By Kate Harrold
AFTER being compared to Peter Griffin from Family Guy, this man lost an incredible TEN STONE â and has since gone on to find his first girlfriend.
Store worker Daulton Allard (27) from New Jersey, USA, struggled with his weight whilst growing up. At the age of five, Daulton began to comfort eat and despite a short attempt to diet at the age of 12, Daulton continued to gain weight up until he was 23.
Daultonâs peers would ask him if he could ârest his keyboard on his bellyâ like Peter Griffin from the popular TV show Family Guy. The light-hearted jokes soon began to affect Daultonâs self-esteem. At his heaviest, he weighed 25-stone and wore a clothes size 4XL.
In January 2017, Daulton was rushed to hospital after he began experiencing extreme chest pain. Daulton had been feeling this pain for five years but with time, it became more unbearable. Whilst the pain was never diagnosed, Daulton knew it was his bodyâs way of saying something needed to change.
Daulton immediately cut out carbs and lost 10 pounds in his first month of dieting. He then adopted a low-carb, low-fat diet â focusing on eating salads with chicken breast and no dressing. He satisfied his sweet cravings by drinking the occasional diet soda.
After a couple of weeks, Daulton began to incorporate exercise too and began doing a full upper and lower body weightlifting routine five times a week. At that stage, Daulton didnât have the energy to do cardio workouts.
Thanks to nine months of hard work, Daulton now weighs an incredible 14st 3lbs and wears a clothing size LÂ after losing just over 10-stone. He hasnât experienced chest pain since beginning his diet and his mental health has vastly improved. Daulton is thankful for his improved work ethic, friendships, and relationships.
âIâve been addicted to food since I was five. I felt like I wasnât who I meant to be because of my weight,â Daulton said.
âI tried to lose weight when I was twelve, but I quickly gave up. I tried again at nineteen and then finally at twenty-three, I decided nothing would stop me.
âSome of my best friends would joke â and I donât think they meant anything by it â saying âCan you rest your keyboard on your belly like in Family Guy?â
âThose types of questions left me with a depressing feeling, and I think it was the realisation that I wasnât who I wanted to be
âI was referred to a nutritionist at a young age who explained a food pyramid, but my parents said they wanted me to eat veggies and I didnât like them and they couldnât force me.
âIn January of 2017, I went to the hospital because I was scared about a chest pain that I had. I was depressed for a month then decided I was going to make a change, and nothing could stop me.
âThis was a common occurrence for about five years that gradually got worse, and doctors couldnât diagnose it. I think it was my body telling me that it was time to make a change.
âThere was no diagnosis. At the hospital, they would perform an EKG with nothing shown to be wrong. I also went for an EKG stress test with no diagnosis.
âI believe I lost ten pounds in the first month just from cutting out carbs with no exercise changes. This empowered me to push harder as I knew this was mainly water weight lost.
âI did a low-carb and low-fat diet, only eating salads with chicken breast and no dressing. I would say that sweets were my biggest craving. I tried to ignore those cravings and used diet soda to help with a mental replacement.
âAfter one month of no carbs, I launched a full upper and lower body weightlifting routine that I completed five days a week. This routine focused on progressive overload. I did not do any cardio because my energy was already so low.â
Previously, Daulton consumed around 5,000Â calories a day. Heâd binge on foods such as a breakfast sandwich with double meat, coffee with a doughnut, a hearty sandwich with fries, pizza, and buffalo wings.
Now, he consumes around 2,300 calories. A typical dayâs meals might include an egg white omelette with spinach or oatmeal for breakfast, a chicken wrap for lunch, and chicken breast with potatoes and veggies for dinner. Daulton maintains his weightlifting workouts but now also does cardio three times a week.
âMy life has completely changed – from relationships with others to relationships with food. My work ethic changed because I feel that my mental state is way clearer and I can focus better,â Daulton said.
âThe hardest thing was sticking to a diet during social events. I would just order a plain salad at whatever restaurant and explain to my friends or family that I didnât want to break my diet. They usually were understanding.
âI do get a lot of compliments and at first, a lot of jaws dropping from people that knew me from before the weight loss.
âI didnât date before my weight loss because my self-esteem was too low but now Iâve got a great girlfriend so Iâm really happy.
âI enjoy any and all compliments because I worked for this, but I will say that my favourite thing to hear now is that I look like someone that has always worked out.
âIf you want to lose weight, do some research for yourself on different diets and find one that works for you as everyone is different. The biggest tip I can give is to create a plan and stick to it. Donât give in or give up but revise the plan if results arenât achieved.â