Results of My Four Month Fat Cut
It is often said, if you want to force yourself to do something, announce your intention to the world.
On June 4th this year, I wrote a blog stating I will aim to cut my fat to a lean percentage by my 52nd birthday in October. With the statement announced, I forced myself to comply
This was possibly one of the hardest, and easiest parts of my journey so far.
Hard because it felt like nothing was happening in the first 2.5 months. I was on a calorie deficit, which is rule number one for losing weight. Alongside a well programmed resistance training schedule with a high protein intake. Which is rule number one for retaining muscle.
Easy because once I was 3 months in, the changes began to happen. So the last month was incredibly easy and I flew through it.
Review of Where I Began
Back in October 2015 I began the journey to increase my longevity. And after one year I had managed to lose 10kgs of weight from 77kgs down to 67kgs.
But I looked terrible. I had no muscle, and was approximately 25% body fat (BFP).
This is the stereotypical “skinny fat” look, which was not a pretty sight.
Then in October 2016 I read Mike Matthews Bigger, Leaner, Stronger, which helped to explain why I had lost weight, but still had a high BFP. A quick explanation is; I was only doing cardio, working my arse off, which resulted in a reduced metabolism and low muscle mass.
The Four Month Fat Loss Begins
In June this year my BFP was 17.5%, with my weight at 69kgs. This is quite a good turnaround in seven years, bearing in mind all of the mistakes I made over this period.
My new goal was to get down to 65kgs, retain all my muscle, and knock 5% off my BFP.
The Four Month Journey
As a qualified nutrition coach, I like to think I know what I’m doing with regards to nutrition. I even began tracking my calories again to be sure I was in a caloric deficit and had adequate protein.
After six weeks, with the scales not moving (still at 69kgs) and my body shape seemingly not changing, I dropped the calorie tracking and moved into a more intuitive approach.
After eight weeks, nothing was changing. I was becoming disillusioned and began questioning myself whether I could actually do this.
But I trusted the science. I had to. The law of thermodynamics is undeniable. So something had to give. My calorie deficit continued, along with resistance training and high protein.
But the old stubborn belly fat just would not budge.
My remaining belly fat is more than 31 years old. Since I began gaining weight at the age of 21, I have never lost it. So it made some kind of sense that this would be the last bastion of my fat to shift.
Almost certainly this was white fat, which is very difficult to burn for energy due to the size of the lipids.
Brown fat on the other hand contains smaller lipids, and is primed to be used as energy.
So the question was, how to convert the white fat to brown fat.
Studies show that shivering is extremely effective at converting stubborn white fat into energy burning brown fat. Although this was not the reason I began cold water therapy.
The reason I wanted to do this was for the experience To challenge myself to do something I was scared of (the cold), and to prove my mind is stronger than my body.
I am not saying this was the reason for the sudden loss of body fat. This is only an anecdotal theory, albeit a compelling one for me.
The Halfway Point
After two months, finally the scale dropped slightly. And after only my 2nd cold plunge, I started to see the belly fat disappear.
It was truly remarkable the change that was suddenly happening. It was almost like my body had been desperately trying to hang onto this last piece of fat, and would do anything to not let it go.
However, through sheer persistence, determination and consistency, I broke through the barrier with remarkable results.
Results at 52
On 9th October on my 52nd birthday, I took these photos, and went for an In-Body scan. The scan showed my BFP at a remarkable 12%.
To say I was happy is an understatement. I have never looked this good. Even when I was a young athlete at 21 before my weight gain began. I did not have any muscle definition because I only played sports without any upper body resistance training.
In four months I had gone from 69kgs and 17.5% BFP. Down to 66kgs and 12% BFP.
And the beauty of these results are: there is still so much to do. Now I have reached 12% BFP, I may as well push through and get rid of all that old belly fat, so I can begin rebuilding more lean muscle again.
Thank You Ben Coomber
Ben has helped me through my journey over these past six years since I discovered his podcast tremendously. He has encouraged me to be myself and show myself to the world.
This is very difficult for me as I am a naturally shy introverted guy. But due to his words, I had the confidence to finally put my photo onto my own website. And that was wearing clothes!
These photos are the first time I have shown myself like this. It’s something which makes me feel quite uncomfortable.
However, I cannot help but be proud of myself and what I have achieved. So here I am showing up in the world, and showing off my achievements for the first time.
Conclusion
The body has no limits. It is not necessary to get old and frail or fat. It is possible to turn that around at any age to be strong and lean so you can live longer and happier. It literally is never too late. Never.
As I embark on the next chapter of my journey, which is coaching others to reach their goals. I look back at the many mistakes made; the injuries, the ego, the pain, the challenges and the obstacles as everything which has made me the person I am today.
Thank you to all of my mentors. Some know me, some do not. But every one of you I thank every day for the knowledge and inspiration you have given me:
Ben Coomber and Tom Bainbridge from BTN Academy
Mike Matthews; Muscle For Life
Sal, Adam and Justin from Mind Pump
Max Lugavere, the Genius Food and Life
Andrew Huberman
Lex Friedman
Judy Gould the Physiotherapist Magician
David Sinclair
And I am sure many more I have missed.
Thank you, and love to you all.
Now for the next part of this life changing journey which quite simply keeps getting better and better.
There are no laws of diminishing returns when you embark on a life improving journey. Your life simply continues to improve exponentially, and I cannot encourage you enough to give it a go and see how you feel.
Life is too short and precious to let your health deteriorate. Take control of your life, your body, your health, and feel free to contact me any time if you would like guidance or advice, or anything at all.