Winter 8-Week Challenge Winner Testimonial – Christiaan Dicks

Here’s a quick catch up with Christiaan Dicks, who came FIRST in the men’s transformation category in the Winter 8-Week Transformation Challenge.

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

I have always been a very active person doing all the sports that I possibly could from rugby, cricket, athletics, swimming etc… After school LIFE happened… working constantly and getting less time to gym and stay active. Long hours made it hard to prepare meals and as usual easy unhealthy options where taken as there was no time. After my marriage to my amazing wife we stumbled across a 12 week challenge and being fed up with the unhealthy lifestyle we decided to enter. With a lot of dedication we managed to win the challenge as a couple. But without the necessary help we quickly realised that maintaining this healthy lifestyle was much harder than actually doing the challenge. With the metabolism that slowed down with the intense dieting  from the challenge and going back to the old unhealthy lifestyle I picked up a lot of weight again and was very overweight. I entered a few Sleekgeek challenges with amazing results which slowly but surely got me back into a healthy maintainable lifestyle which is much easier to apply to my daily life.

• What prompted you to join the Sleekgeek Transformation Challenge?

I decided to do the challenge because I needed something to motivate me and it is different from other transformation challenges. The challenge is a great platform to reach personal goals. It is also very affordable  and truly money well spent because of all the resources at your disposal.

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

I decided to follow a ketogenic diet which contains high fat, low carbs and moderate protein. My diet mostly consisted of minced meat, coconut oil, cheese, peanuts and a lot of avo. I tried keeping my carbs below 25 grams a day to reach ketosis (fat burning state)

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

I did a 5 to 6 day workout routine doing 2 bodyparts a day and a 30min high intensity cardio session 3 days a week. 

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

° Consistency is definitely the key to success. Stick to the same portion sizes and try eating the same time everyday.
° Join a team – it really helps to stay motivated and keep focused.
° Be prepared, plan your meals in advance.

• What did you find most valuable about your experience?

Being part of a team is really a liberating experience. Helping each other daily and seeing the commitment from each person. The good days and the bad days getting each other through the daily obstacles each one of us faces. The support is amazing.