Having that trigger moment to get you back on track and take control over your life doesn’t happen to everyone. At the age of 50, Owen kicked a 34-year-old booze habit, lost 56 lbs (from 203lbs to 147lbs), and even made a career change.

• Where are you from? The UK.
• What do you do for work/career? I used to be in IT and have switched to Health and Wellbeing.
• What are your hobbies or interests? FITNESS !!

Tell us about your lifestyle before you decided to make a change

I was always someone who would often have too many drinks and this came of course with the usual overweight. I thought I was just doing the same as everyone else, but I was really pushing that bit further and having more drinks than others. I was always the one who wanted to stay later and have that 2nd, 3rd, 4th bottle! 

As well as the direct health consequences of drinking too much, there were lots of indirect consequences too. No one wants to eat healthily at the best of times, let alone when they are drunk or hungover. Getting into a regular exercise routine was really tough too.

What drove you to make a change?

On August 31st 2017 I had a particularly bad drunken moment which I really regretted. And that was it.

I decided that enough was enough.

How did you start? What were the first changes that you made?

My main focus was quitting drinking altogether.

I took a challenge called “One Year No Beer”. I also read a great book about quitting drinking called This Naked Mind by Annie Grace.

I felt totally reprogrammed, I no longer wanted a drink at all. Food-wise, I went onto a really strict calorie controlled diet with a very limited set of foods.

What are your favourite healthy meals?

Stuff with loads of veggies now, but when I was losing the weight chicken breasts were my protein-rich friends. I also ate a lot of soups.

What types of struggles have you dealt with during this time?

Keeping going week after week was hard but that is where the Progress App really helped – I wanted the graph to keep going DOWN, so having the possibility to track all my journey really made a change at an accountability level.

It’s easy to make a plan, it’s really hard to stick with it. What kept you motivated?

Truth be told, loads of people from my circle knew I had given up booze and I had a target to lose weight, so I really didn’t want to have to say I’d quit!

I guess it helped that I had both the support system and the self-esteem to keep me accountable for my actions.

Another thing that contributed immensely was my mindset. I had done a month off from alcohol in the past, so I knew I could do it on will power. But this time, I started with a 90-day challenge and a strong motivation.

And I’ve got to say, I did it: from from 203lbs to 147lbs!

How has your life changed since you transformed? What are you most proud of?

After 6 months I had changed my body shape significantly ( 191 lbs to 154 lbs) and I did my first Sprint-Triathlon. Inspired by my new-found fitness I decided to get myself a Level 2 Gym Instructor qualification, just for fun. At the end of this, I signed up for the Level 3 Personal Trainer qualification and decided that a career change would be a good idea.

So after 25 years in IT, in August 2019 I started a Fitness and Wellbeing business aiming to help businesses keep employees healthy and happy.

If people can’t get to the gym I plan to take the gym to them!

Are you exercising too? If so, what is your routine? What advice do you have for people who are thinking about starting exercising? 

I ran every day for 5-10km, mostly on a treadmill in my garden shed while watching Netflix!

My advice would be to try and find something you enjoy. I enjoy running, but there are so many fun activities you can do these days. There’s something for everyone.

What would you want other people who are struggling with their wellness to know?

It is NEVER too late to get fit – I’m proof of that – small changes every week add up to large changes over time.

You CAN do it!

Since his transformation, Owen has been inspired to help others and he’s started a fitness consultancy called Strive4.uk, which we recommend you check out.