An IT worker who once drank more than 2,000 cans of Red Bull a year is unrecognisable after shedding 8 stone.
Darren Burns, 34, from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, once ploughed through 5,000 calories a day and ballooned to 22 stone until a heart attack scare forced him to overhaul his lifestyle.
The father-of-one had a ‘sweet tooth’ which saw him regularly demolishing family-size packs of junk food, sweets and chocolates.
Darren, who has a five-year-old daughter, told MailOnline FEMAIL: ‘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.’
Unhealthy: Darren once ploughed through 5,000 calories a day and ballooned to 22 stone (left) until a heart attack scare forced him to overhaul his lifestyle (right, Darren today)
At 22 stone, the father-of-one drank more than 2,000 cans of Red Bull a year – but he is now unrecognisable after shedding 8 stone
Polishing off a staggering six cans of his favourite energy drinks a day as he battled with a stressful work life, it took two ‘watershed moments’ to convince Darren to change his ways.
‘I always knew I was a big lad and carried it quite well in my mind initially’ the father-of-one said.
‘I was out for a meal with my friends and got a photo taken with a [footballer Papiss Cissé]. I saw the photo and just thought oh my god, what an earth has happened to me.’
Then, one Sunday night, Darren was rushed to hospital with chest pains. He recalled: ‘It got really frightening.
‘They put me on a heart machine and we’re concerned I was having a heart attack – in the meantime the guy next to me [in hospital] was actually having one.’
The way he was: Polishing off a staggering six cans of his favourite energy drinks a day, it took Darren (centre) two ‘watershed moments’ to convince Darren to change his ways
Lean for 2018: Darren said of his former diet: ‘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’
Thankfully, Darren later discovered that the palpitations he’d experienced were most likely a form of panic attack, but doctors explained that his diet and Red Bull addiction, combined with stress, had ‘probably caused it’.
Darren recalled: ‘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 went to the doctor 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.”‘
Transformation: Over time, Darren has completely changed his diet, ditching junk food while enjoying regular gym sessions
Darren (pictured this year, showing off his new physique) recalled: ‘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.’
After that, Darren turned to his friend, personal trainer Lewis Cooke (@iamcoachcooke), who helped him kick-start his 8 stone transformation.
Over time, Darren completely changed his diet, ditching junk food while enjoying regular gym sessions.
He said: ‘Lewis really helped me get off on the right foot and I learnt a lot about nutrition and how-to workout in the gym through his program, amazing coaching and support. I hated cardio and found out that I loved lifting weights.’
Darren also turned to LDN Muscle’s guides for inspiration after coming across them on social media, which helped him fine-tune his diet and exercise regime.