The 90 Day SSS Plan by Joe Wicks: Let’s Get Physical

Despite being a Lifestyle journalist who writes about health and exercise on a daily basis, in my personal life I am woefully unhealthy.

My favourite food is probably pizza but American BBQ is a very close second followed by Mexican and being lucky enough to live in London, there are ample opportunities to indulge what me and my BFF have nicknamed my ‘beef tooth’.

Give me a double bacon burger with chili cheese fries over a bar of chocolate any day.

From ginormous portions of fried foods to at least a glass of wine every night, my diet makes Elvis Presley look like Mr. Motivator.

On a completely different note, I’ve been noticing some annoying health issues over the last few years.

I’ve stopped telling people I’m tired because it’s a given that I’m always tired – at this point it’s just varying degrees of knackered.

And despite being privileged to all kinds of interesting information and facts as a journalist, like nearly every other woman I know I’ve convinced myself I am hideously overweight – like beached whales have got nothing on my gut.

Add skin flare ups and mood swings into the mix and it’s safe to say I haven’t exactly been feeling on top form of late.

At no point did I ever make the connection between how I was feeling and what I was putting into my body; clearly I’m not that bright – I blame the beef.

Determined to get to the bottom of my bloatedness and lethargy, I took the York Test a few months ago.

The simple finger prick tests against 158 different foods for intolerance, including specific grapes (which can tell you which types of wine to cut out), vegetables and animal products.

When my results came back they found I was intolerant to cow’s milk and yeast which, in case you weren’t paying attention, totally rules out my all-time fave food, pizza.

While I’ve been trying to stay away from the world of dairy and booze (yep, yeast is in all the best tipples) I’ve been tempted every damn day and my willpower just isn’t that strong.

Meet The Body Coach

In a desperate effort to reverse the effects of years of eating every nacho I could get my hands on and avoiding the gym like Oxford Circus at rush hour I enlisted the help of Joe Wicks, The Body Coach.

Joe caught my attention on Instagram with his hilarious 15 second videos of lean meals you can make at home.

#Leanin15 meals are healthy, easy to prepare and, above all, tasty, which explains Joe’s growing popularity.

Since launching his online meal and exercise plans in January, the former personal trainer has helped over 1500 transform their bodies with his three step cycle and his 30,000 followers on Instagram are growing every day.

“I was training people in the gym but I could see that some of them weren’t getting the results they wanted,” Joe explains to us.

“That’s when I realized how important food is when trying to change your body.”

“My whole perspective changed when I started taking nutrition seriously.”

The sport science graduate got stuck into his research, studying journals and books to perfect what was to become his signature 90 day Shift, Shape and Sustain plan.

What is it?

“I don’t believe in quick fixes or low calorie diets.”

The 90 Day SSS consists of three stages, each of which are designed to help you burn fat, build muscle and transform your body.

The first stage, which I am about to embark upon, featured a tailor-made food plan with measured portions created specifically by Joe for each individual client.

You can pick and choose from a range of delicious dinners like stir frys, thai curries and turkey burgers as well as lean breakfast options.

Lean meals are coupled with HIIT (high intensity interval training), which sounds daunting to a gym-phobic like me but actually means 20 minutes of cardio four times a week. That’s it.

“A lot of my female clients can't wrap their heads around it – they eat so much but only do 20 minutes of exercise every other day,” says Joe.

“But every time it works they’re convinced.”The biggest worry for me is the total lack of alcohol, so I can’t help but ask Joe if that rule is a dealbreaker.

“If you really want results then yes you have to stay off the booze. If you’re drinking, you’re not burning fat.”

That’s me told then.

Farewell sauvignon blanc, whisky and beer – you’ve been so good to/bad for me.

Strong not skinny

With the constant bombardment of impossibly thin celebrity women everywhere these days, it’s only natural to feel envious of their skinny frames but Joe doesn’t recommend it.

“I get prospective female clients emailing me all the time saying, ‘Make me skinny’.

“I tell them straight up, ‘I won’t make you skinny but I will make you strong’. This idea of low calorie diets and spending your life on the scales is so damaging to women – plus it just doesn’t work.”

“Low calorie diets slow down your metabolism so when you do start eating normally, you put all the weight back on.”

“That’s why I don’t start my clients on low calories. If you’re only eating 1400 calories and you plateau, you can’t restrict any more calories or you’re basically starving yourself.”

And stay away from the scales – or as Joe calls them ‘The Sorry Step’.

“Don’t get on them until the end of the first cycle, no-one is ever happy with the number they see on there even if they’ve been working really hard.”

Can I actually do this?

After extensive emails and phone consultations with Joe, I think I’m ready to take on the challenge.

In the interest of journalism (basically not wanting to bore you guys with my wails about missing alcohol), Joe has created a 30 day plan for me so I don’t expect to see the kind of results his 90 day clients get.

I ask Joe what I can expect to notice once I’ve started the challenge: “Straight away, you’ll have more energy because you’ll be sleeping better.”

“All my clients are so different it’s impossible to give you an exact number.”

We decide to aim to lose a couple of inches round my waist (currently 31 in jeans) and I’ll keep an eye on my weight (currently around the 71kg mark).

I’ll be writing a weekly blog about how I’m getting on, how I’m feeling and I promise to be brutally honest if I fall off the wagon.

Wish me luck!

[Yoga for runners: best poses for strengthening running joints and muscles]