Shirtless video inspires Bradford dad Marc Helliwell to shed 5st

Marc Helliwell, 36, spent £1,000 a month on booze and cigarettes, and years of lager-fuelled nights with the rugby lads saw him pile on the pounds.

At 20st, he'd regularly drink 25 pints in one go and munched down four meals a day, dining at McDonalds three times a week.

Marc Helliwell has transformed his health by giving up a catalogue of unhealthy habits

Fun-loving Marc was kicked into action when he watched a video of himself on a boozy night out with wife Aimee, 31, drunk and singing into a wine bottle.

He was mortified by his "beer belly" and the next morning promised to overhaul his lifestyle.

The dad-of-two ditched booze all together, started exercising and eating fruit and vegetables, and lost more than five stone, shrinking to 14st 9lb.

Now down three clothes sizes to a medium, he can finally play sports with his kids, including football, golf and rugby.

Sales manager Marc said: "I used to go to McDonalds every other day and drink 15 to 25 pints after rugby with my team mates.

Marc used to regularly drink 15 to 25 pints

"My beer gut was just getting worse and worse, until it got to the point that I didn't feel happy looking in the mirror anymore.

"When my wife showed me that awful video I was absolutely horrified and realised all I was doing by living the way I was, was digging myself an early grave.

"In the end it was clear to me that the alcohol was doing me so much more harm than good.

"I would be coming in plastered at 6am some nights, waking up my wife and kids, which isn't something a father should be doing.

"I want to set a good example for my children, and I didn't feel I was able to do that by having alcohol in my life.

"Fancy restaurants and a drinking culture is a big part of my job when dealing with our clients, and I've had to show real self control in that part of my life.

"I've had mental health problems in the past, and drinking was only making that worse.

"Now I'm able to spend more time with my kids and watch them play sports which I used to love myself growing up.

"Never say never, but I think that's it for me now with alcohol - I'm not willing to let it control my life anymore."

Marc started gaining weight rapidly after his mum passed away in 2014.

On a typical day he would eat a bacon and egg fried bread sandwich for breakfast, followed by a KFC bucket for lunch and a curry Chinese or kebab for dinner.

In-between meals Marc would snack on crisps and pastries and wash it all down with four or five beers or a bottle of wine. In March 2021 he saw the video of himself singing into a red wine bottle.

He swapped chips for salads, and cut out all kinds of snacking, only drinking water and black coffee throughout the day.

His diet now consists of the odd curry on a special weekend, but mainly meals like steamed meat and vegetables.

If Marc feels hungry throughout the day he'll east seafood sticks or a boiled egg to keep his calorie count low.

He also drinks non-alcoholic beer and zero per cent martinis when at social events or on nights out with friends.

As well as playing rugby every Saturday, he also started running six days a week and spending hours in the gym.

At the beginning, Marc struggled to run half a mile, but he is now running up to nine miles a day.

He ditched all booze in October, and hasn't looked back.

He has gone from an XXL clothing size to a medium which has helped him get his self esteem back.

Now he saves around £1,000 a month and is enjoying having more disposable income to spend on enjoying time with his family.

Marc has also entered into the Great North Run half marathon in Newcastle in September where he'll run to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

Marc added: "Dieting and exercise are of course essential in losing weight but for me personally it was giving up the drink which was the key to my success.

"I couldn't be happier with my life at the moment and that's down to my sobriety - I feel truly liberated."