Pigchops

Thirty days gone like that. An abundance of decent, healthy food and jumping around my lounge five times a week like a demented twat. No progress pictures – you don’t want to see me in my pants – but I’m chuffed with what I’ve achieved so far.

The first few days were a bit of a shock to the system – primarily getting my head round the sheer quantities of food and the attendant prep, a low-level headache caused by (presumably) my body detoxing as I cut out alcohol, most caffeine, and sugar, and the practical logistics of cooking for myself but trying where possible to mould my plan to accommodate family meals.

It takes 21 days to develop a habit

Maxwell Maltz

WFH has certainly helped in rapidly adjusting to life on the plan and the fact that I’m already relatively in shape meant that the HIIT workouts five terms a week have been challenging but achievable – they would be significantly harder if this were your first time exercising in ages.

So far so good then, and I thought I’d share some observations that might help anyone who is thinking of joining me on this journey.

1. Whilst you wait for your plan to arrive buy a 1KG tub of 100% natural peanut butter, a good selection of unsalted nuts and seeds, a bag of spinach, some big pots of yoghurt (natural, Greek, or Greek-style, fat-free or normal), a ton of eggs, some frozen berries, a pot of runny honey, and some vanilla- and chocolate protein powder from MyProtein (the code BODYCOACH will get you a discount of up to 37%) which will be enough to get you going with a few of the recipes in the first week.
2. Proper Greek yoghurt, nuts, and seeds are all substantially cheaper in Aldi than the main supermarkets.
3. If you buy all the ingredients to make all of the recipes in your plan you’re going to need a second mortgage so try to pick those that use similar ingredients and don’t be afraid to adapt using the online swap tool or to create your own following the guidelines given.
4. Make sure you’ve got a decent non-stick frying pan that you can pop under the grill or in the oven – Amazon do a cracking MasterClass one for under £20 which is ideal.
5. A powerful blender such as a Nutribullet is all but essential and well worth the investment.
6. When your plan arrives use DoxDirect online to have it printed and bound – A5 black and white double-sided with spiral binding is the cheapest option.
7. Import your plan to the Plan and Shop website and use it to plan your meals and workouts for the week – for a £5 fee you can remove the adverts, which is well worth doing.
8. Use a MyProtein gallon hydrator or similar bottle to keep track of your daily water intake and leave it in the fridge so it’s nice and cold – a slice of lemon is a good substitute for squash.
9. The low-carb coconut granola is life.
10. Amazon sells unsweetened apple sauce which you need for the coconut granola but it’s a lot cheaper and very easy just to make your own by stewing some peeled, chopped cooking apples in a little water and liquidising them when they go soft.
11. Be sure to have lots of washing up liquid or dishwasher tablets in stock as you’ll spend almost as much time as you do exercising with your hands in the kitchen sink or packing and unpacking the dishwasher.
12. As Joe says, prep like a boss – it’s a bit of a ball ache but it makes life a hell of a lot easier, especially if you’re tired after work.
13. If you’ve got a mixer with a dough hook use it to make the pizza bases as you get much better results, and using your (dry) fingers to pat the pizza base into the bottom of the frying pan after you’ve rolled it out will get you a decent circle.
14. Whilst it’s only my opinion, don’t waste your time with the spinach frittata.
15. Maple syrup instead of dates in the chcoco-nut smoothie is easier and tastier – the swap tool will tell you how much to use.
16. If you’re a runner carry on running – an easy 5K makes a great warm-up for HIIT.
17. Expect to get headaches in the first few days as your body detoxes – drink your water quota and bear with it, it will pass.
18. Comparison is the thief of joy – everyone starts this journey from a different place and with a different goal so don’t be disheartened if you don’t see the same results in the same time-frame as someone else: trust in the process and remember that consistency is key.
19. The online Support Heroes will answer any questions relatively quickly but the official Facebook group is great for motivation and support and lots of people also find Instagram a source of inspiration: I’ve set up a dedicated account to document my journey (@pigchopsdoes90) if you don’t mind daily food spam and want to follow me.
20. Most importantly of all, relax into the plan and enjoy it! It’s a lifestyle, not a diet.

My wedding anniversary conveniently fell at the end of the first cycle so, after giving my all to the last workout, I submitted my results and celebrated with an off-plan takeaway and a couple of drinks.

Within 24 hours my personalised plan for cycle 2 arrived by email and I’m now halfway through that. There are two major differences this time round – an additional carb refuel meal on training days and resistance training incorporated with the HIIT, which I am loving as I’ve really missed my strength and conditioning work at the gym.

I haven’t missed alcohol in the slightest, my weight is where it would be after an 18-week marathon training block, and I’m feeling full of energy. I’m so excited to see where the next thirty days take me…