At 31 years old, Rob Sparkes of Somerset, England, weighed more than 440 pounds. While the number came as a bit of a shock, what really bothered him was his lack of energy. He struggled to climb a flight of stairs and would quickly tire out while he was playing with his two kids. That’s why he decided it was time to make a change!
By transforming his diet and committing to physical activity, the doting dad was able to lose 228 pounds in just 15 months. Not only that, but he also trained for and completed his first marathon!
Prior to his diet and exercise revolution, Rob was taking in around 6,000 calories a day. He ate pizza, bacon, chips, and burgers in excess, while he drank around 2 liters of coke on a daily basis. So the first step he made was changing up his eating habits.
“I don’t really snack at all anymore,” he explained. “I eat a lot of chicken and veggies. For breakfast, I usually eat porridge or sometimes granola.”
About six months later, Rob built up his stamina using the Couch to 5K app, which helps new joggers slowly acquire the endurance needed to run 3 miles straight. Then he joined a running club, and 15 months after he started his weight loss journey, he was crossing the finish line of his first marathon!
He finished the race in 5 hours and 24 minutes, but the time wasn’t nearly as important to him as simply proving that he can do anything he sets his mind to.
“I had my wife and kids there waiting for me at the end, and it felt amazing,” he said.
And he’s not finished yet! Rob is already signed up for four marathons in the coming months, and he hopes to start training for an ultramarathon, which is a daunting 50 miles.
What an amazing transformation! Rob went from not having the energy to play with his kids to literally being able to run for hours.
Be sure to share his life-changing story with your friends to motivate them.
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