Graham Lost 54kg In Just Over 12 Months

Hi all, I’m Graham and this is my story of how I lost weight on The Man Shake.

I have used The Man Shake on and off for about five years, but I started my journey properly in May of 2023 at 144.6kg. I had set myself a realistic goal to be about 100-105kg. I had a discussion with my doctor about losing weight and he suggested I start intermittent fasting with a 6-hour eating window. So, my wife and I started with our eating window from 1pm to 7pm daily. During the fasting period, I drank water and cold herbal teas only.

When I first started the journey, I didn't have any alcohol for four months and I also cut out processed sugar in my diet. I was surprised how much of an impact cutting out sugar had on my taste buds! When I reintroduced small amounts of sugar about five months into the diet, I found that things that I usually did not find sweet enough were very tasty. I had previously tried eating protein bars and didn't like them as they weren't sweet enough; to my surprise I quite enjoy them and have them as a sweet treat most days. Until cutting out sugar, I had no idea how addicted my body was to sugar. I no longer crave sugary treats.

"Not too bad for 5 months"

As I started to lose weight, I started to exercise more as my energy levels began to increase. I started by going on small walks (around 2-3km) a few times a week, increasing the distance as my journey progressed. My knees used to give me pain when I first started exercising and now, I have no pain. I also started doing weight training at home and have seen my strength improve as I went. I now go on a 7km walk daily with running intervals. All the exercise I do from home, no gym membership.

It has been great doing this with my wife as we have been a strong support system for each other. I reached my original goal of 105kg by October 2023, not too bad for five months. So, I reset my goal to 95kg… and sure enough, come February 2024, I hit that goal too. Now I’m thinking that 85kg sounds pretty good.

At the time of writing (June 2024), I have lost a total of 54.3kg in just over 12 months. 

"I have more energy and even a more positive outlook on life."

My favourite flavour of The Man Shake is Vanilla and I have it for lunch every day. The Vanilla is perfect as a base to blend fruit with, and with the Buy 3 Get 1 Free bundle I’m always stocked. Using a Nutribullet, I add two scoops of Man Shake, two scoops of protein powder, two teaspoons of Benefibre, three tablespoons of YoPro Protein yoghurt, ice water, and frozen fruit. I enjoy making different flavour combinations with mango, raspberries, strawberries, passionfruit and banana. I find making my shakes the night before and leaving them in the fridge gets them perfect. I even take them to work in an insulated bag to keep them as cold as possible.

For dinner, I will usually have tacos, fajitas, laksa, curry, spaghetti bolognese, stir fry or something like that. We make sure to put in at least two or three veggies with dinner and use proteins like salmon, chicken or pork. As my weight loss increased, I started adding some desserts into my diet. They are often protein custards, sugar-free jelly, light ice-creams (skinny cow, weis bars, twisted range) or Atkins chocolate bars.

Since dropping my extra weight I feel much lighter, less tired and sore, plus I have more energy and even a more positive outlook on life. I feel I can do so many more things!

If I could offer any words of inspiration, it would be to give it a try and don’t be afraid to experiment until you find the best way for you. Try shaking it and blending it. Try different flavour combinations and add in fruit. Make it work for you.