After the birth of his son, a new father refused to give up on his ‘dad body’ and has shown off his remarkable weight loss of over 10kg.
Alex Royle is a 36-year old city worker who was fired up to lose fat. His friends had warned him that after having his first baby, he might have trouble staying fit.
Determined to prove them wrong, Mr Royle, who works in financial services, signed up to Roar Fitness – the brainchild of Olympian Sarah Lindsay which promises clients a complete transformation and the ‘body of their dreams’ in as little as 12 weeks.
Alex from London lost 12 lb after following a protein-rich diet and lifting weights. He was able to lose just 12 lbs within 12 weeks.
Before and after: Alex Royle, 36, dropped 10kg in three months on the Roar Fitness programme
MailOnline was told by Alex that Alex started the programme to challenge the “Dad body” trope. Before I had a baby, and was relatively healthy. But lockdown combined with a new job didn’t help.
‘If I’m being honest, all my mates who’ve had kids were like, ”this’ll happen, get used to it, you’ll be fat and tired all the time” – but that actually spurred me on.
“I was motivated and determined to prove my buddies wrong. There is no need to lose heart.
As he embarked upon his weight loss journey, the city worker replaced his desk-based convenience lunch with a protein-laden tupperware and started training four days a week.
It consisted of a phase that combined upper and lower body exercise. This helped Mr Royle to increase his weight.
The trainer managed to keep me on track by managing the training so I was not taking a vacation.
‘We did consistent weight progressive overload. My weight was increasing every week. I also lifted heavier weights almost all of the times. It was always good to mentally look forward to the weights because it gave me an idea of what I could accomplish.
“I had been relatively strong and fit before, so it wasn’t surprising that I returned to the same position when I was younger. But my strength and fitness levels have increased beyond what I could remember.
“But, I was still able to have the strength I used and I lost 10kg.”
He added: ‘I thoroughly enjoyed it – I had a preconception it’d be a challenge both physically and mentally which helps. It should also shock the system.
“I believed I understood what I was doing at the gym and how macros worked, but I wasn’t.
“Before this program, I have never shied away from doing weights. I also did CrossFit. The lockdown was so bad that the gyms closed down, I had to use a Peloton to get me going. However, I didn’t do anything constructive.
“After locking down, I began Roar during the middle of Summer. Everyone thought it was strange.
“But I was going crazy thinking that everyone is going to spend a lot of money eating out and drinking. And obviously, there is a price.
“Over the 12 week period, I likely would’ve spent about the same amount going out every night. I therefore decided that I’d do it to avoid this.
According to the city worker, his wife supported him throughout his trip. His colleagues even stopped him from getting a beer as a gesture of support. This was something Mr Royle considered ‘phenomenally flattering.
After his transformation, Mr Royle was able to replace his convenience lunch at work with a protein-rich tupperware. He also began training with weights
Father-of-one explained that the program included a split stage of lower and higher body training
Roar Fitness was the brainchild Olympian Sarah Lindsay. Mr Royle joined Roar.
During his 12 week transformation, Alex was coached by Luke Grahame from Roar (pictured).
Roar Menu: “Basa Amor”
Matt Lindsay from Roar Fitness shares one his meal recipes
INGREDIENTS:
Frozen basa fillets
Green beans
Cous Cous
For seasoning, spices
Optional Stock Cube
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180C
Two frozen basa fillets wrapped in foil, place in an ovenproof dish
For a zesty, tangy flavor, season with salt, pepper and paprika.
Bake for 25 Minutes
Take a handful green beans and steam them for 7 minutes
Boil 170ml water. Add 110g cous Cous. Stir a few times to combine. Allow to cool.
To add flavour to your couscous, you can also add stock cube or any vegetable.
Enjoy, serve!
He continued: ‘My wife was very supportive – we’d eat different things throughout the week while looking after our son as well.
“She was so supportive and it was surprising to me that she could look at all the pictures together.
“I am quite bloody-minded, and I put my all into it.
‘I didn’t tell many other people that I was doing it but my colleagues were supportive to the point where they’d allow me to go to the pub but stop me having a beer. Their support was tremendously flattering.
“I did not tell anybody else about it until the very end, and everybody was surprised.”
‘The way they did it was if I had something to do – like our wedding anniversary meal – I didn’t want to ruin the anniversary because I’d decided to do this quite frankly, vain thing.
“Everyone was so accommodating with life’s events. That was a nice surprise because it was what I expected to hear: “If you don’t follow through, you will not get results.”
Alex stated that he consumed ‘a lot of fish’ than he’d ever eaten and decided to cut back on meat, opting instead for tofu curries.
He stated that he ate much more tofu and fish than he had ever eaten. It was my intention to reduce the amount of meat I ate.
‘I prefer to make Tofu curries instead of chicken. I also enjoy making it with spices, as opposed to just sticking a piece of chicken in a pot.
“I only drank a little wine every day.
‘Did I miss cheese – yes. This is the only thing I didn’t do, but it’s compensated by the fact you train and see yourself changing.
I prepared and prepared weekly meals. When I prepared something, I may have a glass wine. I might have one or two glasses of wine once or twice per fortnight. Although it’s something that I like, it can still be included in my life.
I’ve incorporated quite a bit of it in my day-to-day life. Even though I prepare food for work and bring meals to work, it saves me a lot of money.
“I feel more at ease with things now. My wife can cook with me in the evening and we share the meals together without making it too difficult for her.
“If you want to have a croissant in the morning, that’s fine. However, the fundamental backbone of how I view food is still intact. The process is enjoyable and very straightforward. It is very empowering to know that.
Alex stated that he is now much more conscious of what he eats and believes it’s as important as a transformative education.
He added: ‘I am more mindful now – I’m more mindful of wanting to eat vegetables. Instead of eating a lot of bread and filling my plates with it, I now think about how I eat. And I feel better about it.
“It was certainly an educational as well as an exercise.
Many people who I know say that you will have a few months off, and then you’ll be in the most miserable place. However, I strongly believe that you do get out what your put in. It’s as much an educational process as it is a journey.
“I was suffering from an old injury, but Luke worked with me so closely for four hours per week for 12 weeks. We did some work and now I feel less pain than before.
It’s all about building muscles, strengthening your muscles, and looking after yourself. I have had very positive reactions and outcomes.
Roar Fitness is home to gyms at Bank, Kensington, and Liverpool Streets. They also offer weight training online or in their Kensington studio.
Roar Fitness offers gyms at Bank, Liverpool Street and Kensington.