A dad lost five stone when he gave up necking 30 pints a week after seeing a video of himself drunk and shirtless.<br /><br />Marc Helliwell, 36, spent £1,000 a month on booze and fags, and years of lager-fuelled nights with the rugby lads saw him pile on the pounds.<br /><br />At 20st, he'd regularly drink 25 pints in one go and munched down four meals a day, dining at McDonald's three times a week.<br /><br />Fun-loving Marc was kicked into action when he watched a video of himself on a boozy night out with his wife Aimee, 31, drunk and singing into a red wine bottle.<br /><br />He was mortified by his "beer belly" and the next morning promised to overhaul his lifestyle.<br /><br />The dad-of-two ditched booze altogether started exercising and eating fruit and vegetables, and lost more than five stone, shrinking to 14st 9lb.<br /><br />Now down three clothes sizes to a medium, he can finally play sports with kids, including football, golf, and rugby.<br /><br />Sales manager Marc, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, said: "I used to go to McDonald's every other day and drink 15 to 25 pints after rugby with my teammates.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />"When my wife showed me that awful video I was absolutely horrified and realized all I was doing by living the way I was, was digging myself an early grave.<br /><br />"In the end, it was clear to me that the alcohol was doing me so much more harm than good.<br /><br />"I would be coming in plastered at 6 am some nights waking up my wife and kids which isn't something a father should be doing.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />"Fancy restaurants and 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.<br /><br />"I've had mental health problems in the past, and drinking was only making that worse.<br /><br />"Now I'm able to spend more time with my kids and watch them play sports which I used to love myself growing up.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />Marc started gaining weight rapidly after his mum passed away in 2014.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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<br /><br />In March 2021 he saw the video of himself singing into a red wine bottle.<br /><br />He swapped chips for salads, and cut out all kinds of snacks, only drinking water and black coffee throughout the day.<br /><br />His diet now consists of the odd curry on a special weekend, but mainly meals like steamed meat and vegetables.<br /><br />If Marc feels hungry throughout the day he'll eat seafood sticks or a boiled egg to keep his calorie count low.<br /><br />He also drinks nonalcoholic beer and zero percent martinis when at social events or on nights out with friends.<br /><br />As well as playing rugby every Saturday, he also started running six days a week and spending hours in the gym.<br /><br />In the beginning, Marc struggled to run half a mile, but he is now running up to nine miles a day.<br /><br />He ditched all booze in October and hasn't looked back.<br /><br />He has gone from an XXL clothing size to a medium which has helped him get his self-esteem back.<br /><br />Now he saves around £1,000 a month and is enjoying having more disposable income to spend on enjoying time with his family. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />"I couldn't be happier with my life at the moment and that's down to my sobriety - I feel truly liberated."
