Week 6, Day 6 : AND WE'RE DONE! :)

So here you go, un-Photoshopped pictures of us today, on the last day of the challenge, and what we looked like 6 weeks before:

BEFORE AFTER

BEFORE AFTER

Verdict: We are both noticeably leaner, fitter and more toned, whoop! HOWEVER, we are definitely not anywhere near marble-carved statue dude in the article who, if you remember, looks like this:

So FHM, sorry but whilst we are thrilled that you have made us both more sculpted you are still found officially guilty of exaggeration in the name of catchy headlines. Bad, bad mag! *slaps you on wrist*

In our humble opinion, the plan is actually a good one but 6 weeks is a severe underestimation of the time it takes to truly change your physique. Even at 5 times a week, 6 weeks means only a grand total of 30 workout sessions- does anyone out there really believe that a 6-pack, which you never possessed before, will suddenly pop out like an alien growth out of your middle after you exercise 30 times? Not unless you're on a hardcore course of protein supplements and/or steroids it won't. Sure, the pair of us are already seeing some very encouraging ab definition, but we believe it will take at least a couple of hundred sessions more before Arivind gets so dramatically cut he can pass for an Indian Ken doll. Perhaps "6 months + 6 steps = 6 pack", or even 1 year, would have been closer to the truth.

Furthermore, the article does not specify what physical condition it assumes you to be in when you start- we are both young, pretty fit, have previous experience with jumping about and know a thing or two about what's nutritious or not, and even then the results have been far subtler than claimed. What if the reader taking on this challenge had been a naive beer-gutted porker with a fondness for doughnuts whose idea of exercise is walking to the fridge? Yes, the public should be smarter than that, but we're guessing FHM's (and most magazines') headlines are aimed at the stupid ones. Tsk tsk, the shame!

Having said that, we both love the results thus far and fully intend to carry on beyond these 6 weeks (Sam: I am AGHAST at how dumpy I looked in my Before picture now that I have something to compare to, check out the saddlebags! Arivind: In all the time I spent in the gym prior to this challenge, I never saw improvement as rapid as I have seen on my core in the 6 weeks just past). There will be no more tedious business of a daily food diary, but at least one of us will blog roughly on a weekly basis so we can see how things pan out in 6 months time. We will also up the difficulty of the exercises and give a go at doubling the interval training (40 seconds sprint, 20 seconds jog etc), so that our progress doesn't plateau.

Most amusingly, our Before/After pictures have been impressive enough to convince Arivind's younger brother Rohan (who spent the last 6 weeks poking fun at our dietary restrictions and rigid workout schedule) to join us! He is a bit beer-gutted and doughnut loving himself, so it will be interesting to see how long he sticks to it :)

To FHM- we'd love to hear your thoughts, even if it's to find fault in how we interpreted/executed your plan. Do we get any sort of reward for our efforts? :)

THANKS FOR READING GUYS! :)

xx

Sam & Arivind

Final Day Meal Plan

Arivind
Breakfast (7.35am):
Half an orange
1 piece of wholemeal toast, lightly buttered
1 small glass orange juice*

11.20am: 1 cup decaf green tea

Lunch (1.30pm):
2 slices of wholemeal bread
6 thin slices of German sausage
1 tbsp non-fat cottage cheese
Homemade chilli paste
Handful of almonds
1 glass orange juice*
2 squares of dark chocolate

Snack (4.30pm):
Almonds

6.50pm: 1 cup decaf green tea

Dinner (7.40pm):
3 chargrilled chicken drumsticks, skinless
Carrots, broccoli and cauliflower

Samantha

Breakfast (11.40am):
Sip of orange juice*
1 egg, bit of brown rice and 3 thin slices of German sausage

Lunch (1.00pm):
2 rye crispbreads
1 baby avocado and bits of smoked salmon
1 mango

Snack (3.15pm):
Handful of almonds
1 apple
1 small slice of wholemeal bread with bits of smoked salmon

Dinner (7.40pm):
1 cup decaf green tea
3 chargrilled chicken drumsticks

Carrots, broccoli and cauliflower

9.45pm: 1 cup decaf green tea

*All juices are 100% not-from-concentrate, no sugar added.