SLIMLINE TONIC
Hogg shed nine kilos after ‘guilty pleasure’ pints left him bloated
FROM a professional and, indeed, worldclass sportsman, it’s a surprising admission. ‘I was sick of seeing photos of how fat I was getting,’ says Stuart Hogg, the Scotland and Lions star whose return to fitness in time for the Autumn Test series has buoyed the national team.
It was back in July this year that the 25-year-old full-back decided he must take action about his weight.
In the wake of his tour of New Zealand with the Lions being cut short following a freak facial injury in June, Hogg had elected to undergo surgery on a longstanding shoulder problem.
Perhaps, then, his mindset had been affected by those circumstances as he found himself indulging in the odd takeaway and his ‘guiltypleasure Guinness’.
But at the summer wedding of friend and Scotland team-mate Duncan Weir, it sharply hit home that his lifestyle was in need of revision.
‘I was an usher, and I was struggling to get the jacket shut from the measurements taken six months earlier,’ revealed Hogg.
‘I had a shoulder operation coming up and I thought I might balloon. I had to do something about it.
‘Also, I was sick of seeing photos of how fat I was getting, so I decided to shed a few pounds.
‘It’s made a difference in terms of how I look and how I play but also in terms of life in general. It sounds like I’ve been in rehab but I haven’t.’
Hogg has lost nine kilos since and will weigh in against Samoa at Murrayfield on Saturday at between 92 and 94 kgs.
According to the Scotland backroom staff and the coaches at Glasgow Warriors, he is now fitter and faster than ever.
Yet, in this age of nutritionists and health and fitness coaches, it’s surprising that he felt overweight, as Hogg himself admits, over ‘the last few years’.
‘Yeah, I guess I wasn’t listening,’ said Hogg, cracking a smile. ‘I think the biggest thing was learning about all the foods to eat.
‘I had a rough idea what was best for me, but it seemed that the takeaways were taking over.
‘I have two young kids who take up a lot of time, so the wife and I try to get the food prepared once a week so we’re not just getting a takeaway if we can’t be bothered to cook.
‘Overall, I lost about nine kilos and I put a couple back on when the shoulder was building back up again, but I am about right now.
‘I was quick last year, but now I feel I can go for longer as well.
‘I’m never going to be a guy who can run over the top of people. I need to be in a position where I can go around them or step them.
‘So I did a lot of speed work when I was injured and, hopefully, that will help me going into the Test matches.’
Hogg believed that his weight had been slowly creeping up and he needed to take action before it affected his play. ‘To be honest, I thought that I had been a couple of kilos too heavy over the last few years,’ he continued.
‘It just happened that I have managed to lose a lot. I feel comfortable at this weight and feel I can do more damage now.
‘I remember we were asked individually at the Scotland training camp in August what we were going to do to make this our best season and I just wanted to see if losing weight would make a difference.
‘Touch wood, so far it has. I feel I can go longer and have a bigger influence on the game.
‘The challenge now is to stay at this weight. I know exactly what I have to eat and drink and all the supplements to take. If that benefits my game then all the better.’
Hogg goes into the first Test of the Autumn series, against Samoa, after playing just two matches for Glasgow following his shoulder operation.
But being slimmer and having the experience of being part of the British and Irish Lions squad in New Zealand has made him a better player in his eyes.
‘I learned a hell of a lot on that tour and I worked closely with Rob Howley, Warren Gatland and Andy Farrell, all cracking coaches,’ said Hogg.
‘I was only in New Zealand a short time, but I still managed to pick up a lot and tried things I learned there since getting back to full fitness.
‘Certainly, going into the Scotland matches, what I learned over in New Zealand will help.’