Mark, from Warrington, lost a whopping five stone by making simple changes to his lifestyle and diet. He started taking up exercise and now regularly attends boxing classes.
Mark told Express.co.uk that he had tried every diet under the sun, but it wasn’t until recently that he found a way of losing weight that worked for him.
“At 18.5 stone, my biggest ever, I had tried all the famous and none famous diets with a continuous yo-yo style of living over the years.
“I had just turned 50 and was clear in my mind that I needed to make a lifestyle change or I would be struggling in my twilight years. That’s when I was introduced to Nathan.”
Nathan Kennedy is a personal trainer and coach who helped Mark on his health and weight loss journey.
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A year on from when he kick started his weight loss journey, Mark said he is as fit as ever and manages to maintain his ideal weight.
He does this through diet and exercise. The 54-year old explained that he eats “slow releasing carbohydrates to start the day, so porridge or overnight oats keep me going to lunch time, then normally something small like protein with rice cakes, and then a large evening meal based around roasting veg in the air fryer and some kind of protein”.
As for exercise, Mark continued: “Exercise is mainly focusing on strength, continuing on what I was taught by Nathan, with very little cardio involved. I work away a lot so I also have 20 minute routines that I can do in a hotel room.
“I still keep in touch with Nathan and I am still the same weight and body structure I was then,” he added. “He taught me to keep stretching myself, so recently I boxed for Cancer Research in front of 600 people and got a draw against an opponent who was in his mid 20s.
“The journey never stops, as Nathan kept drumming into me, and I am happier than I have been in my life and always looking forward to the next thing.”
Mark added that his mental health has greatly improved in the last few months, saying: “My mind overall has become much sharper since losing the weight, which in the most part is down to good sleep now.
“Understanding the effects of food on my mood has helped to put me in a great place – I now don’t feel like an imposter in another body and have moved forward in all aspects of my life due to the increased wellbeing mindset.”
Nathan is a fully qualified personal trainer and fitness expert who has a decade of experience in the fitness industry.
On his website, the personal trainer said: “I’m currently a self employed online coach providing bespoke training programmes, bespoke nutritional programming, lifestyle coaching and can help you achieve various fitness goals online. Whether you want to lose fat, gain muscle or just get fitter I can help you on your journey.
“Fitness should be something that helps you in all areas of life. If you focus on fitness, eat right and exercise correctly, you will reap the benefits. As your online coach, I can inspire you to exercise right and exercise well. Regular exercise is the key to overall health.
“Passionate about your progress, I thrive on helping clients achieve their fitness goals, nothing means more to me than helping a client reach their fitness goal.”