Justin lost 30kgs in a year!

Hi, I'm Justin Withnell, from NSW, and I've lost 30kg with The Man Shake!

I had a wedding to go to at the end of January 2022 that was casual and I needed new clothes to wear and while I'd always been around 92kg and an XL, maybe 2XL, I couldn’t find anything decent in the shops, and when I did I didn’t fit into the XL, 2XL and in some stores not even the 4XL would fit. This was a wake up call and after 51 years I needed to make changes. On 10 January 2022 I decided after weighing at 98kg enough is enough, and I said to myself “I’m going to lose some weight”.

I started by setting myself a half-arsed goal of losing 15kg by the end of the year that I didn’t really think I’d be able to achieve. I looked at different ways that I thought would be easy answers to losing weight. Most of the options I came across involved cooking certain foods, fasting, etc and these would require a total change and be an inconvenience come meal prep time for my wife. I then came across the Man Shake Facebook group and read through a large number of posts and thought this is something I might be able to do. The next day I popped into a Terry White chemist and picked up what can now only be described as the biggest thing Ive done in my life — I purchased The Man Shake starter pack. This allowed me to see if I'd firstly enjoy the shakes and second whether they were right for me.

While it's recommended to have two shakes a day I started on just the one for breakfast not really expecting this would be a long-term solution or really make a difference. After the first few weeks I could actually see some results. Not so much in my body but on the scales and this was the motivation I needed. I then ordered my first bulk order directly through the Man Shake website knowing what flavours I preferred and went back to the Facebook page to learn more. The support and stories from this community of guys all wanting to achieve the same goal was amazing. It was here I learnt about calorie calculators, protein and plenty of other hints and tips. These learnings were the difference for me. I calculated my calories required and then looked at what I was eating; no wonder I wasn’t losing weight. With this new found knowledge I reset my food intake based on calories and The Man Shakes remained a perfect way to start the day. Those 209 protein-filled calories gave me a healthy start to the day that kept the belly full until lunch time. I tweaked my lunch from bread to a low-cal wrap and snacks changed from chips to almond nuts and if the hunger pangs kicked in I topped up with water. Making these changes allowed me to have a regular dinner as long as it wasn't takeaway.

After about six to seven weeks I could actually start seeing the results not just on the scales but also in the fit of my clothes so I decided to up my goal to 20kg by the end of the year and actually got really serious about it. Amazing what a few small wins do for your confidence and motivation! I started watching every calorie going in and taking the gym seriously which meant going seven days a week and making sure I pushed myself by constantly trying to improve on the week before. While I'd always gone to the gym it was more about saying I go the gym and thinking I go to the gym so I can eat and drink what I want — basically it was an enabler for me to keep eating crap.

While I was now on track to hit the 20kg loss for the year I started travelling for work again, which meant lunch at cafes/canteens as well as dinner and drinks on those days away. I really controlled myself on those work trips and even though I could’ve had hotel breakfasts I always travelled and had a Man Shake in the morning. While I tried to make sure I removed myself from situations where I was tempted to eat poorly or drink excessively, sometimes you have still enjoy life and I did, I just made sure it was back to doing the right thing as soon as I could.

It was around July/August that people really started to notice the changes and that really helped me stay on track. I could see the kilos coming off on the scales however now others were commenting, and it felt great. I kept up my routines and more people started to notice and then something odd happened, well odd to me anyway. My clothes weren’t fitting, they were baggier than normal so I finally brought a new hoodie and was down to L from XL or XXL — wow, more motivation! It was the beginning of September and I'd nearly hit my 20kg target for the year and I seriously needed new clothes but I held out, worried that if I bought new clothes I may put the weight back on or maybe even lose a little more. We were now heading into October and my pants were falling down, even after adding holes to my belts they didn’t fit and everything looked like I was wearing hand-me-downs, so I had no choice, I needed clothes.

I went to the city for a bit of retail therapy and tried on a couple of size large hoodies and they looked big and the shop assistant said that’s how they’re supposed to look, I said crap and tried on a medium — OMG it fit like a glove, I was on cloud nine! A couple of weekends later I dragged my wife jeans shopping with me and thought I’d be happy going from a 36” waist to 34” — nup, down to 32” and for the first time since my teens I was wearing slim fit.

Since then I’ve lost a little more weight however it’s a lot harder to do and I’m enjoying treats, beers and life’s little luxuries a little more. Now depending on the brand I’m either a small or a medium and pants are 30 or 31 and I feel really good about myself. This was a 12-month marathon and one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life, however I feel the best I have in over 30 years. Who would’ve thought 12 months ago that I’d be running seven days a week. Over those 12 months I lost over 30kg and nearly a third of my body weight — yes you read that correctly!

In January 2024, a further 12 months on, I've gained a few kilos from my lowest however I'm still sitting under 70kg and I can see the extra weight on the scales but I'm now wearing small size t-shirts and my upper body has definition — got to love turning fat in muscles.

I hope I can inspire others to take their own journey.

My routine with The Man Shake

Right from the start of my journey (lifestyle change) I've done the one Man Shake every day and that’s worked for me. Even after losing the weight and still to this day I have my one Man Shake every day. I love the taste and I love knowing I'm getting the day off to a good start with plenty of protein. What I haven’t learnt is to make up the next day’s shake the night before as I love it when it's thick in texture.

I worked out what works for me and Banana, Strawberry and Vanilla are my Monday to Friday flavours and for the weekend I get to treat my tastebuds with Choc Honeycomb. This was the best flavour ever introduced and I could have it every day. It's so good it feels like a treat hence why its my go-to on weekends.

I always order the Buy 3 Get 1 Free and it's pretty much the same order every time: 1 x Banana, 1 x Strawberry,  1 x Vanilla and 1 x Choc Honeycomb.

The Man Shake helped to change my life and even to this day I look forward to it every morning. I knock one down every morning on my drive into the office, perfect start to the day.

It worked for me and I had massive doubts at the start and now I'm happy to sing the praises of the Man Shakes. For anyone starting out I'd also recommend getting on the Facebook pages as everyone is there for the right reasons and always offer support, tips and even recipes and menu choices.