Fuel Your Success

Like many of us, Matthews was aware of what healthy eating looks like. But avoiding junk food and maintaining the requisite calorie deficit to hit 5% body fat is a very different beast. The simplest way to do this is to hand the calculations over to the professionals. In this case, they were the nutritionists and chefs at Men’s Health Fuel. Three days a week throughout the 10 weeks, Matthews received four meals from the Lean plan. He was left to fend for himself for the rest, relying on the simple, healthful meals below to feed his progress.

As you can see, the odd Fuel box was deployed mid-afternoon to make eating well at the office easier, while there was still room for Clean G&Ts after work and weekend takeaways. To rein in his portion control, Stafford cut him a deal: he could pile his plate as high as he liked, as long as it was a side plate.

“In the run-up to the photo shoot, I’d finished three of my four Fuel boxes by 11am,” recounts Matthews with a grimace. “I messaged Shaun to plead for an extra meal. His response was, ‘Tough luck’ – making room only for extra celery sticks, watermelon fingers, or Diet Coke.” It paid off, though, and made the two burgers from Five Guys after the final photo all the more satisfying.