How Stephen Fry turned his treadmill workouts into "sheer pleasure"
The 51-year-old British actor, author, game show host and Twitter fiend stands 6' 5".
And until recently, Stephen Fry weighed almost 300 lbs.
Then he lost 80 lbs in six months.
Yes, he changed his diet. But he always hated going to the gym. Until he discovered a way to "multitask" on the treadmill that turned his work outs into "sheer pleasure."
"Stephen Fry's treadmill secret"
Stephen Fry: audiobooks were his weight loss secret
When asked about his incredible weight loss, Stephen Fry told a reporter from a British newspaper:"I never thought I would say this, but I genuinely enjoy going to the gym. I spent years mocking them, but now I'm one of the converts.
"What has helped enormously has been the audio books I listen to while I'm walking.
"I've written myself a list of great novels and am slowly working my way through them.
"At the moment it's Tim West reading Anthony Trollope. It's sheer pleasure, and largely uninterrupted.
"I've discovered that wearing white earphones means that people can see what I'm doing and usually don't disturb me."
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to audio books on your treadmill...)
Talking books at Amazon
Amazon offers fiction & nonfiction audiobooks
"How I overcame treadmill boredom, too"
Stephen Fry and I couldn't be more different: I couldn't act to save my life. I'm definitely not a gay British guy. And I'm only 4' 11"But like Fry, I struggled with my weight. Thanks to everything from lupus medications to switching from cigarettes to donuts -- not to mention plain old middle age -- I've been everything from a size 0 to a 14 over the last twenty years.
When we moved into a condo with a fitness room, I was excited. Finally, I'd have no more excuses.
However, I found I became impatient after about 10 minutes on the treadmill. A voice in my head told me I was wasting my time, that I should be doing laundry instead, that I was probably missing some important phone call...
I just couldn't stay on the treadmill long enough for it to make a difference in my weight and well being.
At first I started listening to podcasts of talk radio shows, which is great because they tend to be chopped up into 35 minute segments. Just right for my time on the treadmill.
But later I added talking books to my mp3 player and listening to those instead.
I'd been a member of Audible.com for years,
And Audible.com talking books can be less than $8, instead of the $30+ you have to fork over for a new hardcover.
With a little help from those audio books, I've gone from a size 14 to a size 8.
And it was just a coincidence that the thing that kept me on my treadmill long enough to lose those pounds was the same method being used by a total stranger across the pond in England!
So that's two of us.
Today, mp3 players are more affordable than ever; Amazon lets you download audiobooks on every imaginable subject; and an Audible.com membership
PS:
inevitably, they keep asking Stephen Fry if he'll write a new book about his weight loss adventures.
He says he won't rule it out.
I hope it's an audio book. Narrated by himself. That would be the perfect ending to the story.
mp3 players on Amazon
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Kathy Shaidle
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I sold my first piece to Seventeen magazine back in college. Since then, I've written a bunch of books, and countless articles for print and web. I'm also a book editor and ghostwriter. A veteran blogger, I started my first site back in 2000, and co...
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Stephen Fry's weight loss secret!
- How he lost so much weight so fast
- Talking books on the treadmill were his secret weapon
Reader Feedback
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Reply
- kshaidle kshaidle Jul 14, 2009 @ 8:23 am
- Thanks, Ariding! It really is fun. Those unread books piled up on the floor make me feel guilty -- this way I can "read" and do something else at the same time :-)
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Reply
- ariding ariding Jul 14, 2009 @ 8:14 am
- Great idea, every time I try to run I get bored out of my mind.
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Reply
- KimGiancaterino KimGiancaterino Jul 13, 2009 @ 10:49 am
- My husband watches his vast collection of Formula One races while he's on the treadmill. I prefer walking outdoors, but when I'm on the treadmill I watch Perry Mason DVDs or listen to the radio. Good to learn about Stephen Fry. I hope he decides to write a book.
Stephen Fry in the news
- Dec 7, 2009 @ 9:52 amThe Manual Typewriter Ideal - NPR from stephen fry - Google News
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- Top GearCitroen C5Top Gear... the in-gear acceleration you'll ever realistically need - but it boasts all the nimble athleticism of, say, Stephen Fry in a pair of tartan slippers. ...
- Dec 7, 2009 @ 3:49 amVictims of Ecole polytechnique shooting massacre r... from Yahoo! News Search Results for stephen fry
- MONTREAL - Jean-Francois Larivee still remembers Maryse Laganiere's piercing blue eyes the day he met her at the Universite de Montreal in the mid-1980s.
- Dec 7, 2009 @ 2:40 amHouse: Hugh Laurie Keen to Team Up With Stephen Fr... from stephen fry - Google News
- BuddyTVHouse: Hugh Laurie Keen to Team Up With Stephen Fry AgainBuddyTVBefore he became cane-wielding sarcastic genius-doctor House, Hugh Laurie was half of the legendary British comedy double act Fry...
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- Dec 4, 2009 @ 4:33 am5 British web celebs more important than Stephen F... from stephen fry - Google News
- 5 British web celebs more important than Stephen FryMirror.co.ukStephen Fry's excessive tweeting and his hard love for the Apple iPhone have pushed him to the forefront of the burgeoning love for...
- Dec 3, 2009 @ 6:50 pmBC BREAKING NEWS : (Kelowna Capital News) from Yahoo! News Search Results for stephen fry
- Fish watcher - West Vancouver Streamkeepers Society member Joseph McDaniel sits by Lawson Creek, one of the salmon spawning streams he helps monitor. others also read...
- Dec 3, 2009 @ 10:14 amMarkham sportsboard (YorkRegion.com) from Yahoo! News Search Results for stephen fry
- Bantam Girls - Barrie Royals 33 vs Silver Knights 32 (Julia Kokonis 12); Midland Major Bantams 38 vs Silver Knights 27 (Julia Kokonis 8).
- Dec 3, 2009 @ 7:38 amCampaign protests Virgin Media spyware (p2pnet.net... from Yahoo! News Search Results for stephen fry
- p2pnet news view Freedom | P2P:- Alex Hanff, famous for leading the fight against privacy pirate Phorm, is now targeting Virgin Media, citing its reported use of DPI (deep-packet inspection). Britain?...
