THE BLOCK ‘HOW WE LOST 45KG!’
THE BLOCKHEADS REVEAL WHAT THEY REALLY PUT THEIR BODIES THROUGH WHILE COMPETING ON THE SHOW
How physically demanding
is the work on The Block?
Deb: It’s incredibly physical. Every piece of rubble, every piece of furniture, paint tins, plaster board, timber and more were carried in and out by hand. Andy: It’s constant physical work and it’s all difficult. The painting was a massive job and felt like it would never end.
Did you lose weight on the show? Deb: I lost 5kg, going from 65kg to 60kg.
Andy: I was 85kg and went to 75kg.
Was it hard to maintain a healthy diet?
Deb: We had great food on site, but were always craving sugar hits to keep the energy up. We don’t eat lots of sugary food at home, but we did on The Block.
Andy: Often we’d forget to eat. It’d roll around to 5pm or 6pm and we’d realise we hadn’t stopped to eat or drink anything except for a cuppa.
Did you do any exercise in
preparation for The Block?
El’ise: I’ve always been very fit, but I took it to the next level by training in a high-performance room set at a higher altitude so the air is thinner. It makes your body work harder. Matt: I started playing AFL 9s socially and went for extra jogs.
Did you lose weight on the show?
El’ise: I think I’m the only one to put weight on. I went from 63kg to
64.5kg. I’m so used to intermittent fasting and training daily, so my routine was flipped on its head. The amount of sugar, pizza and doughnuts we ate to get through the night was an overload. Matt: I lost about 8 or 9kg. Before, I was about 92kg and by the end I was around 84kg.
Did the stress of the experience affect your health at all? El’ise: The stress and lack of sleep had a major impact. My mental health really relies on my routine and exercise regimen as it’s my time-out. If I don’t look after myself, I find myself being very short with the kids and Matt. Not doing my exercise proved a massive struggle as my anxiety sneaked back up on me. Matt: The pressure to complete a room does create stress. You’re in such a bubble that your mind can play tricks on you.
Which part of The Block was the most difficult physically? Luke: Unloading the CSR Gyprock truck and carrying it upstairs was the worst. Tess: I really enjoyed the physical side. Carrying rubble, materials and furniture up and down that scaffold was exhausting but something about it cleared my mind. Even though our bodies were on the brink of breaking, keeping physical helped with the anxiety and stress of it all.
Did you lose weight on the show? Luke: Definitely. I’d say about 5kg. Tess: I’m not sure if I lost weight but my body changed. During the middle and end of The Block, I saw photos from when I started, and my face, arms and legs definitely changed.
Was it hard to also maintain a healthy diet? Luke: We were so busy that we’d often miss meals during the day. Tess: Really hard. We were so lucky to have amazing sponsors [providing food], but we were just on the run so much. I was feeling really sick one day and realised I hadn’t eaten in two days. When you finally think about eating it’s 2am and you need one hand to paint, so that means a piece of chocolate or pizza in the other.
Any injuries during filming? Luke: A few small cuts and bruises but nothing major.
Tess: Day one, I was using a crow bar and it slipped and I took all the skin off my finger. I was trying so hard to be brave. I remember thinking, “Don’t cry, Tess, it’s day one.”
Was it hard to maintain a
healthy diet on The Block? Jesse: It was impossible. I struggled to eat – you are so exhausted and stressed out, you don’t feel like eating. Mel: We were very healthy for the first five weeks but it became very hard to maintain, as you never had time to eat. Also the [production] runners always had snacks, so it was easier to eat snacks on the run.
Did you lose weight?
Mel: I would have lost a couple of kilograms.
Jesse: I lost 8kg, which might not sound like a lot but I don’t have a lot to lose, so towards the end I looked unwell. Did you do any exercise in preparation for the show? Jesse: Nothing specific.
I was training at the gym like I usually would, but I’d suggest starting to jog or going for walks to build up your fitness. You walk, like, 10km a day carrying rubbish and running up and down scaffold. Did the stress of the experience affect your health at all? Mel: It’s the most stressful environment I have ever put myself in, but I was lucky enough for it not to affect my health. I did not get sick once – my body was just determined to never quit on me.
What are your top tips for staying
healthy on The Block?
Mark: Drink loads of water. Mitch: I agree. Also, we looked after each other – checking we were coping mentally. We were able to pick each other up when needed, which was the most important part.
Did you lose weight on the show? Mark: Yes, I went from 85kg down to 76.5kg.
Mitch: No, I was determined to not lose weight. I ate like a machine. I weigh 65kg – way too lean to risk losing weight. Too thin is a bad look at my age.
Any injuries during filming? Mark: Yes, I injured my elbow from all the lifting, but I pushed through. It still bothers me now.
Mitch: My back in week one. The doctor told me to rest it for 12 weeks and not lift anything heavy. That was not an option. I worked through pain and was a bit of a wreck. It was a muscular injury, so now it’s healed.