Q&A: Nick Holdstock

Here’s a quick Q&A with Nick Holdstock who came 1st in Men’s Transformation of Sleekgeek’s latest ULTIMATE YOU 8-Week Transformation Challenge (sign up for the new challenge now at www.ultimateyou.co.za)!

QUESTION 1: Give us a short history of your journey to health and fitness before the challenge.

A: Since stopping sport in my early 20’s I have always been on some form of a diet. I have always wanted the “ultimate” physique but as with a lot of people, life gets the better of you and there always seems to be a better reason to rather start tomorrow. I can’t tell you the number of Sunday’s I have convinced myself that “this” Monday is the day. Monday comes, I wake up, take my pre-packed healthy food to work and feeling confident I announce to everyone in the office that I am officially on my journey to a better body and healthier lifestyle, so there is to be no offerings of any sugary foods, pastries etc… As the day goes on my will-power starts to decline and the cravings kick in, only to have finished half a cake by the end of the day.

QUESTION 2: What prompted you to join the ULTIMATE YOU Transformation Challenge?

A: Over my life I have realised that as an individual I respond best to goals. With joining the Ultimate You challenge I knew that this would be the perfect opportunity to join both a community of Sleeks with similar interests and then to be given the goal of 8 weeks to totally transform my body. At no stage was this about winning to me, it was more important for me to complete this challenge as I had failed so many times in the past at even getting past my Monday start dates.

QUESTION 3: Give us a quick overview of the nutrition and eating plan that you followed during the challenge.

A: My eating plan for the challenge was simple but tough. I followed a caveman/paleo type nutritional plan, eating only protein, vegetables and when needed, sweet potato. Protein: Chicken, beef, ostrich, white fish. Veg: Green and white veg, avoiding vegetables with a higher sugar content. Carbs: I would eat sweet potato once or twice a week on weight training days. Fruit: Limited fruit for the duration of the challenge. One to two apples per week, and multivitamins every day. This helped with sugar cravings. No alcohol for the full 8 weeks.

QUESTION 4: Give us a quick overview of the training and exercise plan that you followed during the challenge.

A: I often trained twice per day. In the morning I would go heavy and focus on certain body parts. In the evening I would do more of an all over body workout with higher reps and lighter weights. I would try and do cardio every 3 days but going forward would more than likely do weights, cardio, weights, cardio etc…

QUESTION 5: Did you use any supplements or do anything else worth mentioning to help you get results?

A: Low carb, low sugar protein shake after each weight training workout. I also took the following supplements each day:Multivitamin, Vitamin B, Vitamin D, Fish oils 3 times per day.

QUESTION 6: If you could give 3 pieces of advice to future challengers, what would they be?

A: (1.) I would recommend a cheat meal not cheat day. I would also recommend you do this on a Sunday evening as it allows you to continue with your routine from the Monday. I have found that having your cheat meal / day on a Friday or Saturday can often lead to an extended weekend of cheating. (2.) Take your fish oils. (3.) Meat and nut breakfast – Start every day with a portion of meat (chicken, steak etc) and a handful of raw nuts. This will kick start your day and help curb cravings.

QUESTION 7: What did you find most valuable about your experience?

A: For me it was the goal. It allowed me to break the 8 weeks down in to short term goals. For the first 3 to 4 weeks I was not seeing the results I wanted to and when you are putting so much in you want to see results quickly, however this is not the case. All challengers must push through the first 3 to 4 weeks as you will then start to see your body change.