Australian_Mens_Fitness_2016_08_

■

“If you don’t
change, you’ll
die,” doctors told
Daniel as late as last
year. But the young
Sydney law student,
who’d ballooned to
126kg and was
suf ering from high
blood pressure and
cholesterol, was not in
the right frame of
mind to grasp the
seriousness of his
condition.
Despite growing up
in a sporting family —
his dad played rugby
league and his brother
second-tier pro soccer
— Daniel was always
the “tubby one with
brains”. He wanted a
normal physique but
because he funnelled

all his energies into

school and uni found

himself caught up in a

vicious cycle of study,

physical inactivity

and comfort eating.

“I’d eat a packet of Tim

Tams in a night,”

Daniel says. “That was

my way of relieving

the stress of study and

the huge amount of

pressure I’d put on

myself to succeed.”

He was

subsequently

diagnosed with

anxiety and OCD but it

was a scary incident

at home that finally

made him heed those

doctors’ warnings. “I

was sitting at my desk

preparing for an exam

when I got chest pains.

I eventually went to

hospital and they did six

hours of tests. I realised

then there was the

prospect of a heart attack.

“I’d eaten 100 chicken

McNuggets, two large

fries, a large Coke and

a McFlurry one night at

McDonald’s the week

before, and even though

that didn’t cause the chest

pains, I could now see there

was a correlation between

my diet and my health.”

Becoming aware of an

obesity problem is one

thing; knowing how to fix

it is another. Daniel was

lucky his mum spotted a

weight-loss competition at

the local Anytime Fitness

gym, which of ered a TV as

prize. It was enough to lure

him in. “I did it for the TV,”

he laughs. “I’m very

competitive — I

can’tlose.Itwas the

challenge I needed.”

With the support of

thecrewatAnytime

Fitness and his family,

he changed his diet,

dialing down on

fats and sugar and

ramping up the lean

meat and vegies quota.

Forbreakfast,he’d

eat a boiled egg and

wholemeal toast

with avocado, lunch

consisted of 150g

chicken breast and

salad, while dinner

was chicken/fish/beef

with steamed vegies.

Daniel found the

transition from his

previous diet di cult,

but he was bolstered

by his support team.

“They kept me

accountable — having

them there was

probably the key to

my transformation.”

He complemented

his new diet with a

cardio and high

intensity workout

regime, smashing two

one-hour sessions

every day. The weight

began to drop of him;

after four weeks he’d

dumped 12kg, but

when he hit 101kg he

began to plateau. His

frustration almost

If you’ve a story like Daniel’s you’d like to share, send an email to ashley@mensfi tnessmagazine.com.au with clear before and after photos (photos must be at least 1MB each).

TALE OF THE SCALE

DANIEL TAHA

AGE: 23

LIVES: SYDNEY

HEIGHT: 186CM

WAS: 126KG

NOW: 81KG

LOST: 45KG

Killing the killer kilos

Warned his life was in danger, student Daniel Taha lost 45kg in six

months thanks to a brave lifestyle change and the support of family.

destroyed all the good

work he’d done: “I was

tempted to eat junk

food again,” he says.

“But once again my

accountability support

network helped me get

me through it.”

In six months,

Daniel would shed an

amazing 45kg — down

to 81kg; along the way

reducing his waist

size from 46 to 32 and

dropping his resting

heartrate from a

dangerous 106bpm to

a healthy 59bpm. He

also won the Anytime

Fitness competition.

Daniel says the

benefits of his

dramatic makeover

have been huge: better

interaction with

friends due to

improved mobility,

restored confidence

and a coveted regular

wardrobe. “I had the

fashion sense of a

50-year-old because

I only bought from

Lowes,” he laughs.

“Now I buy of the rack.”

He is also managing

his anxiety and OCD

better. “I still study a

lot,” he says, “but now

my comfort eating is

a half-hour session at

the gym.”

He is now enjoying

swimming and

running with friends,

something he couldn’t

do in his previous

condition. His goal is to

compete in a triathlon

— a sport he sees as

the ultimate test: “I’ve

never been sporty but

this is a big challenge.

I’ve been training hard.

It’s great to be able to

do these things.” 

“I still study a

lot but now my

comfort eating

is a half-hour

gym session.”

Game Changers Inspiration

36 MEN’S FITNESS AUGUST 2016