The Gogglebox star has dropped from a hefty 21st 3lbs to a much trimmer 18st 8lbs after following the musclefood.com Do The Unthinkable diet and exercise plan. He’s seen his waist drop from 44 inches to 38.
Chauffeur Jonathan, 51, shot to fame, alongside his wife Nikki and children Josh and Amy, as one of the nation’s favourite TV critics on Channel 4’s Gogglebox.
The dad of two, from North London, has battled with his weight for years and began piling on the pounds after struggling to fit exercise and regular meals into his day.
He’d enjoy fried breakfasts on the road and then gorge on high calorie service station sandwiches and multiple packets of crisps for lunch, consuming well over 3,000 calories a day.
Now Jonathan enjoys three regular meals a day with high protein porridge for breakfast and protein rich chicken and steak dishes for lunch and dinner and has dropped his calorie intake to around 1,800.
Instead of snacking on crisps, he now enjoys protein bars and high protein chicken snacks which he keeps in the car.
Exercise has gone from doing nothing, to working out at home or in the gym up to four times a week. Jonathan even parks the car a mile away from the gym and walks to get the extra exercise in.
Jonathan said: “I love food and love to eat so keeping the weight off has always been a struggle for me. I’ve lost weight a few times, through cutting out the rubbish in my diet and upping the exercise, but over the years the pounds have slowly crept back on.
“I’ve never been one for short-term quick fix diets – for me it’s always been about making a lifestyle change not just wanting to lose a few pounds for a special occasion.
“Before the family joined Gogglebox I worked in the food industry and after becoming a chauffeur, spend the bulk of my day sat behind the wheel getting no exercise. Neither job allowed me the time to get out of the car and head to the gym.
“Filming for Gogglebox could take up to 12 hours a week and that was 12 hours that I was paid to sit around without moving.
“In 2015 I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and since then have become more conscious of my lifestyle choices but that hasn’t stopped the weight creeping on and the blood test results getting worse.
“For me the Do the Unthinkable plan came at the right time. My last lot of blood tests went up which set alarm bells ringing.”
Jonathan continued: “Since starting the programme my focus has changed. It’s not all about work anymore, instead it’s me and my health, making sure I get my exercise in and eat at the same time every day.
“I now plan my working day around when I need to eat. Musclefood have made that really easy. The plan provides three ready prepped meals and a day and three snacks so there’s no excuse not to eat well. If I get peckish, I’ll buy a cucumber rather than crisps and break it into chunks – that always fills a gap.
“The food has been great – very tasty and varied. I loved the protein pizza, the recipe kits were great when I had a little more time at home to cook and the prepped pots were perfect when I was on the go.
“If I knew I was going to be out on the road I’d heat up meals and eat them cold and if I was close to home, pop back and eat early.
“I never used to have dinner until late, 9pm would be the norm. Now I prefer to eat earlier rather than wait. It’s meant I avoid snacking and don’t consume all those extra calories.
“The exercise side of the programme is really straight forward. There are around four 30 minutes HIIT workouts a week which you can do from home and fit in to your day where ever you can. These have been great – they’re a mix of high and low intensity exercise which really get you moving and feeling good.
“I’ve really noticed a change in my physical ability since I started and as the weight’s dropped off and my flexibility had improved, it’s much easier to move around.
“The ease of the programme was the thing that has really made this work for me. It’s the only programme which provides you with everything you need - from the filling, nutritious meals, to exercise programme to the support from the Do The Unthinkable team and community. All the meals were freshly prepped and delivered to my door, they could be cooked and ready to eat in minutes and were all tasty, filling and nutritious.
“It was easy to set up too. All I had to do was select breakfast, lunch and dinner for each day and my snacks. That was it. Everything else was sent direct to me.
“The support from PT Steve Ahern who devised the programme was hugely beneficial, as was the DTU community Facebook group who backed me the whole way and kept me motivated.
“Physically and mentally I feel better than I ever have. There’s no going back to my old ways, snacking on crisps and eating high calorie food. I’m going to keep on with the Do The Unthinkable workouts and meals plans and will hopefully see more weight fall off.”
The 12-week musclefood.com Do The Unthinkable diet and exercise plan sees high intensity workouts combined with low calorie and low fat meals which are delivered fresh to your door weekly.
There are over 100 meals to choose from for breakfast, lunch and dinner plus three snacks each day.
Workouts can be done from home – there’s no need for gym membership or equipment – just a bottle of water and room to move around.
Personal trainer Steve Ahern, who devised the plan, is on hand to offer support, encouragement and advice, and customers can support each other through the active Facebook community group.
Jonathan’s weekly Do The Unthinkable meal plan:
MONDAY
Breakfast- Oomf Apple Pie Flavoured Protein Porridge pot
Morning Snack- Healthsopan HiLo chocolate mint protein bar
Lunch - Chicken Chow Mein Noodle Pot
Afternoon snack- Hippeas Chick Pea Puffs
Dinner- Thai Chicken Stir Fry mix
Evening snack- Protein Popcorn Sweet Vanilla
TUESDAY
Breakfast- Oomf Cinnamon Flavoured Protein Porridge pot
Morning Snack- Healthsopan HiLo Almond & Vanilla protein bar
Lunch- Chicken Balti Rice Pot
Afternoon snack- BBQ Flavoured mountain Chips
Dinner- Pesto Mushroom Pasta Kit
Evening snack- Hippeas Chickpea Puffs
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast- High Protein Blueberry Pancakes
Morning Snack- Barebells Salty Peanut bar
Lunch- Vegan Mushroom Pasta Pot
Afternoon snack- Smoky Barbeque Zippers
Dinner- Chicken and Vegetable stir fry
Evening snack- Lemon & Thyme Olives
THURSDAY
Breakfast- Scrambled Eggs
Morning Snack- combo’s Protein Oat boost
Lunch - Vegan Bolognese
Afternoon snack- Ready to eat Spicy chicken on a stick
Dinner- Chicken Tikka Masala Curry Meal Kit
Evening snack- Hippeas chickpea Puffs
FRIDAY
Breakfast- Oomf chocolate Flavoured Protein Porridge pot
Morning Snack- fulfil Cookies & Cream protein bar
Lunch- Persian Lime chicken with Quinoa
Afternoon snack- Chinese chicken on a stick
Dinner- Goats cheese diet pizza
Evening snack- Smoky barbeque zippers
SATURDAY
Breakfast- 2 ready boiled eggs
Morning Snack- Oatein peanut flavour protein bar
Lunch- Oriental Chicken Pad Thai meal
Afternoon snack- Sweet Chilli Mountain Chips
Dinner- Chicken Fajita stir fry mix
Evening snack- Ready to eat Chinese chicken on a stick
SUNDAY
REST day off (Meals with family and healthy breakfasts and foods such as eggs, salads and roast meats).