Lorry driver loses five stone, saying ‘I did it for my kids’

A father-of-two from Essex lost five stone in just six months after struggling with the pressures of parenthood

Danny Norton, 32, from Basildon piled on the pounds after finding games of football with his son particularly difficult. He hit almost 20 stone, which seemed to stem from dietary patterns that developed shortly after the birth of his second child.

Norton admitted he 'struggled to breathe' after engaging in just a short kick-about with his six year-old son and realised he had to do something - for his kids' sake and his own.

As a lorry driver, Norton has always been an early riser used to 4am starts, but it was a different kind of early that saw him initially begin to gain weight.

Paternal pressures

"It was when my partner got pregnant with our first child and through their early years that I initially started putting all the weight on."

Despite admitting that he wasn't too bothered with his bigger figure at first, the Essex man found lots of people commenting on his expanding waistline.

"I knew I was big, I knew I was fat. People were telling me ‘you’ve put loads of weight on, you need to lose weight etc., but it didn’t really bother me at first."

It wasn’t until he was out playing football with his eldest child that he realised his unhealthy ways had to change.

"Obviously, my eldest wanted to play football 24/7 and I was getting out of breath so easily – I knew I was so unfit.

"That was the moment I thought I have to do something about it. I wanted to do it for my kids, so I could be healthier and run around with them a bit more."

Norton took the plunge to join a gym, but with no idea what to do he turned to LDN Muscle’s online training guides.

"I would have been going into a gym with no idea what I was doing – I thought, I’m going to look like a complete wally! That was one of my main motivations for getting a guide."

Guiding light

After searching around, he came across LDN Muscle’s Cutting Guide, and although tough at first, he found it was exactly what he needed.

"It wasn’t a walk in the park, but the structure and knowing what to do were the biggest help. I probably wouldn’t have done leg day, and just all upper body."

The structure of the guides benefitted Norton's lifestyle quite handedly.

"It’s basically someone telling you what to do, but with much greater flexibility and affordability than getting a personal trainer.

"Because of my job, my hours can vary significantly. Having the guides in book form on my phone made it so simple."

While he was initially overwhelmed by the breadth of the information the guides provided, Norton used them to completely revolutionise his workout week and lose five stone in six months.

"I quite enjoyed the upper body stuff more than the leg work.

"I think the supersets burned and killed me, but they really did the job."

As someone who previously relied on quick and unhealthy foods such as pizzas, burgers, crisps, chocolate bars and biscuits, Norton also got serious about his diet in order to lose so much weight.

"I was a little confused when I first got the guide, but once I actually sat down and read through some of the eating plans, I realised they were just what I needed."

Norton's current diet

• Breakfast: Protein overnight oats and fruit
• Lunch: Chicken and rice or prawn salad
• Dinner: Chicken or fish with rice and lots of vegetables
• Snacks: Fruit and sometimes a protein bar

Norton caught the gym 'bug' and now trains five or six times a week, sitting at a far healthier 14 stone. Happy with his level of body fat, he has decided to make LDN Muscle’s Bulking Bible his next challenge.

"I’m into week five and have actually put on around 2.5 kilos of muscle.

"The way I was going I would’ve had to change my whole wardrobe. Hopefully now it’ll be the kids getting out of breath and not me!"

If you - or someone you know - has made an impressive transformation with a story to tell, you could be featured on JOE's Transformation Tuesday! Just send your nominations to Alex.Roberts@JOE.co.uk