30 Day Challenge: Daniel Easton

Week 3 Update:

Summary: I’ve done nothing of note in terms of exercise, but lost weight 🤷🏻‍♂️

Revolutionised by routine?

Another week of eating out on an evening, whether for work or Christmas shenanigans, has probably hampered the supposed weight loss I’ve been trying to achieve… However, I’ve dropped a kilo – I’m putting that down to a rigorous routine of GSN products during the daytime.

An accurate depiction of the majority of my week…

I’ve gotten better at morning stuff – eating Oats as opposed to not eating (including replacing the Overnight Oats I remove from the fridge with one from the freezer) – this has definitely set me up better to get on with my days.

To avoid flavour boredom I’ve been cooking with GSN Steam Cooked Chicken Breasts on an evening, marinading these in whatever is knocking about in the cupboard/spice rack and matching them with white rice and some quick veggies.

January will be stricter… But more on that soon from the GSN Team 💪

(Hash brown count: 4)

Week 2 Update:

Summary: Pots o Gold consumption up, general health down, weight the same.

Two days working away in London put me at the capital’s mercy for nutrition over the weekend, I packed a stash of bars to (ironically) get me from bar to bar. My weekend meals were generally not too unhealthy; tapas of both Spanish and Thai varieties.

I left London missing my microwave, full of cold, and with a bitter hatred for the rail networks.

Day-to-day GSN has been the safety net yet again, Pots o Gold in particular, with Chicken Bites filling the snack gaps. Snack gaps which are fewer and farther between, I can only assume because of my intake of better quality food.

Working lunch: Pot o Gold.

Hectic evening: Pot o Gold.

Full of cold? Pot o Gold.

Looking back, I didn’t get into the gym once this week, didn’t get into the habit of Overnight Oats for breakfast and didn’t get as much time on the bike as I’d planned.

But my weight stayed the same 💪

For those of you with a pizza oven, get a GSN Protein Pizza in it ASAP, for those without one – get one on your Christmas list. We ‘borrowed’ one to create some new pizza content and the results were wonderful.

Fajita pizza, outside, on a crisp winter day? Winner. (Definitely eat yours indoors in December though.

I’m making no bold claims for this week coming. I’m working a four-day week for a change and have a lengthy Xmas do to navigate. Anything could happen – but at least there’s a freezer full of Pots o Gold to catch me if I fall*.

*(Unless I fall onto a flight from Leeds Bradford to Tokyo… “Any to declare Mr Easton?” – “Just this case of Katsu, where’s the microwave?”)

Week 1 Update:

I’ll start with full disclosure – I’ve not eaten GSN for every meal. But I have for most of them! If restaurants I’m working with want to feed me – who am I to stop them? (I did resist on two occasions).

I’ve only used the gym twice, but I have ridden around 120km between commutes and leisure rides. 

The good news is, I’ve dropped 1.5kg in the first week and feel generally ‘lighter’, less bloated and such. The main benefit, having worked around 60 hours between clients, is the time I’ve saved!

Being able to have a decent meal ready in 6 minutes when I’m going from work, to work, is a lifesaver. No more ‘I’ll grab a Meal Deal on the way’.

Where I’ve had a big ‘off plan’ meal or a day of minimal activity I’ve limited myself to two pots of gold and a snack. I had my reservations about cycling my commute on this but found those concerns to be misplaced – full of energy and not ‘sluggish’ in any way, especially in the morning.

Another notable change I’ve made this week is waking up to a pint of water, not a coffee. Waiting until around 10 am after a 6.30 am start for my first fix.

Week one Hash Brown Count: 2 (🥺)

Find my food diary below, with a video log coming to the GSN socials soon…

Looking forward to Week 2: I need to remember and move an Overnight Oats Pot to the fridge for the following morning, especially when in the office.

Saturday and Sunday will be ‘off plan’ this week as I’m working away in London, although this should involve two days of around 30,000 steps I’ll try to eat in an appropriate way (not ‘Five Guys because it’s just over the road’), and will pack some GSN Bars for snacks.

I aim to use the gym at least twice this week and cycle commute four out of five working days.

Wish me luck finding good hash browns in the south, any recommendations: DM me @kluens on Instagram.

Grab your Macros, and take the first steps to a healthier lifestyle before the January trends with GSN Life, here.

A quick note on the GSN Chicken Breasts: I found defrosting them, and then marinating them to work really well! Dice the defrosted breasts, then put them into a sandwich bag with your marinade (I used a Rendang paste), give them a mix about and return to the fridge for as long as possible; overnight ideally. Then simply fry for a couple of minutes to brown and eat!

Hello, and thanks for reading…

Intro:

My name is Daniel, I’m a 39-year-old freelance photographer and social media consultant. I’d class myself as not the most active, but I do enjoy cycling slightly more than I enjoy slothing. I currently work with GSN at their Selby office, so when they pitched this 30 Day Challenge to me, it seemed like an obvious YES.

Oh, I bloody love eating – and this has been my downfall since my early 30’s.

My goals here are simple: lose a bit of weight and gain a bit of muscle.

Bio:

My freelance work away from GSN involves photographing a lot of food, and eating said food. This is a tasty, but not a healthy occupation.

I hope that the 30 Day challenge will help me regain a bit of balance in my diet, and I’m excited for all the additional benefits this could potentially bring. Hopefully, this is something we can talk about further in my weekly updates.

Plan:

My primary exercise over the next 30 days will be a 45km daily cycle commute, a minimum of three days a week, along with weekend ‘pleasure rides’ – I’m not a ‘gym guy’ but will try to change this over the month too – no promises there.

My Apple Health has a ‘Move’ target of 500cal per day as a minimum, which if not cycling I achieve through steps.

GSN will be my breakfast, my lunch and my occasional dinner.

Daily: Overnight Oats or the English Breakfast Pot of Gold each morning, a Pot of Gold for lunch. One weekday I’m allowing myself a ‘cheat day’ as I need hash browns in my life – got to support the local sandwich shop.

Dinners will be a mixture of food from photography jobs or meals created around GSN’s super convenient Steam Cooked Chicken Breasts, they’re flexible, and I’m sure I can find ways to pair them with hash browns…

Macros:

Calories: 2226
Protein: 222
Fat: 49
Carbohydrates: 222

(Get yours here.)

Start Weight: 80KG.

You can find me on Instagram and most other places: @Kluens. And on Strava, here.

Come back on December 1st to find out how many hash browns I have eaten, and how I have found my first week of the GSN 30 Day Challenge.