Gareth was a promising rugby player who took to the pitch for Valke, a Currie Cup first-division side. But when injury struck and cut his career short, the budding sportsman found himself on the sidelines. What followed was a series of “rewards” in the form of calorie-dense cheat snacks: “Pizzas, droewors, chocolates and alcohol,” he says. He also went from daily training sessions to not exercising at all. Find out how he implemented simple diet fixes, a no-excuses workout schedule and some important mental lessons to shed the weight.
The Setback
Comfort eating became second nature for Gareth, who began structuring his life—including social activities— around the table. He’d meet friends for breakfast at a café, grab takeaways for lunch and then finish up with multiple courses at a dinner spot. This downward slide only steepened when he moved to Europe and the office’s canteen became his new haunt. “I remember grabbing the ‘bacon pot’ for breakfast every morning,” he says. “Simply put, that’s about 50 slices of bacon stuffed into a takeaway pot usually reserved for soup or cereal.”
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The Wake-Up
After a weekend of binging, and netting a grand total of 31 steps across both days (for reference, those were the steps between his bed and the kitchen), Gareth began to suspect he was in bad shape. When his healthcare provider denied him insurance on the basis of his obesity, he was—however—still perplexed. “I still didn’t think I was overweight,” he admits. That’s when a colleague stepped in to intervene, hitting him with some hard truths: “He told me I looked like I was 50 years old,” he says. “He could see I was unhappy, that I lacked confidence, that my life was limited to work, food and nothing else.” Rough, but exactly what Gareth needed to hear.
The Change
Keep it simple, and realistic. That was Gareth’s motto embarking on his weight loss journey. He focused on racking up 10 000 steps each day, breaking his walks into 20 mins of morning exertions and another 15 to cap off the workday. “Anyone who says they can’t find the time to do that is lying to themselves,” he says.
Once this habit was in place, he turned his attention to his meals and making the necessary diet fixes. He started tracking calories, making sure he didn’t exceed the flood line of 2,000 calories. (Typically you want to take your maintenance energy threshold minus 500 to start torching fat.)
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As the world was in the midst of a never-ending lockdown, Gareth didn’t have access to gyms or home workout tools, so he made the most of what he had at his disposal. Now that restrictions have been lifted, he logs four sessions at the gym every week. But he says it doesn’t matter what you do, just do something consistently: “You’re just trying to increase activity and reduce calories.”
The Reward
Besides being able to climb a flight of stairs without gasping for air? He feels comfortable taking his shirt off. That means no more jumping into the local pool donning a baggy T-shirt or sweating out in a sauna drowning in extra threads. Shopping, too, has become much easier because he’s no longer hunting for those elusive 46” waistbands (right now, he’s at a svelte 30”). He’s certain any guy can do this: “You just have to be realistic and clear about setting a manageable goal,” he says. “Understand that it takes time, and don’t just give up after one cheat meal or missed gym session.”
