Weight loss success stories: "I traded in junk food and booze for a new body"

NAME: Clint Downward
HOME: Hastings, Victoria
JOB: Fitter and Turner
AGE: 32
HEIGHT: 192cm
BEFORE: 152kg

AFTER: 102kg

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THE WEIGHT GAIN

Shortly after high school, Downward hung up his footy boots, replacing the pigskin with a schooner. “As an 18-year-old who had just moved out of home, I spent my weekends partying with mates,” he says. Not long after, Downward started punching out long hours, rotating in and out of nightshifts. “It was all about convenience, so if I wasn’t eating processed microwaveable food, I was ordering junk food.”

Throw in two cases of beer a week and it’s easy to see why his health was heading, well, downward. By the time he was 24, he weighed a colossal 152kg.

Related: A glutton's guide to slashing cholesterol

THE DIET CHANGE

Eventually, Downward’s immense girth began preventing him from tying his own shoes. However, it wasn’t until a compulsory blood-pressure check at work, where the nurse told him to consult his doctor, that Downward was sparked into action. “I didn’t bother seeing a doctor; I knew what had to be done,” he recalls.

Downward went home that day and removed all junk food and beers from the house. “I gave up drinking for three months,” he says. “I was determined to overhaul every aspect of my diet.” He started the day with a low-GI cereal and swapped lunchtime chicken parmigianas for salads. “I’d have fruit every few hours to keep any hunger pangs at bay, and dinner was a small portion of lean meat and vegies,” he says.

Initially unable to run with so much extra baggage, Downward set out on 5-6km walks every second day. After losing 10kgs, he joined a gym and followed a strict cardio regime. “I’d do a half-hour of cardio followed by half-hour high-rep, low-weight workouts,” he explains. In seven months, Downward shed 63kgs to tip the scales at 89kg.

THE WEIGHT LOSS RESULT

Nowadays, Downward carries himself with a newfound confidence. “People treat me with a different type of respect,” he says. “I’m being taken more seriously, and I no longer have self-doubt when performing the more physical tasks at work.”

Downward also relishes shopping at common clothing stores again. “I never used to be served, because shop assistants knew that they didn’t have anything that would fit me,” he recalls.

Downward’s “cardio-only” regime resulted in muscle wastage, so he’s midway through a bulking and shredding cycle. “I’m 102kg at the moment, with my goal weight being just under 100kg,” he explains

Head to the Fitness Hub to get your body back on track

WEIGHT LOSS ADVICE

Put your mind to it. To lose so much weight, you need to overhaul your entire lifestyle. “Make short-term goals for a long-term gain,” says Downward. And be realistic. “You can’t expect it to happen overnight,” he says. “Stick at it, and follow your routine strictly.”

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