'I went from 18 stone to 14 in one year and still drank beer every week - here's how'

North Wales Live

2 days ago

As I hit the age of 30, I felt as though my life was on a downward spiral. The vitality of my twenties seemed like a distant memory - climbing the stairs became an Olympic feat, a trip to the shops required the mental preparation of preparing for my A Levels, and worst of all, I could feel my zest for life slipping away.
A year ago, I tipped the scales at 115kg (18 stone, 1lb). Alongside the physical challenges of being medically overweight, my mental health took a severe hit. The man who could once walk into any room and chat with anyone now started hiding in corners, anxious and downbeat.
Worst of all my patience with my loved ones slipped, snapping at them more frequently as fatigue and self-loathing began to suffocate everything I cherished. My clothes clung to my stomach and I constantly tugged at my top, hoping no one would notice. But a year ago, I reached my breaking point. I was tired of feeling inadequate. It was time for a change, and with the help of an app.
I managed to shed four stone within a year, bringing my weight down to 89.3kg (14 stone). After extensive research, I finally decided to try what seemed to be the diet trend of the moment: intermittent fasting.
This method involves having an 'eating window', typically 16 hours of fasting followed by eight hours of eating, but this can be adjusted to suit individual lifestyles, with ratios ranging from 14:10 to 12:12. Some people, including the late Dr Michael Moseley, also recommend the 5:2 method, which involves restricting calorie intake to 500 calories for two non-consecutive days.
As someone who loves food as much as the parents in Spirited Away, the idea of fasting seemed as appealing as cutting out my own tongue. However, there are several tools that can help, one of which is the Simple app, which I have tested before.
The app, assisted by the AI Avo, sends reminders about your fasting window and provides tips and tricks on how to fast, nutrition advice and more. This was particularly helpful for me, a man whose memory is more sieve than pint glass, reports the Mirror.
I also made sure to eat in a calorie deficit - not an extreme one, and it shouldn't be for anyone planning their own weight loss journey. According to NHS guidelines, the recommended daily calorie intake for the average person is 2,500 calories for men and 2,000 for women.
To lose weight, we need to consume fewer calories than we burn, so our bodies use stored fat for energy instead of the food we eat. To determine the appropriate deficit, you need to calculate your 'Basal Metabolic Rate', which can be done using calculators like this one from Diabetes.co.uk.
This term simply refers to the number of calories your body requires to function, excluding exercise. If you're active, you'll need to add a few hundred extra calories. A smartwatch, such as the FitBit Versa 4 that I use, can help track your energy expenditure.
However, Simple guides users through this process and calculates how much you need to eat through their quiz. My result was 2,400 calories a day to lose 1-2lbs a week, which is healthy weight loss for someone my size.
Next, you need to monitor your daily calorie intake. This was the first of two significant changes that helped me shed four stone in a year at a healthy pace. I know what you're thinking - who can be bothered?
That's exactly what I thought, especially when using a manual tracker like MyFitnessPal. While the app is free, it doesn't have a comprehensive food database, but the barcode scanner does alleviate some of the frustration.
Simple also offers a solution - Avo can analyse a photo of your meal, identify the ingredients and provide a nutrition score. I'd love to tell you that you can eat whatever you want as long as you fast, but if you're after health benefits in addition to aesthetic changes, you'll need to ensure proper nutrition.
Avo occasionally gets the sizes or products in the photo wrong - AIs, a human invention, are fallible like us too - but you can easily make corrections. To simplify my life, I buy chicken breasts in bulk for the week and absolutely smother them in seasoning.
By the time I put one in the air fryer, it's been marinating long enough to be absolutely delicious. (Aldi pre-mixed seasoning is 89p per pot, you're welcome). I also cook things like Bolognese or chilli in large quantities so I always have something ready.
But here's the fun part: I still ate takeaways every week. I still ate pizza, I still treated myself. I limit myself to one big indulgence a week but the secret is, as long as you stay under your calorie limit, you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight. I couldn't believe it either.
For me, it was about being consistent all week, rather than perfect. If you overeat one day, don't worry, just get back on track the next day - don't feel bad, we're all human and food is delicious.
The next significant change I made was ensuring I got at least 10,000 steps a day. I now go to the gym four times a week and swim twice a week, but last year I was only going three days and not getting my steps in.
It's hard to overstate how much getting my steps in has changed my life - the energy boost came from this, not the gym, and it also meant I had the energy to start swimming every week. It's now my favourite activity of the week.
For those seeking inspiration for exercise, you can try the couch to 5k programmes available on apps such as BBC Sounds for free and Nike Run Club. The Nike Run Club app has received a high rating of 4.8 stars out of five on the Apple App Store.
A year on, I am healthier and much happier. Nothing feels like too much effort - some days, I feel like I could bench press the sun. Not every day will be perfect because no one is. Whenever you stumble, pick yourself up and start again, it's the only way to progress towards a healthier and happier life.
I still enjoy a night out drinking once a week (I'm from Essex so trust me when I say... I go out drinking), and I still treat myself to a kebab or Wingstop. But for the rest of the week, I am committed. That's how you lose weight and keep it off. I hope you achieve your goals too.