Gareth Evans, 44, works in finance and lives in Birmingham
Before the lockdown, I was quite sedentary and didn’t take care of myself. It used to weigh about 16 stones, and slowly it went up. Since I’m pretty tall, I’m 6’1”, I hadn’t really noticed the weight gain, so I was pretty horrified to find out I weighed 20 stones. I decided Start to walk – mostly as a way to get out during lockdown and clear my mind – and built to do around six or seven miles a day on the canals near my home. In eight months, I was back to around 16 stones without really trying. There was also a great added mental health benefit to walking: I found I was able to put problems into perspective much more easily.
Then I had an accident where I slipped on some ice and broke two ribs, which meant I couldn’t go out as much, so I decided to tackle my diet. I relied on takeout, eating a lot of snacks and drinking fizzy drinks and too much alcohol. I cut all that out, started reading food labels, counting calories and making sure my portion sizes were stricter. I quickly realized that the lack of knowledge I had about nutrition was quite shocking. The difference of changing my diet was huge. Over the next six months, I lost another four kilos.
When I recovered, I found that I couldn’t spend as much time walking, so I started going to the gym to do resistance training. I love the difference it has made – I feel so much stronger and can now deadlift about 180lbs, practically out of nowhere.
The difference from how I looked and felt before is huge. Along with the weight loss, I’ve lost about 10 inches off my chest and now wear pants with a 32-inch waist. I now have much more energy, which is the biggest difference, and I sleep much more soundly than before. The confidence boost is also huge. People who have known me for years look at it twice before realizing it’s me.
my training week
I do resistance training three to four times a week at the gym with a personal trainer and a class in calisthenics, which are weight-free training exercises like static grips. I replaced walking with swimming and added a half hour of swimming after each gym session or class.
what i eat in a day
I don’t deny myself anything, but I pay much more attention to portion control and what’s on the label. I feel much more informed about what I eat.
- Breakfast: Porridge with fruit
- Lunch: Omelet with some grilled mushrooms
- Dinner: Chicken curry with rice
lifestyle assistants
- Caffeine: Yes, but only in the morning.
- Alcohol: I still drink, but not as much as before.
- Sleep: About eight hours a night.
As he told Jessica Salter
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