A grandad has told of how he ‘wrestled back his life’ after the stress of the pandemic left him overweight with low self-esteem.
The former Ironman Triathlon finisher embarked on a strict regime to build back the physique and level of fitness he once had - and now says he feels ‘incredible’.
Rich Phillips, who works as an administrator for the General Medical Council (GMC), had left his job in 2020 to pursue an adventure travelling across France.
Instead, he was stuck indoors once the pandemic hit, and was fearful of leaving his home.
READ MORE:
The 57-year-old resorted to ordering Chinese, Indian, and fish and chips takeaways from Just Eat and Deliveroo a couple of times a week, and had gin packages delivered to his door from his local bar at weekends.
Before he knew it, his new sedentary lifestyle led to him piling on the pounds and he couldn’t recognise himself.
“When the pandemic hit we were all scared to death of leaving the house,” Rich, from Prestwich, said.
“At that time, I was very cautious.
“I wasn’t working, had succumbed to drinking too much wine and eating too much food.
“It was all so convenient, and nobody wanted to go out.
“I remember we were all frightened so it was easier to pick up the phone. Everyone was coming to you, even the local gin bar.”
Rich kept busy by doing DIY projects around his house, but his movement was nothing like it was pre-pandemic.
He used to cycle to his job in town, would go walking at weekends with his four-year-old grandaughter Daisy, and go open water swimming at Salford Quays - all activities that were banned under lockdown rules.
As well as completing the Ironman Triathlon, Rich would run a marathon a year, and go on cycling trips to France with his friends.
But by spring 2020, he found himself out of breath climbing stairs, felt his mobility was impaired, and didn't feel as strong as he had been.
“It was all the things I’d taken for granted before that I could no longer do,” the father-of-two said.
“My motor skills had suffered, I was dropping things on the floor.
“Everything came to a head around my daily activities, I just wasn’t functioning how I knew I should be at my age.”
In the preceding 12 months, Rich had gained just over two stone in weight, hitting 15 stone 7lb, while his blood pressure had soared.
He had been diagnosed with hypertension 17 years ago, and managed it through medication and exercise.
But when he was invited for an NHS check-up during the pandemic, nurses said they needed to increase his medication.
“The exercise that managed it was no more and my sodium intake had increased, with extra fat carried around my waist," Rich said.
“My clothes were no longer fitting me as they did, but this was another prompt.
“I noticed in myself what I noticed in everyone else. Most people were indulging in the same way.
“I felt uncomfortable with who I’d become, the person I was, physically, psychologically, emotionally, was not a true reflection of how I am.”
By then Rich had returned to his job at the GMC but was working from home, which he found ‘miserable’, craving the structure that previously gave his life balance.
“It was a perfect storm," he added.
"Everything I knew that created balance in my life, with the diet, nutrition, exercise, wellbeing, had all been affected by the lack of structure and direction, and uncertainty the pandemic brought to all of us."
Rich began researching body transformations online, and saw 'real people' just like him that had made great progress, he says.
It led to him signing up to Ultimate Performance (U.P) gym in Spinningfields, local to his work, where he met with a personal trainer three times a week for hour-long sessions, focussing on strength.
As part of the regime, he was placed on a restricted diet of 1000-1600 calories a day, eating foods like salmon, turkey, white rice, spinach, salad, porridge and blueberries, with no processed foods and no alcohol.
On a weekend, he could have treated himself to a takeaway as a cheat meal, but he opted to cook steak, as he now found takeaways too heavy to digest.
Alongside his gym sessions, Rich got back to walking at weekends, as well as completing 10,000 steps a day.
The pounds started to fall, and after 26 weeks in September 2021, Rich had lost more than 22kg (3.5st) and dropped five belt sizes.
Rich was motivated by the desire to return to the ‘infectious’ and full of energy grandad Daisy knew and loved, and found the training regime acted as a distraction following the unexpected death of his father.
Just a few weeks into training, his dad, who had managed blood cancer for many years, died suddenly after being told his cancer had spread to his lungs.
Asked whether he felt he had enough energy on such a low calorie diet, Rich said: “On reflection, I had been told I was rather grumpy and ‘hangry’.
“But there were lots of things going on that were emotionally challenging.
“The gym was a welcome distraction.
“And when I gave feedback about anything, such as not sleeping well, my instructor Dave would adapt the plan and say, for example, ‘have another 60g of rice’.”
“Unless you’ve been through the programme [to understand], that is life-changing,” Rich laughed.
Four months later, Rich has sustained his weight, settling on 12 stone 9lbs, and is working to build more muscle.
He hopes to return to Ironman this September, and has also been accepted to take part in a leg of the grueling Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, which he is aiming to complete to mark his 60th birthday.
He eats a similar diet to the U.P programme - but with more calories - and allows himself to eat out at weekends, with a glass of wine in moderation.
His blood pressure has also returned to almost the ‘ideal range’, reducing his risk of a heart attack.
While he is no longer at U.P, Rich attends a regular gym five times a week, and heads there in the early morning before starting work at the office.
The greatest improvement, he says, is with his sleep quality.
“I feel incredible,” he said.
“2021 was a tale of two halves. The first half I had low self-esteem, poor diet, distraction with my parents, then the improvement, weight loss, people started to comment, people were amazed.
“I felt empowered and wrestled back control of my life from the pandemic.”
Ultimate Performance (U.P), which is the world’s only global personal training business, has 19 gyms around the world with its HQ in Manchester. For more information, visit here.
