Get inspired by this incredible story

After seeing a picture of himself at Christmas time 3 years ago, Jon Payne looked at the image and couldn’t quite believe this was him. At 23 stone and counting he decided enough was enough and started his journey to a fitter and healthier lifestyle.

The first thing Jon did was change his diet, moving from a sluggish high fat and high carb lifestyle to a Ketogenic diet, which means dropping all of your carbs and sugar, and shifting metabolic pathways to concentrate on burning fat for fuel. This type of diet is low in carbs and helps to shed the fat. Jon tells me ‘You can definitely get good results with a very basic knowledge’, although he has learnt to track macronutrients and keep on top of his intake to help him get the results that he needs. Fish and meat have now become a big part of his daily diet and he has found some great recipes using almond milk for sauce bases.

Walking for 30 minutes every morning on a treadmill was where the exercise started, at an uncomfortable but achievable pace, teamed with another 30 minutes on a bike machine. After doing this for a few months Jon progressed to running 5k every morning with one day off a week. As Jon’s body shape started to change he noticed some definition beginning to come through and realised these were muscles, something he hadn’t seen for a long time, if ever in his adult life.

Jon now concentrates on low intensity steady cardio fitness including walking and skip rope to help keep his muscle definition. He has never joined an expensive gym to help him lose his weight, choosing outdoor exercise and cheaper equipment at home to make his amazing transition.

The transformation from a 23 stone unhealthy man to a 12 stone fitness superhero has had a huge impact on Jon, not only physically, but also mentally. The weight loss is easy to see but mentally, Jon tells me, is where there has been the most improvement ‘I would do all this again if it was for the mental aspect alone, the most amazing thing is I didn't think I was even down or depressed and certainly didn't think my weight was having such an affect on my mental wellbeing, but it was...in a huge way’.

With a happier temperament and a whole heap of newfound confidence, it was now much easier for Jon to walk down the street without feeling on display.

Jon has remained motivated throughout his journey by wanting a better life for his wife and children, whilst telling himself that he is in control and keeping an image on his screensaver of what he looked like at the start.

So what is next for Jon Payne? He is striving for a single digit body fat percentage and is still muscle building ‘Ultimately I want a fantastic physique but I would also like to get along to some mud running events. They look great fun!’.

After watching one of Jons videos he has sent me, I myself felt uplifted, inspired and actually cried with happiness that Jon has improved his life and the life of his young family, to be a more fit and energetic husband and dad. I defy anyone to watch this video or read this blog and not feel inspired by Jon to get out there and get fit and healthy.

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UltraCore fitness did not provide any services to Jon to assist with this fantastic weight loss, we have simply interviewed jon to share his wonderful story to inspite others to never give up!