At 53 Weighing 82kg, I Feel Amazing ​​​​​​​and Fitter Than I Was In My 30s!

Angus BoxshallSmith went from carbo-loading for bike races to intermittent fasting, which gave him far better results all round!

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‘I have always been an active guy. Though rugby was my main passion, I embraced all things outdoors: mountain biking, swimming, kiteboarding – you name it, I loved it. But after a pretty serious car accident, I stopped exercising for roughly four years, got stuck into work and family, and before I knew it, the number on the scale had shot up. Just shy of 100kg, the only sport I played was golf, and without fail, I would end off the 18 holes with several rounds of beer with the guys.

I reached a point where I felt too embarrassed to take off my shirt. But the lowest point was when I went diving in Mozambique. Our boat lost us on a dive and we had to swim back to shore. I honestly questioned whether I could make it back – I was that unfit. When I did eventually clamber onto the shore, I made a pact with myself to get back into shape.

At 38, I picked up cycling, and absolutely loved it! The weight gradually declined 1kg at a time, but it plateaued after about an 8kg loss, and I couldn’t get rid of the bulge around my stomach. Though I was heavier than my ideal weight, I was arguably the fittest I’d ever been and I entered big races like the Epic and Joburg2C. Being naturally competitive, I was always looking for the edge, and my cycling buddies told me that if I wanted to avoid “crashing”, I needed to load up with carbohydrates before, during and after a big ride.

So I did.

Carrying an extra 12kg, and training 20–25 hours a week, I replenished with carbohydrates. But still, I was always hungry! I felt like I needed to eat all the time.