Eating more protein helped me lose my ‘skinny fat’ dad bod

I do core every week now too, after not being rigid with my schedule for core workouts. I split my sessions into body parts and do six weighted ones a week. My workouts are split as follows: chest and abs, back and triceps, shoulder and biceps, legs, legs and biceps, shoulders and triceps. I’ll try and do a 5km run each week too for my cardio, depending on my work schedule.

Food-wise, it’s always porridge with berries (it helps with my sweet tooth) and protein powder for breakfast. For lunch, it’s either homemade chicken sandwiches or salmon and rice, if I’m working from home. 

I use Prep Kitchen, a high protein, healthy meal delivery service for my evening meals. You can have lasagna, meatballs and pasta, curries – they do all sorts of meals. I work evenings a lot of the time so I just cook them in the microwave before the nightshift begins. I eat more now, yet I’m in much better shape. I came to that sharp realisation you don’t need to punish yourself to look great. 

Bulking and shredding have also become part of my routine. Bulking means eating more calories to put on muscle mass. Shredding follows this and means eating fewer calories to burn any fat from the bulk yet maintain the muscle. You’ve got to give yourself 12 weeks to do a shred properly. This year I’m going to shred for the beginning of August because I’ve got a holiday coming up. If I’m shredding, I will do two 5km runs a week. 

In terms of calories, at maintenance, my calories are about 2,800 to 3,000 calories per day. During a bulk, I’ll go up to 3,200 calories per day. The most I’ve done is 3,600 per day. Will knows when it’s best to bulk and shred, whilst helping me with my food and water intake. 

I don’t find it hard to stay motivated anymore. I prefer to train in the morning because I’m not great in the evening. Even with my busy life, training has just become part of my schedule. I have to be very meticulous about my diary because every day is different with my work. It’s just another thing to factor in, and I can’t go a week without training each body part. 

Having my PT sessions booked in keeps me accountable. and that’s why I do it, particularly for legs. I have an hour with Will, but some sessions on my own will be up to an hour and 20 minutes.

Even though I’m training and tracking my food, I still drink alcohol because my work is social. I know alcohol has calories, but I just ignore them. I do stick to spirits though, always going for either vodka and Diet Coke or lemonade. I refuse to give up alcohol, I don’t think I need to deny myself things I enjoy to stay in shape.

Being noticeably in shape at the age of 44, I do stand out. I’ve gained more confidence dating and it’s probably helped with my career a little bit too. In an industry where I am surrounded by a lot of fit and glamorous dancers, I do feel self-conscious. Now, I don’t worry about what I look like the way that I did before.