"I heated up my exercise regimen and melted my gut"

While I was consuming more food, I had rid my diet of processed foods so my kilojoule intake was lower than before," McGrath explains.

Name: John McGrath

Age: 55
Home: Western Sydney, NSW
Job: Owns an air-conditioning business
Height: 185cm
Before: 120kg
After: 89kg

The Gain
While he wasn’t in terrible shape, McGrath’s exercise habits throughout his younger years were, well, non-existent. “I’d never set foot inside a gym in my entire life,” he explains. He was also partial to carb-heavy foods ¬– such as white bread, pasta and potatoes – that were slowly stretching his waist. Throw in the 3-4 beers he guzzled after work each day and it’s unsurprising that his lifestyle caught up with him. By his 50th birthday, he weighed in at a very uncool 120kg.

The Change
A doctor’s warning of incipient type-2 diabetes, as well as a Valentine’s Day pact with his wife, sparked McGrath’s lifestyle overhaul. As fate would have it, his local gym was running a 12-week transformation challenge. “Instead of buying a case of beer each week, I put the money into signing up for the challenge,” he says.

McGrath hit the gym five days a week, punching out high-rep, low-weight sessions and jumping on the exercise bike or cross-trainer for fat-torching cardio workouts. As he began to crank up the heat in the gym, McGrath also turned his attention to the kitchen, opting for fruit in the mornings and salads with lean meat throughout the day. “On the advice of my trainer I actually started eating more,” says McGrath. “But while I was consuming more food, I had rid my diet of processed foods so my kilojoule intake was lower than before.”

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The Result
McGrath’s marriage didn’t last, but his new lifestyle has. A regular at the bowling alley, McGrath is now representing NSW in the senior team and credits his improved bowling to superior balance and strength. “I used to get sore joints, but that’s gone,” he says. “My sleep has improved, I no longer have sleep apnoea and my doctor says I’m no longer at risk of diabetes.”

The Advice
Create a plan, and stick to it. “There were days when I wanted to go home and skip the gym, but I had a plan mapped out that motivated me to go,” says McGrath.
Know your own body. “Don’t go overboard. Set your goals and use the encouragement of trainers, but stick with a pace that’s sustainable and works for you.”