Now I’ve fallen in love with running

DR GARY LAMPH, 44, is a psychotherapist and a senior research fellow at the University of Central Lancashire. He lives near Liverpool with his wife and two teenage sons. He started the Fast 800 Keto 12 months ago and has lost 5st, dropping from 17st 10 lb to 12st 10 lb

DURING the pandemic, it was clear that overweight men were coming off worse. I was certainly one of those big guys.

On this plan, though, I’ve kept my weight under 13 stone for the past six months. At no point have I felt as if I was depriving myself.

The easiest change has been to cut breakfast. I eat my first meal at midday and I finish supper by 7pm.

Only water or black coffee pass my lips outside of that eating window.

For the first 12 weeks, I was very strict, following the plan to the letter, but since then, I’ve found that following a 3:4 pattern works for me – I eat ‘clean’ Monday to Friday, then I’m more relaxed at the weekends, maybe enjoying a meal out and a bottle of wine with my wife.

I know my body now and what I need to eat. I still enjoy the occasional slice of toast, but I’m more likely to eat cauliflower rice and turnip chips instead of normal rice and French fries.

Possibly the biggest transformation is falling in love with running. Before, I couldn’t even walk very far but now I’m running three to four times a week, even halfmarathon distances.

If I ever fall off the plan, I won’t feel any sense of failure, as I might have done on previous diets. I’ve decided I’m allowed to fail, and I expect setbacks. But I’ve now got a clear method to correct any weight gain. I can exercise intensively, go back to Stage One and neutralise any setback.