Real Life Weight Loss: "I lost 115lbs and replaced fat with muscle"

Queensland, Australia's Anthony Bayer has lost 115lbs of body weight, improved his heart health, built muscle and changed his life. Although he began to gain weight as a teenager, things came to a head after high school when he was rushed to the hospital with obesity-induced heart palpitations. At his heaviest, Anthony was consuming over 10,000 calories a day. 

“Food was an addiction, every time I was stressed out I would eat. I would consume three pizzas, three bottles of coke and three packs of Magnum ice cream in one sitting,” he told our sibling YouTube channel Truly. Truly is documenting Anthony's transformation as part of its Brand New Me series. 

Anthony spent all his time at home playing video games, until he screwed up the courage to ask his high school crush to the school formal. Unfortunately, it was a prank – when he arrived at her door to pick her up, she said he was "too fat to fit through the door".

Watch Anthony's remarkable fitness transformation here:

“I asked the most attractive girl in school to be my date and she said yes. I made myself look like a million dollars and knocked on her door on the day of the formal. She started laughing and said I was too fat to fit through the door, at that moment I realised it was just a big joke, I was set up.” 

One night, Anthony was taken to hospital with an irregular heartbeat. His weight was placing an enormous pressure on his internal organs, causing him heart palpitations. He was told if he didn't make a drastic change to his sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet, he would soon develop Type 2 diabetes. 

Anthony said: “Something just changed inside me, it was the turning point for the transformation of my life. Now I’m confident, willing to go out there and live my life to the fullest."” 

Losing 115lbs in total, Anthony now weighs in at 215lbs. He has lost more fat than this figure, but he has also put on muscle since then, which weighs more than fat, giving him a healthy body composition, or muscle-to-fat ratio.  

Anthony's journey began with learning to eat healthily. Diet is even more important than exercise when it comes to weight loss: if you're able to take in less calories and swap those high-sugar, processed carbohydrates for lean meats, vegetables, and healthy whole grains, you'll be well on your way to a better body and mind. 

It can start with simple food swaps: if fried chicken is a guilty pleasure, you can swap the deep-fried breaded chicken for a healthier version cooked on the grill or in an air fryer, with a fraction of the added calories. Our best health grill and best air fryer lists are good places to start here. Swapping a side of fries with vegetables or a salad, which don't raise your blood sugar levels as much and contain less calories, is the next step. 

Anthony began his exercise regime by just walking, which is a really accessible way to lose weight. At the beginning of your journey, you just want to make sure you're moving as much as you can. However, Anthony can also be seen testing his cardio capabilities with hill sprints and other high-intensity interval training staples. Fortunately, whatever stage you're at in your journey, the best treadmill will able to accommodate, whether you're up to the challenge of sprint training or you just want to walk in front of the TV.