Spencer Matthews told Heart FM on Wednesday that he has lost 10kg since starting his desert marathon challenge.
The 36-year-old father of three is just six days away from completing his mammoth record attempt of 30 desert marathons in 30 days.
Explaining how he lost the weight, which equated to a stone and a half, Spencer told Heart: ‘I’ve now lost over 20 pounds. This is not how I would advise people to try to lose weight!
‘What we’re doing here is pretty extreme. Weight loss is definitely not a big deal here, but I burn over 7,000 calories a day, so replacing those calories is actually pretty tough.
‘Of course we’re quite tired during the day, it’s very, very hot here, so you’re constantly using energy. And yeah, I mean, I’m a hungry guy, and I love my food – but 7,000 calories is quite a lot to replace, so I’m getting smaller!’
Spencer Matthews, 36, told Heart FM on Wednesday he has lost 10kg since embarking on his record-breaking desert marathon challenge
Spencer is well on his way to setting the Guinness World Record for most consecutive desert marathons, with just six days to go
Also on Wednesday, Spencer celebrated the milestone of reaching the 100km goal, writing: ‘I want to thank you all for the overwhelming support you give me on a daily basis’
Spencer continues: ‘But the body is a very special thing. It adapts to where you are, what you’re doing and what your circumstances are.
“I think at this point, after running 24 marathons in a row, my body is thinking, ‘Jesus, you could keep doing this!’ So it’s just shedding muscle. I gained a lot of weight and I’ve lost most of my muscle, so here we go.”
Spencer spoke about the dangers of running in the desert: ‘I almost stepped on a horned viper. I don’t want to make a big deal about it because of course nothing happened, but I didn’t see it.
‘I was driving through the desert with a tire track and this thing was pretty well camouflaged and I accidentally ran over it.
‘The guy behind me, Johnny, saw it and stopped. He saw that there was a snake. I turned around and looked at it.
“It turns out this thing can kill a camel in five minutes and kill a human much faster. I just want to reiterate that it didn’t attack us or anything, so I’m not pretending that it did.
‘But we were right next to it, I was lucky I didn’t step on it. I drove over it, literally, but I didn’t step on it.
‘There is no antidote for horned vipers – and that was all determined by our doctor – and the local Bedouins like to tell a story every now and then, so they would say something like, “If this thing bites you, you’re dead.”
He was supported along the way by his family, his friends and, most recently, Russ Cook, better known as The Hardest Geezer, the only person to have run the entire length of Africa.
‘That’s not entirely true, there are a few things you can do.’
Also on Wednesday, Spencer celebrated the milestone of reaching 100km. He wrote: ‘I want to thank you all for the overwhelming support you give me on a daily basis.’
Spencer, who is currently running in Jordan, is expected to complete his challenge on Tuesday. His family will be there to meet him.
He was supported along the way by his family, his friends and, most recently, by Russ Cook, better known as The Hardest Geezer.
If anyone knows what Spencer is going through, apart from his running buddies, it’s Russ. In April, he became the first person to run the length of Africa.
With the run, the former Made In Chelsea star is also raising money for the charity Global’s Make Some Noise.
Global’s Make Some Noise aims to change lives across the UK by helping people cope with bereavement, mental health, illness and more, so that no one has to face life’s toughest challenges alone.
You can donate at https://spencer-matthews-challenge.raiselysite.com.
Spencer, who is currently running in Jordan, is expected to complete his challenge on Tuesday. His family will be there to meet him (all pictured in August)