Staggering transformation of Aussie dad who 'couldn't sit in plane seat'
The Queensland man was 'missing out' on valuable time with his sons, prompting him to drop 100kgs in two years.
A doting dad has "reclaimed his life" after years of "missing out on family moments" because his large frame meant he was unable to do "normal things" with his two children.
At his heaviest, Terry Munro weighed over 185kgs and suffered from a host of health problems ranging from high blood pressure and pre-diabetes. Even a short walk was a struggle — but a staggering transformation has seen him drop a whopping 100kgs in two years.
Now 57, the Queensland father said he's able to "live life to the fullest" and for the first time in a long time finally rode on a rollercoaster with his sons, now 15 and 20. Previously, Terry was unable to travel comfortably with his family because he "couldn't sit in a plane seat" and despite being an outgoing person, he hated photos because he was so "self-conscious".
"It had been a huge burden on me physically and mentally but [losing the weight] ended up changing my life," the IT consultant from Albany Creek told Yahoo News Australia. "The first thing I did when I dropped the weight was go to a theme park with my family. That's something I'd never been able to do before. I was missing out on all these great life moments with my boys."
He also recently went skydiving as his weight prevented him from doing it before.
'I realised I was killing myself'
Five years ago the dad of two "realised I was killing myself" and knew he "had to take the plunge" into getting healthy. The Queensland man said staff "knew my name at KFC and Hungry Jacks". That's when he came across the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet — an online 12-week program that promises a "science-backed solution" to sustainable weight loss.
Although "daunting" to start with, Terry became "laser-focused" because he "really wanted to lose the weight" and started simply by walking in the pool. For the past three-and-a-half years, he has been able to maintain a healthy 85.5kgs by walking for one hour every day – and his home-cooked meals are balanced and "overloaded with veggies".
"I'm far more engaged with my kids now and can do all those things that I was never able to do, they're very supportive," Terry said. "I really have reclaimed my life."
Two-thirds of Aussie population is overweight
According to CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, two-thirds of the population are considered overweight or obese. Since launching 10 years ago, over 1.2 million Australians have been positively impacted by the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet which strives for "evidence-based, sustainable weight loss solutions".
Walking outdoors is the most common exercise recorded by members who have moved collectively for over twenty-two million minutes over the past 10 years. Professor Brett Sutton, Director of Health and Biosecurity at CSIRO, says the longevity and impact of the program reinforce CSIRO’s commitment to solving real-life health challenges through innovative science and technology.
"The impact of the current high rates of obesity in Australia are more weight-related chronic diseases, greater vulnerability to infectious diseases, and significant costs to health care, economic development, and community wellbeing," Sutton said.
"The Total Wellbeing Diet is one of CSIRO's major success stories and demonstrates our commitment to working to reverse the high rates of obesity within the next ten years, as called for in the National Obesity Strategy."
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