“I became best friends with all the takeaway drivers” says Paul Smart, a gym manager from Leeds who ditched a 10,000 calorie a DAY diet to shed six stone.
Paul cut down on his high-calorie diet after a doctor classed him as morbidly obese. His GP also warned that he was on the verge of contracting type 2 diabetes if his lifestyle habits didn’t change.
After completely transforming his life, Paul now weighs a healthy 15.5 stone, having lost a total of six stone and eight inches off his waistline.
After going through a divorce in his thirties, Paul fell into a slump and started piling on the pounds as a result.
“It was down to laziness and being on my own after a divorce. I had no one to help rein my eating in and I became best friends with all the takeaway drivers.”
At his lowest ebb, Paul weighed 21.5 stone with a body fat percentage of 41%. His daily diet included bacon and sausage muffins for breakfast, a fried chicken meal for lunch and pizza for dinner.
It didn’t end there. Paul would snack on chocolate bars throughout the day and wash all food down with litres of fizzy pop.
“As my weight increased I became more reclusive. I lost most of my friends as I would constantly let them down – I would start to get nervous before I was due to go out.”
The doctor’s diagnosis prompted Paul’s realisation that he needed to make a change. He then set out on his health and fitness journey.
After pledging to lose weight and kickstart a lifestyle change, Paul started a food journal and joined a gym. Paul joined a branch of Xercise4Less in Leeds to continue his quest to get in shape.
He joined a transformation camp which provided expert advice on nutrition and exercise. The progress he was making in the gym also had a knock-on effect at home, too.
“My children were enjoying my new positive outlook on life and fitness. They came with me on my fitness journey and they were the ones that first told me that I should become a personal trainer.”
He has since shed eight inches off his waist and six stone in total after working out up to six times a week. Paul’s transformation also provided him with the confidence to go for his dream job of becoming a gym manager – an application that proved successful.
“I started my new job in February this year and the rest is history. I love it and help to guide any new members so they don’t feel as lonely and scared as I did the first time I stepped foot into a gym.”
Now a qualified personal trainer in addition to his managerial role, Paul has his sights set on running a marathon.
Paul has also shared the diet plan he adopted to transform his health and physique:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and a protein shake
OR a smoothie with whey protein, frozen fruits and ground porridge oats
Lunch: Chicken salad with a piece of fruit
Dinner: Chicken / lean beef with vegetables and rice, followed by a piece of fruit
Snacks: Low sugar protein bars, fruit, green tea and lots of water
