Protein.
200 g minimum, every day. That was nine months ago. What happened next still surprises me. 183cm tall. 96kg at the time. Now 182cm tall now and 93kg.
First, my body changed in ways the scale doesn’t fully show. I put on muscle while dropping a bit of fat. Clothes fit differently. My shoulders and arms are more defined. As are my calf’s. I have veins showing in my arms and I love this.
But the real difference is not in the mirror — it’s how my body feels.
Stronger and more capable. Recovery between sessions is night-and-day now.
The mental side is harder to explain.
My mind is sharper and that background noise of “I should probably eat better” is gone.
I can’t quantify it, but I feel like a more solid version of myself.
Performance-wise, the SkiErg told the truth loudest. My 30-minute distances are over 8000m just for fun now. I am yet to test 2 km pace. The thought of the pain is not pleasant, but I am confident it will be better than the 6:57 I sit at now.
Sleep got better too — deeper, fewer 3 a.m. wake-ups — except when Barbara the tinnitus decides she’s throwing a party in my right ear. Even then, I seem to bounce back faster than I used to.
Bottom line: consistent protein isn’t sexy or complicated. It’s just the single best habit I have found. Months in and I’m still hitting the target every day, because the returns seem to be worth the effort. I do miss the odd day. I am not perfect even though I want to be.
The day consists of some of the below day in day out.
Meat. Steak, Turkey, Chicken and Pork.
Full fat yoghurt.
Fish – Salmon, Sardines and Mackerel.
Cottage Cheese.
Tins of tuna.
Eggs – I buy 30 to 36 a week.
Milk.
Protein Works 360 Protein.
The rest of the diet is vegetables, fruit, potatoes and pasta.
Then the odd Chinese and slices of cake. How can I live totally clean? Do I even want to live totally clean??
The answer is NO.
But sorting the protein numbers has made a phenomenal difference to me personally.