Andy is Hello Doctor’s very own CEO, and he embarked on the Tim Noakes eating plan around 20 days ago, having tried other eating plans with varying degrees of success. He still has around 80 days to go on the 100 day “test” for this moderate protein, high-fat and low-carb eating plan, but Andy says he’s already seeing good results.
To keep his progress easy to track, we’ve asked Andy to feedback with a questionnaire we’ve created specifically for him. So, here goes with his first feedback.
Have your measurements changed?
Yes! I started around 20 days ago at 81kgs, and I’m down to 78kgs now. My waist size has also gone down a notch on my belt.
Have you had any more blood tests taken since you started? Have any negative results improved?
No, I haven’t had any more blood tests done, besides the ones when I first started, which you can find here.
How do you feel personally?
I’m feeling great. Sleeping better, waking up refreshed and ready to go. The only negative so far is the odd taste in my mouth from burning so much fat.
Do you have more energy?
Yes, my energy levels are high and my intensive exercise regime (6 days a week) hasn’t been affected at all. In fact, I’m running better/faster than I was before.
Has it affected your mood?
No, not at all, unless I haven’t eaten enough fat in a day – in which case I start feeling fatigued and irritable.
Do you ever feel hungry?
Yes, I still do as I’m eating smaller portions so I eat more frequently now. I found the 1st 2 weeks difficult as I stopped carbs but struggled to increase my fat intake. So I ended up eating too much protein. Now I’m into the 3rd week, I know when I need to eat fat and it’s become much easier as I’m aware about what I need to eat and when.
Do you miss any foods? Or are you craving foods?
Cutting out bread, potato, rice and pasta has been okay. I stopped wheat in November so that may have helped with the transition. What I miss is fruit, as I have had to reduce my fruit intake significantly and this has been very hard. I’m still drinking, but not beer, and with this heat it’s something I miss!
Just for a bit of perspective, we also chatted to Ali, Andy’s wife – to see how she’s handling things so far. Here’s what she had to say:
“It’s not nice having all the fat in my fridge, and I don’t have space for my low fat milk AND his full cream dairy products. And don’t even get me started on the fact that he’s taken over my morning smoothies! I used to have fruit smoothies with low fat yoghurt, now that Andy’s hijacked them, he makes them with berries, whey protein, water and double cream yoghurt.” Hope I can survive his 100 day challenge!
We’ll be checking back in with Andy again next week, so keep your eyes peeled for the next blog. Read more on the Tim Noakes Eating Plan!