I'm a typical bloke in my 50s and shed 25kg in six months by making a simple change thousands will argue 'isn't worth it' - here's why they're wrong

Steve Aguiar started enjoying a mates of drinks aft enactment to assistance him get done the 'miserable' two-hour bid commute location each evening.

What started arsenic a schooner of brew and a changeable of liquor rapidly spiralled into a fewer much drinks, yet contributing to his mediocre drinking habits.

On a emblematic morning, he'd halt astatine the McDonald's Drive-Thru connected his mode to the nearest bid presumption for enactment to drawback an Egg McMuffin and a hash brown.

At his heaviest, the American supervisor, who worked for a metropolis authorities office, weighed 118kg (260 lbs), wore an XXL garment and had a waist size of 42.

He soon recovered himself successful a vicious rhythm of after-work drinks, followed by much booze astatine home, lone to aftermath up the adjacent time and bash it each implicit again.

'It became a regular drinking pattern, and it was some caller and disturbing... I was unhealthy and unhappy,' Steve, present 55, told FEMAIL.

He knew helium needed to flooded his atrocious habits to get steadfast aft his woman tearfully pleaded with him to halt drinking.

'My woman confronted maine and voiced her concerns astir my wellness and my drinking. When your woman is successful tears due to the fact that of her existent emotion and interest for you, it's a aftermath up call,' helium explained. 

Determined to crook his beingness around, Steve eliminated intoxicant from his fare for good, and began cycling and eating healthily. 

His manner alteration led him to shed 25kg successful six months. 

Before his unthinkable assemblage transformation, Steve, from California, was starring a seemingly progressive life.

He enjoyed playing sports successful schoolhouse and tried to enactment successful signifier passim his 20s and 30s by running, competing successful marathons and hitting the gym.

Over the years, his value fluctuated arsenic helium tried antithetic types of diets.

'I've ever tried to enactment active. I would tally and spell to the gym, but my fare was poor,' helium said. 

'I'm definite you person heard the saying 'You can't outrun a atrocious diet'. Well, that was me.'

Every greeting earlier work, helium would dainty himself to a McDonald's breakfast.

At lunch, helium would spell retired with colleagues and devour a precocious calorie repast astatine a restaurant. 

'My fare was not good,' helium said. 

Steve enjoyed being a societal drinker, but helium would springiness up intoxicant whenever helium was grooming for his mammoth marathons. 

However, his drinking began to spiral retired of power erstwhile helium started commuting a four-hour circular travel by bid to and from work.

'I was falling into a signifier of having a mates drinks earlier the evening bid location - usually a changeable of liquor and a beer,' Steve recalled. 

'It past crept into having a fewer much drinks astatine location aboriginal successful the evening.'

He typically reserved his drinking for the weekends and would sometimes 'go big'. But eventually, his once-a-week societal drinking turned into a regular habit.

His turning constituent came successful aboriginal 2020 erstwhile his woman voiced her concerns astir his drinking problem.

'And that's erstwhile I started searching online astir 'quitting drinking',' helium recalled.

He stumbled crossed videos of James Swanwick, the Australian-American laminitis of Alcohol Free Lifestyle, a science-based programme to assistance individuals alteration their narration with alcohol. 

'Something powerfully resonated wrong maine listening to James' statement of his method and approach,' Steve said. 

He signed up to the program's 30-day No Alcohol Challenge successful March 2020. A period later, helium joined the Project 90 program.

'I could not person made a amended determination astatine a amended time,' Steve said. 

'This was the commencement of the covid lockdowns and I made a committedness to spell alcohol-free astatine the nonstop clip that a large bulk of Americans were lockdown and intoxicant depletion was connected the rise.'

During the archetypal 4 months of his value nonaccomplishment journey, helium tracked each his meals and counted calories. 

'My extremity was to support my regular caloric intake betwixt 1,600 to 1,800 calories,' helium said.

His workout consisted of cycling. 

'I ever did a 3-mile (4.8km) motorcycle thrust from the bid to my office, but I started to get disconnected a halt earlier and made it a 7-mile (11.2km) ride,' helium said. 

'I retrieve 1 of these rides successful the archetypal week connected this journey. I stopped, retired of enactment connected an overpass, cried a small and thought to myself, 'Damn, however did you fto yourself get truthful retired of shape? You've tally marathons successful the past, and you consciousness similar your going to dice conscionable climbing up this overpass?'

'My archetypal extremity with cycling was to driblet to a healthier value and get backmost to moving and possibly bid for different marathon. I besides began cycling during my luncheon hour.

'This became a regular routine, and I yet got to the constituent of doing astir a 20-mile (32km) thrust during my luncheon hour. During this journey, I fell successful emotion with cycling and ne'er looked back.'

As helium reflected connected his marathon days, Steve said helium recovered the spot to 'get backmost to feeling happy, healthy, and strong,' conscionable similar helium was successful his 20s and 30s.

'But this clip I wanted to enactment that way,' helium said.  

'With the assistance of James, I was capable to displacement my presumption of eliminating intoxicant from a presumption of 'giving up something' to a presumption of 'what americium I gaining'. 

'This displacement successful reasoning was captious to my success. I unrecorded an intoxicant escaped manner which enables maine to consistently bask intelligence absorption and clarity and support a steadfast and precise progressive lifestyle.'

Between April and October 2020, Steve mislaid 25kg (55 lbs) aft going from 111kg (245 lbs) to 86kg (190 lbs). 

'The astir important alteration to my fare that led to my palmy value nonaccomplishment was, without a doubt, the elimination of alcohol. Alcohol thwarted immoderate attempts I had maintaining a accordant and steadfast diet,' helium said. 

'I examined my narration with alcohol, I alternatively rapidly came to the determination that eliminating it from my beingness would beryllium the champion decision 

'Once that origin was removed, I became consistent. Consistency is the cardinal to success.'

Since retiring from his occupation successful August, helium present spends his clip enjoying a happier and healthier life.

'In the mornings, I bash astir a 30-minute agelong and dumbbell weightlifting routine. I statesman with a stretching regular for my legs, back, and shoulders. I bash a acceptable of push-ups, followed by a acceptable of crunches,' helium said. 

'I bash a acceptable of 15 limb curls, enarthrosis press, and seat property with the dumbbells. I bash this conscionable to support precocious upper assemblage spot and to debar having tiny cyclist arms.

'The program is to yet summation my weightlifting activities present that I person much clip with eliminating a two-hour each mode commute and nary authoritative workday.'

He maintains a steadfast fare but occasionally treats himself to his favourite foods, including pizza and crystal cream.

'I deviate from the fare and indulge successful a snack oregon person a 'splurge' repast similar pizza, but I americium consistently backmost connected the motorcycle the adjacent time and backmost to mean eating,' helium said.

'Ice pick is my blameworthy pleasure. I besides request to retrieve that "You can't outrun, oregon now, retired thrust a atrocious diet". I request to retrieve and bash a amended occupation of information power connected these blameworthy pleasures.'

Looking backmost astatine aged pictures of himself, Steve - who's present a garment size ample and a pants waist size 36 - said: 'I consciousness arrogant and blessed to beryllium wherever I americium now.

'I was precocious telling my woman that I bash these agelong rides and they are large accomplishments and they are challenging,' helium said. 

'But I'll ne'er hide the day, I was retired of enactment connected a abbreviated ascent up an overpass... It was the commencement and starting was truthful hard and it hurt. But it besides ignited a occurrence wrong maine to support pushing forward. It got better, I got better. I americium truly arrogant of that ride.'

For those struggling to suffer weight, Steve said: 'Reflect and constitute down each your "whys". Ask yourself, "Why bash you privation to suffer weight?" Focus connected them daily. 

'Your "why’s" volition beryllium what you summation erstwhile you suffer value and get healthier. Focus connected what you are gaining alternatively than focusing connected what you deliberation you are sacrificing.

'The lone happening I would bash otherwise is commencement earlier. I'm gladsome I yet made this displacement astatine 50.'