Losing my Dad bod was one of the biggest challenges of my life. It took me hours of discipline, exercises and hard work. The results speak for themselves. Here’s my story:

January 2013. I had a Dad Bod. My son had been born six months earlier and it had been stressful. Really stressful. With all the worry and anxiety that comes with a difficult birth and first few weeks of being a Dad, I turned to one comfort I knew well.

Food.

The effects were inevitable. Added to an undisciplined diet was a busy work and family life. I gained weight. After just six months, I’d gained eight kilograms (about 17.5 lb) of fat without really noticing it.

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I’d still been going to the gym, doing cardio and eating enough protein. But I’d also been frequently eating cakes, high calorie protein bars and high carb meals. My training lacked direction and intensity. I had excess body fat and low energy levels.

Classic symptoms of a Dad Bod.

My wake up call came during a work-based health check. While otherwise healthy, my body fat percentage was pushing into the upper twenties.

January came. I decided enough was enough.

I’m not really a believer in New Years Resolutions. For a long time, I’ve thought if you need to make a change, you do it there and then. But early January seemed like as good a place to start as any. So I started to make changes. My Dad Bod would soon be history.

Overhauling Diet was the First Step to Losing the Dad Bod

The first thing I did was change my diet up. I’d been eating a lot of carbohydrate, particularly in the evening. This had consisted of mainly bread and potatoes with some rice and pasta. I had also been eating cakes with wild abandon – my main weakness.

I found a meal plan online and started to follow it. This meant I made the following changes:

  • I stopped drinking alcohol
  • I stopped eating carbs in the evening
  • I controlled portion sizes for protein and carbs
  • I cut out most added fats including peanut butter
  • I went cold turkey on cakes, desserts and all sweets

I also supplemented with meal replacement shakes which helped fill me up between whole food meals. Along with this I took a fat burner, fish oils and a green tea/CLA formula.

My meal plan looked like this:

Breakfast: Eggs and oatmeal or toast

Mid Morning: Meal replacement shake

Lunch: Chicken, wholewheat pasta, broccoli

Mid Afternoon: Meal replacement shake

Evening Meal: Ground beef with tomatoes and onions, mixed veg

Before bed: Low fat Greek Yogurt

I started to lose fat quickly. At the beginning up to one kilogram in a week. Because I was eating well, I was only really hungry at the start when my body was craving all the junk I’d cut out. Once I got through the first few weeks, I was less hungry and more energised.

I pre-prepared all my meals when I was out traveling or at work. I cut out things like protein bars, many of which are vegetable fats with a little bit of protein. I also drank three to five litres of water a day.

As I was eating relatively low carbohydrate meals, I would have a re-feed every two weeks. I would loosen up my diet and eat more carbs. This wasn’t a cheat but a way to make sure my body was getting the nutrients I needed.

Being Disciplined in my Exercise Programme Helped me Shift my Dad Bod

I didn’t just want to lose weight. I wanted to get lean and fit at the same time. In the years before become a Dad I’d trained in Muay Thai, trail running and the gym. I wanted the leanness of being a fighter back. And I wanted to keep as much muscle as possible.

I trained six times a week which consisted of three to four cardio sessions and two to three weights. For cardio I would either go running or do a body weight circuit. My runs consisted of either Fartlek (interval) training or hill sprints. In the weights room, I did and upper body day and a lower body day.

One feature of this 12 week period is that I didn’t miss a single training session. I would go running, even in horizontal sleet, rain, wind.

If I had a busy day ahead, I would get up early and train before my wife and son were awake. If I traveled, I took either running or gym clothes.

I was motivated to succeed and this motivation manifested itself in a discipline where failure was unthinkable. During the 12 weeks, I didn’t miss a single training session. I didn’t miss a meal or cheat on my diet once. I was totally focused on the goal.

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Dad Bod Loss: Maintaining Balance vs Overdoing It

A few weeks into my diet and exercise programme, it was clear I was overdoing it. I was losing weight very rapidly (2.5 kilograms in one week) and feeling lethargic.

So I started to re-introduce a small amount of fat in the form of peanut butter and a little regular butter on the days I ate wholewheat toast. My weight loss slowed to a more sensible level and energy levels got back to normal.

If you are inspired to make a similar change, remember to listen to your body. Sudden, rapid weight loss and very low energy levels can be a warning sign that you are over training.

If this happens, stop and think what you need to do to fix it.

Adding in a few extra calories or getting to bed earlier may be the best solution. Don’t overdo it and don’t over train. Otherwise you risk illness and Dad burnout.

Final Thoughts on Fast Dad Bod Loss

Hopefully this story can inspire you to make a change. Fad diets get fast results. 12 weeks is a short period of time to lose the amount of fat that I did and that’s not the way for everyone.

Make your change the first step in changing your lifestyle to a fitter, healthier, happier one. Your body and your kids will ultimately thanks.

Also don’t feel that you need meal replacement shakes. Whole foods are always better. I used shakes for convenience and as a little indulgence. Real food will always be more satisfying.

The most important thing is that you make a change for the better. Don’t settle for the Dad Bod. Strive for something better. Strive to be more. There are plenty of Dads who don’t care if they have a Dad Bod.

But this Dad does.

Neil

P.S. Liked this? Good, because I’ve compiled this post into a FREE fat loss e-book that you can get by clicking here.

P.P.S. Check out my other articles on fitness and nutrition:

About Neil M White

Neil has been writing for a number of years. He has worked as a freelance writer both in the UK and internationally and has worked on a number of high profile media projects. Neil spends his spare time hiking, in the gym or hanging out with his family.

4 comments add your comment

  1. Great turnaround! Glad to see someone showing pictures of their progress. You will inspire others as well.

    I think you uncovered something there when you put fat back into your diet. I had a similar weight loss a few years back and felt terrible. I was doing low fat. Then I switched to low carb / high fat and lost more weight yet felt incredible.

    Good luck with continued progress!

    • Thanks, yes incorporating the fats back into my diet was important. I was losing weight far to quickly. I’m glad you had a similar experience. It’s all about finding out what works for you. I’m still learning. Also you are right to refer to continued progress. I think I thought at the end of 12 weeks that would be it. But it’s just another chapter in the journey of keeping fit and healthy.

      Keep on pushing.

      Neil

  2. Great piece Neil. Started getting myself a ‘dad Bod’ around the same time as you, ie just after the birth of my first son. I have a picture of myself, ‘tapps aff’, holding Jack aged 6 months and when I first saw it I was shocked at how much weight I’d put on.

    I did quite a bit of running back in the day but never really enjoyed it so I went back to something I had had a lot of fun doing and that was climbing. I started going to my local climbing wall where a bunch of folk would meet on a tuesday night.

    Predictably I was hopeless to start with but even indoor climbing reactivated some dormant muscle memory and I was hooked again in no time.

    To try and close the gap on some of the younger guys I fitted some hanging holds on the garage beams and dusted off my weights, sticking to high reps. I guess the prospect of getting out on some real rock gave me some added incentive and by the winter of that year I was climbing again for real with a couple of the guys from the wall.

    I’d lost a power of weight by this time and gained a deal of upper body strength. I was still struggling on the ‘walk ins’ to the routes especially weighed down with ropes etc but I didn’t care, I was out there, doing the thing, it was very life affirming!

    Like what you’re doing with This Dad Does.

    • Tom, thanks for sharing and it’s great that you have a similar story. More props to you for taking up climbing – it’s not something I’m particularly drawn to though I had a go on a Via Ferrata earlier this year. Keep doing what you’re doing.

      Neil

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