Goring dad's slimming success
A GORING man, too heavy even to break into a jog, completed a tough marathon after a year of amazing weight loss.
Father-of-two James Brock, 28, from Mersham Gardens, decided to change his life after looking at photos of himself holding his newborn daughter in which his head "was bigger than a football".
"I thought 'I've got to change this'," said James, who weighed a beefy 17st 2lbs and lived the life of "a big, beer-drinking 27-year-old".
Physically unable to run at first, James started walking for exercise in his battle with the bulge and adopted a strict diet in which he cut alcohol completely out of his life and ate the same breakfast and lunch every day.
"For breakfast, I would have two Weetabix and for lunch I'd have pitta bread with Laughing Cow Light on. Every day, seven days a week," said James."In the evening, I'd have a light dinner, steamed fish or something."
As his weight began to drop, James began jogging around a mile, then completed a 10k run in Bognor.
As the momentum continued, he and his close friends, Mario Antunes and Duncan Fretter, all workmates at Pure Acquisitions, decided to train for a marathon and raise money for Brainwave, a charity supporting children with development problems.
"We chose the Isle of Wight because it's apparently the hardest marathon in the country because of the hills," said James. "If I set myself a target, it's got to be a proper one."
Injury prevented Duncan from running, but he continued to spur James on as trainer and mentor.
On Sunday, James and Mario completed the marathon, marking the pinnacle of a remarkable journey for James, who now weighs a healthy 11st 9lbs.
He said: "I completed it in four hours and 50 minutes. I was really chuffed. I even managed to sprint the last 300 yards.
"Once the weight started falling off, I had so much more energy," said James. "I've got two beautiful daughters and I was able to do so much more with them. If you've got a healthy body and a healthy mind, everything runs smoothly."
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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