Paul Fennessy

ONE OF THE main tasks of this 12-week fitness challenge, aside from the daily workouts, is sticking to the prescribed diet.

It is easier said than done.

For example, I didn’t like eggs a few weeks ago; now I eat them every day.

Breakfast consists of two scoops of whey, 50g oats (porridge, basically), 200g of strawberries and two tablespoons of almond butter.

Lunch is 200g of turkey burger, 125g of white rice and 100g of green beans.

And finally, dinner is 200g of sirloin steak, three medium eggs, 100g of asparagus and two wholemeal bagel slims.

Additionally, 20g of EAAs (Essential Amino Acids) and 5g of creatine monohydrate are recommended during workouts, while two scoops of whey and one cereal bar are advised after exercise.

As my previous articles have made clear, I’m not an expert in this area, but (per Cleveland Clinic) creatine supplies energy to your muscles, while EAAs “provide the building blocks that the muscles need to grow,” according to myprotein.ie.

That has been my only food for the last three weeks, except rest days, which occur every fourth day.

Breakfast on those days consists of 200g sirloin steak, two medium eggs and 100g of melon (yes, you read that correctly).

Lunch and dinner are essentially the same – 150g of chicken breast and 100g of green beans, with 30g of almond butter for the latter.

Finally, dessert is 50g whey, 150g of Greek yoghurt, 100g of blueberries and another 30g of almond butter.

You are allowed one cheat meal per week, but otherwise expected to stick religiously to this diet.

In addition, I was only informed about the biggest bombshell a few days in. Strictly no alcohol can be consumed at any point of the 12 weeks. I naively assumed there would be some leeway.

As someone who enjoys a social gathering as much as the next person, this rule took a bit of getting used to.

I was recently fortunate enough to be offered a chance to see The Weeknd at one of their Croke Park gigs.

When my friend greeted me inside the venue, he had already braved the inordinately long queues and bought two delicious-looking pints (or whatever the equivalent is that they sell in those plastic glasses at concerts) for me.

I sadly had to decline and explained the situation, but at least I didn’t experience the usual mid-gig sensation of having to rush out to the bathroom and miss part of the set.

Alcohol is strictly forbidden over the course of the 12 weeks. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

There is also the problem of meeting friends in the pub, which I have avoided so far but will definitely be encountering at least once over these 12 weeks.

I am not someone who dreads or is in any way intimidated by the prospect of multiple hours chatting with increasingly drunk people while sober, even if it is bound to feel a little more exhausting and exasperating than usual.

The issue is that, even beyond alcohol, my options are limited.

Fizzy drinks are out of the question, as are non-alcoholic beers, per the diet plan.

Coffee is probably the one thing I couldn’t do without, and thankfully it is permitted, so long as there is no milk (sugar is obviously also a no-no).

So my options for the pub are essentially americanos, espressos and water (there are probably other types of coffee that qualify, but I’m too lazy to look them up).

This dilemma prompts several questions: is sticking to water all night socially acceptable? Will drinking too many coffees give me a heart attack? How many hours of drunken conversation are required before I politely get up to leave? I guess I’ll find out soon.

There is, similarly, the awkwardness of meeting the cashier’s eye and trying not to come across as too crazy when you present them with a basket filled with nothing but steak and chicken.

There were also a few teething issues the first week.

I was initially out of green beans and melon, so briefly swapped in broccoli and an apple.

The creatine, EAA et al had been ordered but arrived late, so a low-calorie soft drink was consumed on the first day, earning some mild criticism from my coach.

Otherwise, against my instincts, I have managed to stick to the diet.

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What do I miss most? There is a certain energy drink I am particularly partial to, but cappuccinos, along with salt and vinegar crisps, come a close second.

Weirdly though, it is also sort of enjoyable and satisfying to undertake this aspect of the challenge and discover it can be done without undue struggle.

I’m not sure exactly how it’s possible to tell if you have an addictive personality, but how I’ve fared bodes well in that regard.

There are definite benefits too in terms of general health and well-being.

Issues like anxiety, tiredness and stress all have felt less pronounced over the past three weeks. Hangovers, needless to say, are no longer applicable.

And maybe most remarkably of all, I’ve even started to like eggs.