A man shed eight stone after his 2,000 cans of Red Bull a year habit made him think he was having a heart attack.
Darren Burns from Gateshead was demolishing 5,000 calories a day when he hit his highest weight of 22 stone.
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As well as food, the 34-year-old was downing five cans of energy drink on average every 24 hours – an enormous 166 every week.
The dad-of-one said it wasn’t until one evening when he began suffering from chest pains that he realised how much weight he had put on.
He said: ‘It got really frightening.
‘They put me on a heart machine and were concerned I was having a heart attack – in the meantime the guy next to me was actually having one.’
Thankfully, Darren later found out that the palpitations he’d experienced were most likely a form of panic attack.
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But doctors explained that his diet and Red Bull addiction, combined with stress, ‘probably caused it’.
Darren added: ‘I went to the doctors and the nurse was very blunt with me. She said, “if you don’t change your diet or your lifestyle right now, in perhaps 10 years you’re going to have diabetes. You might not even be able to walk because you’re getting that big”.
‘I’ve got a daughter and thought I have to change now or I’m not going to even be able to live an active lifestyle and play with her.
‘I could take down a 1,000 calorie burger with chilli cheese fries, breaded chicken and a bar of chocolate afterwards. That’s not to mention a ridiculous amount of fizzy drinks etc.’
After seeing the doctor, Darren went for a meal with friends and a photo was taken. He said this was the last straw and he knew he had to face his demons.
He said: ‘I saw the photo and just thought “oh my god, what an earth has happened to me”.’
Darren's diet before and after
Before
Breakfast: Bacon, eggs, cereal, chocolate bars
Lunch: Breaded chicken and mozzarella in ciabatta with pesto and mayo, or giant sausage roll
Dinner: Burger and chilli cheese fries
Snacks: Full fat Coke, Red Bull or Irn-Bru, bag of sharing chocolates
After
Breakfast: Protein pancakes when not during intermittent fasting
Lunch: Chicken breast, high protein salad, or shake with oats in
Dinner: Grilled chicken burger in a bun with homemade sweet potato fries
Snacks: Protein drink or protein bar, low fat crisps. LDN Muscle protein mug cake.
From there, Darren decided it was time he took the bull by the horns and he hired a personal trainer who helped him kickstart an incredible eight stone transformation.
He completely changed his diet, ditching junk food while also finding a new passion in the gym.
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After shedding a few stone, the 34-year-old began following a LDN Muscle guide, which put him on track towards his target.
Darren added: ‘I came across LDN Muscle’s guides on Twitter and decided to invest in the LDN Muscle Cutting guide after researching it.
‘It took two and a half years in total.’
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