GETTING IN SHAPE: A DAY BY DAY ACCOUNT by Barney Baxendale

Barney from the gym has embarked upon a strict 28 day programme of exercise and healthy food to improve his fitness, awaken his metabolism, renew his energy and lose a few pounds in the process.

Below, read about Barney's journey so far. He is now 2 weeks in to the 28 day plan. His food diet can be downloaded at the bottom of the page.

For advice and help on your exercise routine and diet please speak to a member of the gym team.

Over to Barney...

Practicing what you preach is sometimes easier said than done as a personal trainer. Over the past few months I have let some bad habits slip into my routine and my diet has suffered. My training has slacked off and I’ve gone backwards in terms of my physical fitness. And to top it off, I’ve spent the last week holidaying in Cornwall, eating Cornish pasties, drinking copious amounts of Doom Bar and not doing so much as a sit up.

We’ve all been there: that time when we realise we’ve let ourselves go and we have to do something about it? Well this is my time, and I want to share with you exactly what I intend to do about it.

I would like to stress from the outset that this is my own personal fitness and diet plan. I am by no means suggesting that you should follow this to the letter because it’s not fun, there are no shortcuts or cheats, and to be blunt, it’s quite boring. But sometimes when you want something that is hard to achieve, you must face up to the hard work needed and just get on with it. There are many ways to skin a cat as they say (why do they say that? Sorry cat lovers), and this is my way. I know what works for me, and this plan has been devised using various principles I have learned over the years.

It will be a challenge to stay organised and motivated, and often hard not to stray outside the guidelines, but that is the point: if you are not able to overcome the challenges and barriers along the way, you will struggle to reach your goals in whatever you do in life.

Although I work in a gym and train people for a living, I still share many of the common challenges and barriers to exercise as those who work in other professions. I love food, especially pasta, I work some long hours, and if I want to work out, I have to do it at work! So for the duration of this 28 day plan, I will be giving you a step by step, day by day account of my experiences which I hope will provide some insight and inspiration for you in some way.

FUEL YOUR BODY, NOT YOUR CRAVINGS

It doesn’t matter what you do inside the gym if you don’t look after yourself outside it. Therefore, sorting out my diet is priority number one. This doesn’t mean going on ‘’a diet’’, it simply means cutting out the things I really don’t need, and being smarter about what I eat, when and why.

Rule Number 1:

Eat smaller nutritious meals every 2/3 hours.

Our bodies are not designed for three meals a day, nor are they designed to get enjoyment from food. The notion of breakfast, lunch and dinner is something we have had drilled into us from a young age, mainly because it is the most convenient way to consume food. Your body really only needs food for fuel, and needs fuel more often than 3 times a day, especially if you are exercising. Eating nutritious meals regularly throughout the day keeps your blood sugar levels constant and your metabolism fired up. The principle is to get your body working consistently throughout the day, rather than going into overdrive 3 times a day.

You can’t be completely regimented about this because life isn’t that straight forward, but aim for it and you’re heading in the right direction!

Rule Number 2:

If it’s purely for enjoyment, it’s not going in.

This is the hard part. We get immense gratification from food, and especially treats, but deep down we all know what’s good and what isn’t.

If you really want to lose weight and shape up, then you need to decide what you want more, the shape or the treat. Because for me it really is one or the other: if you don’t cut out things like alcohol, chocolate, bread, pasta and the like, then you really will struggle to get any results in the gym.

Now I’m not saying I’ll never have chocolate or never have another beer, but whilst I’m trying to change my body to reach the shape I want, then I will cut them out.

Life is for living and good food is one of life’s great pleasures. Just get it clear in your head that when you are trying to achieve something like getting in shape, you have to let eating food for pleasure take a back seat.

As far as drinks are concerned, your body needs water and not a lot else. You will notice a lot of coffee in my diet; this is essential for me but also serves a purpose. Caffeine stimulates the body and mind and when you are waking up early and training a lot then it’s a good idea to have caffeine in your diet.

Rule Number 3: Keep your shopping list simple.

To really help yourself with this plan, keep the shopping list simple. Base your meals around protein, add some veg and good carbs, and get some hot sauce or something to flavour your food which is low in sugar. Be careful with low fat foods; they are often higher in sugar to compensate.

Make sure you get a lot of fruit in the morning. And nuts are great for snacking on, but as with everything, in moderation!

Rule Number 4: Try to cook all your meals in one go.

There are a number of reasons this is a good idea:

1) You know exactly how your food is cooked and what’s going in.

2) If you don’t you’ll spend all day cooking.

3) You’re less likely to stray if your meal is already prepared.

4) You’re less likely to skip because you can eat instantly.

Rule Number 5: Mix cardio and resistance work in the gym, and make your body work.

To make your body adapt and change, you have to make it do things it doesn’t normally do. If you do the same workout every time you hit the gym, it won’t be long before your body adapts to that workout and it stops having an effect. You must constantly aim to keep your body adapting by doing more, even if it’s one extra minute or two extra reps.

Many people make the mistake of neglecting resistance work when trying to lose weight. Keep up with your routine as strength work has been proven to increase your metabolism as your body works to try and repair your muscles. After a strength workout, your body will continue to work for the rest of the day. After a cardio session, your body stops working when you do.

Here we go...

DAY ONE – MONDAY 14th MAY

Day one finished and I’m happy with how the day has gone. Felt energised during my morning cardio, was never particularly hungry throughout the day, never felt bloated or sluggish and generally feel clean having put no rubbish into my body. The afternoon workout was very hard work. I put this down to not having trained properly for a few weeks, but I got through the whole session and am feeling great now.

The evening was a bit of a struggle in that I was peckish and there was plenty of temptation around, and I had to make all of tomorrow’s meals without touching any of it. I managed it though and following my final protein shake of the day I’m ready to hit the sack.

DAY TWO – TUESDAY 15th MAY

Day two and I woke up feeling the effects of the previous day’s exertions. Understandable given that I trained twice and hard, but it was a tough start to the day. Work schedule meant I was tied up from 6am – 10am and spacing out my morning intake was more difficult. Come 10am I tried a workout which was too intense, I didn’t have the energy. I put this down to the length of time between my last meal of the day on Monday, and my first meal containing good carbs.

When this happens, you need to swap a short intense workout for a longer low intensity workout. Felt great by the end of the day once regular meals had resumed, and generally energy levels throughout the day were good. Had a real hunger when I got home as it was a long day, so I had some nuts after my meal.

DAY THREE – WEDNESDAY 16th MAY

I really, REALLY didn’t want to get up at 6.30am when I didn’t have to be at work until 1pm. But, Terry’s Spin class was at 7.30am and I’d written it down in my schedule, so I had to do it. I don’t normally do spin, and I should have paced myself better because I was in a state of shock for a good hour afterwards.

Doing an extremely intense hour of exercise after just a banana and coffee, and a long time after your last meal, is not smart, and I will do things better next week. I did enjoy my porridge with water, more than I expected. The trick was mixing the sultanas in and waiting for the sweetness to come out.

My legs were like jelly for most of the day but by the evening I was feeling good again. However, getting home from work at 9.30pm meant I didn’t want to cook my next day’s meals, I needed to relax. Therefore it’s up at 6.30am tomorrow to cook! Great addition today thanks to a kind donation from one of my clients was some West Indian hot sauce: certainly takes the mind of repetitive food!

DAY FOUR – THURSDAY 17th MAY

Day four and I woke up feeling great. I’m normally very sleepy in the mornings, but today I was up and out of bed full of energy. My main trouble today was getting the time to train and eat due to my hectic work schedule. I managed to squeeze in a short strength workout but decided to leave it at that. The eating is more important than the training, so that takes priority.

It occurred to me today that the beauty of eating every 2 hours is that you’re never hungry, and therefore you never think ‘’What do I fancy to eat?’’ Instead, I think ‘’I have to eat again already?” That makes it much much easier to avoid bad choices. Felt I performed well at work.

DAY FIVE – FRIDAY 18th MAY

Really feeling good now, wake up with energy and a clear head even at the ungodly hour. Felt positive after a good day yesterday, and still not getting any food cravings throughout the day because of the regular eating.

Had a TRX session with Cat which was a real challenge, and it turns out I need to work on my core strength. It’s all very well being able to lift weights but core strength is a lot more functional. And training at what you’re bad at fulfils the rule that you must keep challenging your body to adapt.

Friday night and my first visit to a pub with no booze. I had mineral water with a squeeze of lime but I really didn’t want anything else, mainly because I didn’t want to let myself down. I did however indulge in some wasabi nuts, cashews and pistachios, too many if I’m completely honest! And I needed something sweet when I got home, so I grabbed another handful of blueberries.

DAY SIX – SATURDAY 19th MAY

Day 6, felt a little tired waking up but I am really sleeping solidly. After training a client at 9am I tried yoga at 10am in studio 2. The class was packed and no wonder: it’s a beginners class but still a real challenge for someone with little experience. Really felt I worked my core and will look to fit in a yoga session at least once a week from now on.

The rest of the day was pretty straight forward, although babysitting for my amazing niece and nephew meant my last meal was later than hoped, and I couldn’t have my bedtime casein.

DAY SEVEN – SUNDAY 20th MAY

Day 7 and a day of rest, no training whatsoever. Spent the afternoon out and about so decided to go to M & S for a couple of small nutritious meals I could have on pit-stops. I was really surprised at the choice, very healthy and great portion sizes. As I’m not training I’m cutting back on the carbs and the protein, except I was given a chocolate protein bar as a present and I couldn’t say no! Not exactly what I wanted but it was gooood. Got in a DVD for some evening entertainment and seeing as I can’t watch a film without popcorn normally, I decided for the enjoyment of the film I would get something I could pretend was popcorn. Grapes. Not even close.

WEEK ONE SUMMARY

• • Shed 3.4 kg of unwanted weight. I didn’t expect that, but I’ll take it! I don’t want to lose any more weight now; my focus for the coming weeks will be changing my body composition. Less fat, more muscle!
• Energy levels truly are the best they’ve been for a long time. I also feel more alert and have a clearer head
• Definitely feel clean having not put any rubbish into my body
• No wobbles as of yet, the fact I have told anyone that will listen exactly what I am doing has probably helped with that!
• Can only remember feeling hungry once
• Being organised to cook all meals the night before is a real challenge, and takes a lot of discipline!

• Friends make you feel very boring.

WEEK 2

DAY EIGHT – MONDAY 21st MAY

Day eight and the first weigh in produced a better result than I had hoped with a 3.4kg drop from the previous week. That’s quite a lot for one week, and probably reflects just how much I had overindulged on holiday!

I still feel full of energy and not sluggish or tired at any time of the day. I found it hard today to keep up with the regimented eating schedule and as a result did start to feel hungry, and the long hours meant I didn’t get the opportunity to train. Even when you work at a gym it’s sometimes just not possible to work out, but I’m not beating myself up about it because I know I’m still eating right, and that’s the main thing.

I realised this evening that I’m only getting tired at exactly the right time, when I go to bed, and that I’m sleeping solidly. Feel like my body is working better than it has for a long time.

DAY NINE – TUESDAY 22nd MAY

Today was a LONG day, and put this regime to the test! I was in at 6am, and finished at 8pm having trained twice, and I’m happy to say that although I was physically tired at the end of the day, I felt it was my nutrition that kept me going. I’m starting to see a change in my body shape with more definition in the midsection. The bloating I normally experience is still there but has reduced and I think it will take time.

A bit disappointed it hasn’t gone already but that’s unrealistic, you have to be patient with these things, nothing happens overnight. After a day like that, I never thought I’d come home and tuck into mackerel and cherry tomatoes as a small meal; normally I would have had something much bigger as a ‘’reward’’ for such a big day, but I’m happy that I’m in a different frame of mind now.

DAY TEN – WEDNESDAY 23rd MAY

Today I had my first genuine wobble in terms of energy levels. I think there were a number of factors: the heat, rushing around in the morning, a long day Tuesday. It was the first time since I started this that I felt low and weak, but that picked up in the afternoon (once I’d had more to eat!!)

Faced with the first BBQ of the season at my house and have never had to do one without burgers and sausages and bread and crisps etc. To give me something to look forward to I went to the fishmonger and picked up some lovely swordfish steaks and did a homemade marinade of garlic, ginger and dill. It was really good and I still felt like I was taking part in the BBQ, whilst not straying off the guidelines.

Another good day and in an increasingly good mood as my body shape continues to improve.

DAY ELEVEN – THURSDAY 24th MAY

Today was my Dad’s birthday and faced with another occasion in which to avoid straying outside the guidelines. I took my parents to Le Pain Quotidian on the high street for breakfast and ordered their organic porridge with stewed fruit (made with soya milk as I’m off dairy) and it was really good. Also had the apple and carrot juice which was exceptional!!

Feeling really easy to keep things going now which is great, as I had expected to be crying out for something like a pizza but I’m not even thinking too much about it. The muffins at the Hogarth Bar still call out to me whenever I walk past but (at least for the next 17 days!!) they’ll stay untouched by me. Things are going better than expected.

DAY TWELVE – FRIDAY 25th MAY

I’m proud of how well I’ve stuck to this so today decided to treat myself: firstly I went straight back to Le Pain Quotidien for breakfast and had the porridge with stewed fruit again, then went to Macken Brothers to pick up a ribeye steak and chicken supreme. Their meat is some of the best around and organic meat of that quality really maintains the nutrients I’m after.

I am finding it increasingly difficult to stick to the rule of eating every 2/3 hours and have at times slipped to 4 hours which is not ideal. But such is life and there will be days like that. So long as you don’t over eat to compensate then it’s okay.

After my shift I headed off for the weekend to the south coast. Normally for a coach journey I would pack the bag with percy pigs and chocolate so finding something to get equally excited about was a challenge! Went with grapes and a juice drink; not what I would normally recommend late at night, but I needed something. This is also the first weekend away I’ve had since starting this regime, should be interesting!

DAY THIRTEEN - SATURDAY 26th MAY

So what do you do when you’re away from home on a short break but you don’t want to stray? Go to M&S!! When you don’t have access to your own kitchen, you have to change the rules a little bit by buying ready prepared food, but stick with M&S and you won’t go far wrong. We got a picnic from there which involved my favourite nutty super wholefood salad, Mediterranean couscous and cooked chicken, as well as nuts, a fantastic tropical dried fruit mix, sweet jazz apples and I did treat myself to some humus with carrots.

Being on a day out in the sunshine you are surrounded by temptation wherever you go, but being on this strict a regime actually makes things a bit easier. You know you’re not eating for pleasure really, so you know ice cream is out, cider is out, you don’t really have to think ‘’can I have this?’’. It might be easier, but it’s still not easy. But I am feeling physically great, and that, for me, makes it easier to see through.

Dinner out though was a real struggle. Don’t go to a fancy restaurant and try to be good, they will not like you and might spit in your food. The look on the waitress’ face when I had to send back the glorious bread platter was a treat, and then when we ordered only water and no wine it was a look of horror!

DAY FOURTEEN - SUNDAY 27th MAY

Woke up absolutely exhausted, which I put down to a day exercising in the sun! Nothing that porridge, fruit and a black coffee couldn’t fix. Another day out, another picnic to pack, this time with some home cooked food. Lots of walking in the sunshine and I have to admit I felt quite weak at times. This will happen, especially in the sun, and given it’s a pretty relentless regime. Hard not to be tempted into something sugary when you’re feeling low, but when you’re this far in and seeing the results you want, you really don’t want to let yourself down.

On the journey home I admit I broke my rules by having an Eat Natural bar which tasted bloody amazing. I’m not disappointed with myself, it was too good!! On this weekend away, I didn’t have any additional protein supplements.

WEEK TWO SUMMARY

• Really really happy. Never woken up feeling like this on a Monday morning.
• Kept the weight loss going, and I’m now at a weight I haven’t been since I was around 18 years old. An additional 0.4kg lost this week.
• The figure I’m most happy with is my body fat %, down 1.1 % to 10.4%. I haven’t trained overly hard this week, so I’m confident that it’s my metabolism now working to optimum levels.
• Results like this only drive you on to continue. I’m so happy I haven’t given in to the many offers of beer and other treats. Cutting these things out completely is key to getting your body into the best working order.
• Starting to feel hungry at times, but I need to eat more to start supporting my training which will increase.

You can download Barney's Food Diary HERE.

Watch this space as Barney's journey continues over the next 14 days!

WEEK 3 BEGINS...

DAY FIFTEEN - MONDAY 28th MAY

I’m now the lightest I’ve been since I was 18 at 80.7kg, and really I don’t want to go any lower. My focus now is changing my body composition to reduce fat and increase muscle. I expect my weight to go up because I will be eating more to support training, and increasing muscle mass. However today didn’t quite work out as I ended up doing 2 cardio workouts and no weights. This 2nd session also interrupted my eating pattern, but I can’t resist a game of squash!

Now I’m 2 weeks in, I’m really enjoying and looking forward to my meals, especially the fruit. I am finding it difficult to get the time to cook before work and today I cheated a little by buying another set of M&S salad boxes and ready cooked chicken and meat. Just make sure it’s grilled or roasted.

DAY SIXTEEN - TUESDAY 29th MAY

Bad morning in terms of organising meals. Got up extra early to cook porridge, but then had 5 hours back to back at work and didn’t eat again until 11am. Ended up really really hungry, so crammed in some pumpernickel bread mid morning. It’s german, it has no wheat, is pretty much nothing like bread, and translates as ‘’fart goblin’’ apparently! But I find half a slice is more than enough to get rid of hunger.

Very happy with the rest of the day’s training. Put in a good weights session after work and then ran 7km along the river over the two bridges with the Hogarth Run Club in the evening. I’m beginning to add more red meat to my diet as red meat is good for muscle building.

DAY SEVENTEEN - WEDNESDAY 30th MAY

I’m easing up a little on myself now for two reasons: I’m happy with the weight loss, and I feel my metabolism is in top gear. If I feel a bit low on energy, I will have something like an Eat Natural bar without worrying. Still no wheat and no dairy, but some sugar every now and then for energy is not a bad thing. I’ve also added Pumpernickel Bread to my shopping list along with organic peanut butter (good source of energy and protein!) and will sometimes eat this in between main meals if I feel I need a pick me up. I still try not to eat for the sake of it!

DAY EIGHTEEN - THURSDAY 31st MAY

My day off, was tempted for a lie in but wanted to get the metabolism fired up early, so got up and started the routine at 8.15am with the usual. You’ll notice I had a protein bar today; not something I would normally do but I just fancied it!

If I can, I’d rather get my cardio done playing sport, so today I got in 2 hours of tennis and 1 hour of 5-a-side football. If only all cardio was that fun! Had to eat after football, bit of a mix and match, but nothing bad. Actually enjoying what I’m eating and not craving the things I did before. Back from football previously it would have been 3 or 4 chocolate hobnobs! I said I was going to be honest….

DAY NINETEEN - FRIDAY 1st JUNE

Another day off. Planned to get some admin done and then do some shopping, so ate before I left and took a Naked bar with me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get a proper meal in and I could have easily weighted until I came back, but you have to plan ahead and give your body something to keep it working. Not ideal, but better than leaving a big gap between meals.

Decided to allow a bit of hummus into the diet today, and some rice cakes to go with it. This was eating for fun and not fuel, but as I said before, I’ve lost the weight I wanted to lose, so can ease up on that rule so long as I’m not eating rubbish.

DAY TWENTY - SATURDAY 2nd JUNE

Today was probably the worst so far in terms of my general feeling of well-being. Started the day with Spin at 8.30am, into Karen’s Abs blast at 9.30am straight into my own workout for an hour, all this before work. By the end of the day I was not feeling myself at all, and need to take things a bit easier and not get carried away. It’s important to know when you’re over doing things.

Getting home after work I was still feeling low so had two slices of Pumpernickel Bread with peanut butter and honey. That made me feel normal again, but I will be more careful not to overdo things in the future.

Download the next instalment of Barney's Food Diary HERE.

AT LAST - THE FINAL WEEK HAS ARRIVED!

And now, for the final week in the diary of Barney's 28 Day Challenge. Click HERE to view.