‘I was told I was headed for an early grave, now I've got a six-pack’
05.06.2022 - 12:51
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A man who would binge on ice cream and takeaways was forced to change his lifestyle when doctors warned him he was headed for an early grave. Paul Carpenter, 57, was disgusted with himself when he caught sight of his body in a Selfridges changing room.
At his heaviest of 83kg last summer, he discovered at a routine GP appointment that his dangerous height-to-waist ratio of 62 per cent put him at risk of diabetes, heart disease, or a stroke. And his Cardiovascular Risk Score (QRISK) was more than 20 per cent, meaning he had at least a two in 10 chance of having a stroke or heart attack in the next 10 years.
The shocking statistics led Paul to seek professional help at a gym and embark on a strict exercise and eating regime, where he ended up shredding 20kg and gaining a six-pack. “I felt rubbish all the time, even getting up out of bed was a struggle,” Paul, a construction bidding manager, said.
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“I was seeing a counsellor, I knew I wasn’t in a good place, I was feeling lethargic and depressed. I needed to sort my life out.” Paul didn’t think too much about what he was putting into his body and ordered Chinese, Indian, and kebab takeaways a couple of nights a week.
He devoured whole tubs of ice cream on a regular basis without a second thought and ate pastries for breakfast when he ordered takeout coffee on his way to work. His lunches consisted of sandwich meal deals with crisps.
Slowly, the pounds crept up on him. Already suffering from high blood pressure, blood tests also showed Paul had a non-alcoholic fatty liver, with the prospect of end-stage liver disease.
“I hadn’t been going out much because we were in lockdown, and hardly anyone was in the office,” said Paul. “I was leading a single life, not