are more sustainable than others. But it’s impossible to always be in a calorie deficit, or else we would (quite literally) waste away. So, how do we come out of a diet?

‘Reverse dieting is more the dessert than the diet,’ says Leslie Bonci, sports dietician for the Kansas City Chiefs. ‘It is what one does after losing weight  – not during weight loss.’

To lose weight, we have to be in a caloric deficit, meaning, we’re eating less calories than we burn. Reverse dieting is as it sounds  – the opposite. The concept allows you to add in more calories to your daily intake once you’ve decided the diet is over, without gaining weight.

This concept is commonly used by bodybuilders and those who participate in sports with weight classes, such as wrestling. Let’s dive into the details.

Reverse dieting implies the existence of regular dieting  –  which, at its most basic, is the state of being in a calorie deficit, or taking in less calories than your body is burning. This is what causes fat loss. When dieting is over, the reverse diet is the idea that you can add in more calories to your daily intake without fat gain.

To do that, you have to increase in tiny increments  – typically adding anywhere from 30 to 100 calories a week for a few weeks until you get back to your newfound baseline.

For those not used to counting, this is a very tiny amount of calories. A spoonful of yoghurt, half an apple, or one to two bites of chicken, are all roughly 30 calories, says Bonci.

There are two main reasons people reverse diet. The first is to attempt to combat a weight-loss plateau.

Over prolonged periods of dieting, our bodies can adapt to how many calories we consume and how much energy we are burning as a protective mechanism. They act as guardrails to our weight in either direction  – to make sure you don’t gain too much weight, but also so you don’t lose too much weight. This can be referred to as ‘metabolic adaptation’.

Think about it: your body doesn’t want to waste away, so after long periods of time in a calorie deficit, it can adapt its energy expenditure to be lower, since it’s getting less energy from food. So, your deficit becomes less of a deficit since you’re not burning as much, causing you to stop losing weight. Our bodies do this, in part, by reducing our non-exercise activity thermogenesis. These are the tiny movements we do throughout the day, such as fidgeting and shaking our legs when we’re nervous.

When you eat very little, your body will reduce this kind of movement, so that it doesn’t expend too many calories in an effort to conserve energy. By adding more calories, in small doses, your body will increase its activity, and thus calorie burn, because it feels safe as it gets more energy.

‘Gradually and slowly increasing calories after weight loss rather than a rapid increase in calories can help to prevent the decrease in resting energy expenditure which would allow those who have lost weight to eat more without the consequence of weight regain,’ says Bonci.

While many people struggle to combat weight loss plateaus, Bonci says these struggles are completely normal, and there’s no scientific evidence that reverse dieting will work when it comes to getting to the other side of the plateau.

‘Body fat loss is a series of steps, not a slide,’ Bonci says. She recommends focusing on the quality of your diet rather than the caloric number to ensure body fat goals. This means monitoring fluid, fibre, and protein intake, she says, as calorie intake can be too arbitrary for most.

The other reason reverse dieting is used is to slowly come off a big calorie deficit. This is common in the world of bodybuilding, and weight class athletes. Often, per the nature of their professions, these athletes are required to hold themselves into a super strict deficit. When their competition is over, they can implement reverse dieting to ease themselves back into a normal eating pattern, rather the overeating directly after the competition.

There’s a few schools of thought as to what the best way to go about reverse dieting is. It’s mostly dependent on what your diet looked like before you planned to exit.

Bodybuilders and athletes typically track macronutrients rather than calorie intake, because they need to ensure proper protein intake to build muscle for their sport.

You can add in foods by increasing your macros allowance a little bit at a time. So, when reverse dieting, someone may add in maybe 10 grams of carbs, 10 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fat each week to your diet. This adds about 107 calories to your daily allowance.

If you’re not a macro tracker, and you prefer to diet in reference to calories, it’s typical to add in about 30 to 50 calories a week on a reverse diet. Again, calorie intake can be difficult to envision and is too arbitrary for most, so Bonci recommends adding food that ‘fills up, not out’.

This means aiming for volume in your added calories. Veggies such as celery, tomatoes, and broccoli all have high water content that will help keep you full throughout the day. Bonci recommends foods like salads, vegetable soups, and veggies with salsa to fill up.

Remember: everybody is different and needs different things.

If you’re in training for a bodybuilding competition or are aiming to make a certain weight class in boxing or wrestling, reverse dieting may be an option if you’re strictly controlling your intake.

But, if you’re an average person just looking to lose some body fat and gain some confidence, Bonci recommends more positive metrics for determining diet. That means keeping full with healthy, whole foods, ensuring proper protein intake, and hydration.

‘Think progress rather than suppress, with awareness, quality, quantity and consistency as a way of optimising body composition through lean mass preservation,’ she says.

For the majority, aiming for maintenance calories (that are slightly lower than pre-diet maintenance calories) after a dieting phase should be sufficient. This is because not many truly experience the metabolic adaptation that occurs from dieting, due to their diets not being long enough in duration or severe enough to cause it. Also, if metabolic adaptation has occurred, it can still be reversed by returning back to maintenance calories straight away, without raising calories gradually.

Whoever you are, and whatever you’re training for, speaking with a nutritionist or your doctor before coming out of any diet is always the way to go.

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The post What is reverse dieting and does it work? appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

Enough of the pessimism. Forty isn’t the death knell you think it is, and a super fit guy like Steve Harris – who recently got into “the best shape I’ve been in” – proves that you can get the results you want, whenever you want, as long as you’re willing to commit to a stringent workout routine and diet plan.

Like many who decide to undergo a physical transformation, Harris’ journey started when he stepped onto the scales and wasn’t pleased with the number he saw. “It was my all-time high in terms of weight,” he tells Men’s Health. “I felt unhealthy, despite going to the gym regularly. My clothes weren’t fitting right and I felt tired and lacking in energy staring at a screen all day as a financial analyst. I figured this was the motivation I needed to kick-start the journey to getting back in shape.”

While he recognised he needed to make a change, Harris was no stranger to working out and living an active lifestyle. He’d been going to the gym for more than 20 years and playing basketball competitively and socially for most of his adult life, but as he reached his late thirties, he began realising that the same training methods that once served him well no longer got the job done. “Keeping in shape became far more challenging,” he says.

Already training regularly without getting the results he wanted, Harris sought out a personal trainer at Ultimate Performance Sydney to help optimise his routine with expert guidance. “I figured it was time to address it, bring in a professional and learn the skills required to make meaningful change as I approach middle-age.”

Looking back on his progress, Harris says finding the right trainer was crucial in achieving his goals. “Having someone there with the expertise to alter my training regime and specific exercises to cater to my age and injury history was critical,” Harris says. “My Ultimate Performance trainer (shout out to Tom) built my training from the ground up. I relearnt multiple exercises I had been cheating myself on for years. Slowing movements down, focusing on training to failure and forgoing the ego-lifting.”

Harris’ journey to getting jacked was no cakewalk. The 40-year-old trained four times a week – twice with a trainer and twice by himself – with a consistent, full-body plan for every workout. Each session included one compound exercise, like squats or deadlifts, followed by alternating sets of flat and incline chest press, dead-hang pull-ups, seated rows and leg press.

This routine wasn’t all that different than what Harris had been doing for years already, but his methods changed drastically. Under the guidance of his trainer, Harris adopted a focus on time under tension, meaning he slowed down his reps and reduced his use of momentum during lifts. This was challenging, especially during Harris’ least favourite exercise, the pendulum squat, but it paid off.  “I didn’t realise how much I was resting at the top of the rep to catch my breath. The pendulum squat essentially took that away and I was load bearing the entire set.”

As for his diet, that required a wholesale rework. “I always believed I ate relatively healthy, but during the transformation my trainer, Tom Coker, laid out my daily calorie limit and macros. It was definitely eye-opening,” Harris says.

On his new diet plan, Harris’ standard breakfast was oats and black coffee. He kept things light over lunch, with rice cakes, tomatoes and tuna. Dinner was typically poached chicken and vegetables, or a pre-made meal. If he was hungry between meals, a protein bar or shake would suffice..

After going cold turkey with his new lifestyle, diet and training routine, Harris struggled for the first week but found major compositional changes shortly after. Overall, he lost 10kg and 14.5 per cent of his body fat in about five months, but the changes weren’t purely physical. “The most life-changing part is the way I feel on a daily basis. Without sounding cliched, there’s a spring in my step. I feel on point, I feel healthy, I feel fit,” he says.

Let’s not pretend there weren’t physical changes though. “I’m a lot stronger now, my energy levels have significantly improved and I’m sleeping a lot better,” Harris says. “I’m still as sore today after a session as I was back then, so the training regime doesn’t get any easier, but that’s a good thing. It gets harder as you progress.”

Now, Harris’ focus is on maintaining his newfound lifestyle for the long term, but he isn’t finished progressing just yet. He says he’ll be ramping up his training even further heading into summer to put what he’s learnt into practice.

There’s something to be learnt from Harris’ story. No matter how set in your ways you’ve become, it’s not too late to shake things up and get the results you want. As Harris himself says, “Trust the process. The journey to achieving your fitness goals could be short or long, but being disciplined, following a healthy diet and doing regular exercise is really the secret sauce.”

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The post Everything this Aussie finance guy did to get shredded at 40 appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

Earlier this year, Stanaway found himself at his heaviest. With a trip to Paris to cover the Olympics – where he’ll be side by side with the world’s fittest athletes – on the horizon, he decided it was time to make a change. He’s spent the last 12 weeks pushing himself to the limit with a gruelling workout routine and ruthlessly strict diet plan. The result? Stanaway has shed nine kilograms, built a mountain of muscle and is in the best shape of his life at 41 years of age. Now he has every intention of staying that way.

Here, Stanaway takes us through his transformation experience, in his own words.

IMAGE I @cartel_curious

“I’ve always been an active person and I’ve never been shy about going to the gym, but over the last few years, I was shirking the hard work that was needed to get the results I wanted. For years I’ve wondered what it would be like to actually go all in, to stick to a consistent training regime and see what I was really capable of. I finally decided to give it my best shot.

I had a pretty busy summer this year and started the new year with a really hectic schedule working seven mornings a week. I lost track of my personal time and found it difficult to manage my fitness. From there, I started to put on weight and before I knew it, I was the heaviest I’ve ever been at 92.5kg.

My lifestyle didn’t help. Seven mornings a week of radio and TV while eating on the run and not sleeping in meant that my mental health was suffering too. But really, I just hated seeing myself in the mirror. There are some things I’ve struggled to stick with in the past like a regular gym routine or consistent diet, but something clicked when I saw myself in the mirror and thought I’ve got to find the time. That was the catalyst for change. All of a sudden I found the motivation I needed.

I didn’t really have any specific goals in mind when I started. I wasn’t aiming to get down to a certain weight or build a certain amount of muscle. First and foremost, I wanted to make genuine change and I wanted to look good and feel good. With the Paris Olympics coming up, I was approaching what would be one of the biggest professional moments in my life. I put those dates in my diary because I decided that, when I’m over there, I want to be feeling my best.

The timeframe I was working with was 12 weeks. My typical routine involved training in the gym four days a week, then on weekends I’d fly to Sydney and try to do some sort of cardio. Usually that meant going for a run, as horrendous as it was. The bunny hopping between Melbourne and Sydney was probably what made it the hardest, but ultimately staying consistent helped me get to where I am now, which is nine kilograms lighter at 83.5kg.”

IMAGE I @cartel_curious

The training routine Clint Stanaway used to drop 9kg:

Trainer Matt Boland had Stanaway on a four workout per week routine, with push, pull, upper body and lower body days. Each workout targeted multiple muscle groups to maximise all-around strength gains.

Day 1 // PUSH

1. Flat dumbbell press 4×6
2. Cable crunch 4×8 (2211 tempo)
3. Incline dumbbell bench press 3 x 8 (2211 tempo)
4. Push ups 3×8 (1 & 1/4)
5. Cable flyes 3×15
6. Lateral raise 3×8
7. Dumbbell overhead tricep extension 2×12
8. Tricep push down 2×12

Plus three rounds of:

1. Ski erg x 150m
2. Seated Russian twist x 6 each side

Day 2 // PULL

1. Pull ups 4×6
2. Russian twist 4×6 each side
3. Seated row 3×8 (2211 tempo)
4. Underhand lat pull down 3×12 with partials
5. Incline dumbbell curls 3×8
6. Hammer curls 3×8

Plus three rounds of:

1. Ski erg x 8 cal
2. Renegade row x 6 each side

Day 3 // LOWER BODY + CONDITIONING

1. Hameer curl 4×8 (2211 tempo)
2. Leg extension 4×8 (2011 tempo)
3. Romanian deadlift 3×8
4. Bulgarian split squat 3×8 (2011 tempo)
5. Smith machine reverse lunges 3×8 each side

For conditioning, three rounds of:

1. Ski AFAP x 200m
2. 1min rest
3. Farmers carry x 30 seconds
4. 1min rest

Day 4 // UPPER BODY

1. Incline barbell bench press x8
2. Dragon flyes x8
3. Seated row x8
4. Dumbbell shrugs x12
5. Incline bench press x 1 & ¼
6. Lateral raise x8
7. Tricep extension x12
8. Air bike
9. 3×10 cal efforts

IMAGE I @cartel_curious

“Finding a training partner was instrumental. Having someone there to hold you accountable is so valuable. For me, that was Matt Boland, who was my trainer but also a mate. Matt was really invested in me. I mean, most personal trainers are invested in their clients, but he was especially invested in me given our friendship.

Matt was willing to bend over backwards for me to work around my schedule. There were some days where we had to train at 4:30 in the morning – which was horrendous, but we made it work. That wasn’t the norm, but there were some crazy days where I had radio and TV doubling up and no time during the day, so we just had to bite the bullet and find the time wherever we could.

Most people would say that leg day is the hardest part of going through a process like this. I wouldn’t disagree with them, but I think the 4:15 alarm was the toughest part for me. I had to really push and grind to get through that, but thankfully I had my trainer there to greet me and help me get used to it.

Matt made sure that we got that stuff done and he held me accountable if there was an opportunity for me to find an excuse. In a really gentle and supportive way, of course. The social aspect of it was really powerful as well. Whether it was just getting into the gym with other people or being with a run club, I’ve met a lot of really fun, likeminded people in those environments that have been intrigued by my progress and helped me stay on track.

I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but breakfast working hours can break you, especially when you haven’t had enough sleep. I’ve never been very good with time management, which is ironic given the hours I work. That was probably the hardest part of this experience for me. When it came to time management and squeezing things in and dedicating enough time to the right things, that was something I struggled with.

Committing to this routine has changed me though. With dieting and meal prep, I had to get into the habit of prepping the night before, which is something that I haven’t been big on in the past. I’m probably more of a pick up the phone and order Uber Eats kind of guy.

Breakfast radio also has a few other unique challenges. You should see the food deliveries we get into our studio. Some mornings I come in and there’s just boxes of doughnuts laying around and people saying “hey our friends from down the road sent these in, why don’t you try some?” So the temptations were always there, it was constant. Also, giving up chocolate was rough. I’m a sweet tooth from way back and I’m actually staggered that I was able to limit it.

Giving up alcohol was another one of the most challenging things. I gave up the grog for 12 weeks, which, given my lifestyle where I’m regularly at events and functions where trays of beer and champagne are being passed around, was difficult. But I got through it.”

IMAGE I @cartel_curious

The diet plan Clint Stanaway followed to build lean muscle

Stanaway’s trainer had him on a lean, green and protein-heavy diet to build muscle while shedding weight. In addition to his regular diet plan, Stanaway was allowed pasta or another of his favourite meals 1-2 times per week. The only caveat? He could never over eat.

Breakfast:

• Omelette – 3 eggs + 2 handfuls of veggies on a bagel

OR

• Greek/protein yogurt
• 2 handfuls of fruit
• 1 handful of nuts
• Relatively generous serve of honey
• Protein shake

Lunch:

• Chicken/white fish/red meat: 150-200 grams
• Large serve of greens/veggies
• Half an avocado
• Small amount seasoning/sauces

Dinner:

• Chicken/white fish/red meat: 150-200 grams
• Large serve of greens/veggies
• Half an avocado
• 150 grams of sweet potato or pumpkin.
• Small amount seasoning/sauces

Snacks:

• Protein shake
• Mixed berries/fruit
• Mixed nuts

“A lot of guys in their 40s probably question how much they can still achieve physically and start waving the white flag. I know I did. I’ve never been able to do chin ups, for instance. I never had a flat stomach. Now I can and I do. It sounds a bit wanky, but I’m now really keen to tell my mates that even in your 40s, it is possible.

The improvements haven’t just been physical. Be it confidence, mental health, sleep, all of the above, I’ve found benefits in areas I didn’t expect to. I feel a level of confidence I never have before. I’ve never been one to strip down into anything less than a T-shirt at the gym and that doesn’t really bother me now. It probably sounds really vain, but I just feel a lot more comfortable in my skin. I’m sleeping much better, which I’d probably put down to shutting off the alcohol. I’ve also become a better time manager, which is helping me in so many ways.

When I set out to do this transformation, I wanted to prove to myself that I could be the fittest I’ve ever been – and I’ve done it. At least in terms of strength. I’m still a shit runner, but I feel stronger and fitter than ever before. I’m going to stay this way.”

IMAGE I @cartel_curious

Related:

How Sam Mac Transformed His Body In 8 Weeks

How this Aussie school teacher lost nearly 20kg in nine months

The post How Clint Stanaway became stronger than ever in just 12 weeks appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

Once tipping the scales at 135 kg, after the breakdown of a relationship, Banks found himself at a crossroads. He was tired of being the perennial “big guy” at his local cricket club. “I was living on a diet of two large pizzas and garlic bread every Friday night,” he confesses with a mix of humour and regret. But beneath the wit lay a deeper desire for change – a longing to reclaim happiness and a sense of self.

Banks’ journey wasn’t just about shedding kilos; it was a holistic metamorphosis achieved by setting incremental goals. “I started with small goals –  let’s just lose 10 kg. Get the 10. Once I lose 10, let’s go another 10, let’s go to 20. So, I tried to go up in 10-kilo increments,” he explains. His weapon of choice? A 1200-calorie meal plan from ‘Lite and easy’ that became his steadfast companion through sweat and temptation.

The results were nothing short of astonishing. Banks’ mates were unable to recognise him. Even his own parents initially walked past him at his dad’s 70th birthday dinner. “It was one of those moments like I’m sitting right there and they kind of walk past me cause they didn’t recognise me,” he chuckles. “I mean, I had bought a new wardrobe and everything but still.” 

As well as his Lite n’ Easy meal plan Banks swapped TV and snacks for 10,000 steps a day, then added gym sessions and runs six days a week.

“It wasn’t just about the food; it was about committing to change,” he says, explaining that Lite n’ Easy’s meals were a foundation – a reliable ally in the battle against cravings and old habits.

Beyond physical changes, Banks’ journey rekindled passions and opened doors to new adventures. Indeed, he now has a thirst for personal growth.

“Life has changed in ways I never imagined possible,” he says. “I’m training for a 10-kilometre run in Melbourne on July 21, and even eyeing a half marathon.  “It’s just that mindset, like I can now do it. Lets fucking do it. I’ve wasted 10 years of my life, so there’s a bit of a mindset like that. Wasting so much time, let’s try and get back out there.”

His advice for others embarking on a similar journey? “It’s not a sprint, but you’ve got to keep moving forward, and make sure you have the right support network around you.” 

As he continues to set his sights higher, Banks’ journey offers a template for anyone who’s not entirely happy with who they are and wants to make positive changes. No matter how tough the road ahead might look, with a little bit of grit and some will power, anything is possible.

Related:

The post This club cricketer lost 63 kg and gained a new lease on life appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

Your body depends on proper hydration, including weight loss. But this isn’t about simply drinking as much water as you can.

“Oftentimes water is pushed to those seeking weight loss because there is a belief that water can ‘fill you up’ leading to eating less often or less volume come meal time,” says Kelly Jones, M.S., R.D.

If you’re filling up on water, the theory goes, you’ll be less likely to snack and better control your hunger. There’s some truth behind the claim, but think of water more as a maintenance tool, not a magic bullet.

Can drinking water help you lose weight?

You’ve heard the old adage: “If you’re hungry, you might actually be thirsty.”

This is only partially true.

Drinking water may help you curb your hunger in the short-term, but not so much long-term. “While the volume of food and liquids puts pressure on the nerve cells in your digestive tract, sending some signals to your brain that you may be full, it doesn’t last for very long,” Jones says.

You might feel full right after drinking lots of water, but you need a proper intake of protein, fat, and fibre, too, to trigger your satiety signals and truly feel full. Otherwise, once the water leaves your stomach later in the day, she says you might feel extreme hunger, be tempted to snack, choose not-so-healthy foods, and possibly over eat.

Water also raises your resting energy expenditure (REE), which refers to the calories your body burns at rest, by as much as 30 percent within 20 minutes of drinking water, says Dr. Linda Anegawa, M.D., a double board-certified physician in internal medicine and obesity medicine.

“REE is highly variable between individuals and is felt to be a major contributing factor to weight regulation,” she says.

So, in short, water can fill you up in a pinch, but only for a pinch.

Beyond weight loss, drinking plenty of water offers lots of other benefits that could aid in weight loss. Proper hydration gets rid of waste in the body through urination and sweating, regulates your body temperature, protects bodily tissues, and cushions your joints, according to Mayo Clinic.

How much water should you drink for weight loss?

Your body is made up of 60 per cent water, so hydration is crucial for maintaining bodily processes, like circulation and energy production. Generally, everyone should drink six to eight 240 ml glasses of water a day, Dr. Anegawa says. If you live in hot climates or exercise frequently, you likely need to drink even more.

On top of your baseline needs, experts recommend that you drink an additional 470 to 700 ml of fluid starting around three hours before exercise, up to 1 litre an hour during exercise, and between 380 to 800 ml per hour depending on the conditions of your workout, says Jones.

After your workout, you should replace whatever fluids you lost. By weighing yourself before and after your training session, you can calculate this need.

The post Exactly how much water you should drink to lose weight appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.