#11 How'd they do it?
Nick "Milkbar" Karpetis
The How’d they do it? interview series is designed to share how members of the Alfred community lost weight and improved their energy.
This week, we chatted with Nick Karpetis, a Dad and former DJ, about how he uses Alfred to make sure he eats enough.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m Canberra born and bred, Dad of 4, sometimes runner and gym goer. And a long time ago, I used to be cool and DJ under the name Milkbar Nick.
You're not using Alfred in the way most people do. How are you using it?
I like to think that I lead a reasonably healthy lifestyle, but it’s also super busy. Getting the kids to school, managing sports and playdates, working full time, and trying to get a run in is challenging, and I’ll often forget to eat.
It’ll be late in the day and I’ll be snapping at my kids for the tiniest things. It’s not until I open Alfred and I realise that I’ve hardly eaten a thing all day. No wonder I’m so cranky! I’m seriously lacking in fuel!
I use Alfred to make sure that I’m fuelled with enough energy to be present with my wife and kids, and be able to keep up with the crazy demands of our modern lifestyle.
No more hangry moments!
From your lightest, how much weight have you gained?
I don’t track my weight, so I’m not sure. But the thing that I have gained, however, is the awareness to know how much I should be eating each day to keep me fuelled and ready to go!
Was there anything holding you back from improving your diet in the past?
You know, the biggest mistake I made was thinking I could eat whatever I wanted, so long as I squeezed in some exercise. I'd convince myself that going for a run once or twice a week justified indulging in my kids' leftovers and having dessert. But guess what? It was like eating three extra dinners plus dessert! Yikes!
But things didn't really hit me until I went to the doctor and they told me my cholesterol was too high. They referred me to a dietician who said I needed to track my food to figure out where I could improve.
That's when it hit me just how much I was eating and how annoying it was to track. I mean, I was already strapped for time, and now I had to spend evenings inputting every single thing I ate into this app called Easy Diet Diary.
One of the things we’re trying to do at Alfred is to help people take control of their health. What’s been the biggest change to your health you’ve noticed from food tracking?
Apart from having the awareness to know how much energy I need each day, the biggest change would be not feeling guilty when I do indulge!
Also that it flows over into other areas of my life. When I eat better, I tend to track my sleep and other health metrics, and I don’t drink anymore and generally feel a ton better!
What’s your favourite meal?
Is ice cream a meal? I’d be happy to have a 3 course meal from Messina…
How often do you have it?
Not as much as I’d like ;)
If you could go back, what would you tell yourself at the beginning of your journey to more energy?
Small, consistent changes make all the difference! There’s no need to go hard and ‘shred’, as you’ll just give up and end up back where you were in the first place.
Thanks Nick!
If you’d like to share your story, please get in touch here.