Higgins has three key maxims. 1. It’s not too late to get in better shape, even if he’s a desk worker rather than a natural athlete. 2 Getting in better shape is easier than he thinks—just do a little, often. 3 “Put down the damn fork, dude.” Even by blunt Australian standards, the number three is an inspiring aphorism of rare vividness. From my experience, it’s all you need to stay focused.
“People overcomplicate this,” says Higgins. “Sleep well, move a lot, eat well. Repeat. This was the way we were supposed to be before our bodies adapted to the poisonous combination of a high-stress lifestyle and chronic stillness. But it’s about getting people moving, and moving better, and finding the type of exercise that works best for you to treat and prevent the aches and pains that undermine so many people’s health and happiness.”
Higgins asks what my goals are. Mainly it is to have the opportunity to live longer. Hovering around 15 stones, I feel clumsy and heavy compared to the constant 11 stones I had from my late teens to early 40s. “Wanting to see your grandchildren grow up is a big reason,” he says. “Most people choose between living a longer and happier life or dying early and living a fast life. The problem is that no one really changes their eating pattern since they were 15 years old, and you just can’t keep eating like a growing teenager and expect to stay healthy.”
So, as for food: Higgins (a former Australian rules player who gave up contact sports after an injury) follows the well-known 16:8 diet, which recommends concentrating all of his eating in 8 hours of the day. “Any type of restricted diet is going to work,” says Higgo. “All it means is just not eating breakfast. And if you find it easy, my advice is to close the window. Do the same with 18:6 and if it works, take it to 20:4”.
Afterwards, I try the 20:4 option for three or four days a week, with a sizeable meal every 24 hours. Although it makes the days a bit monotonous and boring for someone who loves food, it works well and guarantees a one pound reduction per day on fasting days.
“David Harbor has been amazing, he just sticks his head in and does it,” he says. “Most people don’t have that kind of discipline. But some measures that are drastic, but by no means impossible, reliably pay off.”
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