How man went from dad-bod to six-pack for the sake of his children

'I genuinely feel so much happier from before and only wish to inspire others'

A single father has revealed how he swapped his dad-bod for a six-pack by putting in the hard work in the gym and overhauling his diet.

Aircraft engineer Mark Kaberry’s weight had ballooned to almost 19 stone when he split up with his partner. However since the break-up, he’s now lost 5.5 stone and gone from a 44” waist and size XXXL to a 32” waist and size small.

But it wasn’t the break-up in itself that gave Kaberry, from Lincolnshire, the push he needed to get in shape - it was the desire to set a good example for his two boys, 10-year-old Thomas and five-year-old Alexander.

“The main reason for me wanting to get into shape is the fact that I am a weekend dad, meaning that I would want to enjoy time with my two sons by having treats and seeing them happy,” Kaberry, 34, explained to The Independent.

But by treating his sons to lots of indulgent food, Kaberry realised it was likely they too would grow up to wear size XXXL shirts, which he didn’t want: “I didn’t want them to be bullied like I was, but instead see inspiration in how to eat properly and stay healthy,” he says.

Kaberry began his transformation by following fitness guides for two to three years, but they never really made a huge difference to his physique because he didn’t modify his diet enough alongside the training. “I never followed the nutrition advice due to me apparently knowing better,” he admits.

But when the engineer made the effort to overhaul his diet too, he started to see a real difference in his physique.

“I started following the nutritional advice [which accompanied the LDNMuscle Weight Training Guides he was following], and weighing my food to ensure I wasn’t overeating,” Kaberry explains.

“I then started to find a healthy balance and started to track my macronutrients via MyFitnessPal. A lot of attention was then put into the traffic light system you see on food packaging to change my mindset and relationship with food.”

But although Kaberry’s body was starting to change, it certainly didn’t happen overnight. And as anyone who’s tried to get in shape will be able to attest, it’s hard to maintain your willpower and motivation when you don’t suddenly look like a health magazine model after a week of ab crunches.

“The problem with losing weight and changing your body is that it takes time,” Kaberry says. “You always want to give up when you don’t see the results. You have good body days and bad body days.”

The father-of-two didn’t weigh himself regularly, but instead took pictures so he could visually see his progress, which then motivated him to work harder.

“Ultimately, it has been a hard few years,” he admits. “My dedication has wavered, but having my children in my life and now my new partner, my motivation has stayed strong.”

Kaberry started following fitness Instagram accounts, but made sure to remember his own journey would be unique to him. He also believes social media is actually putting more pressure on people to have ‘perfect’ bodies.

“I think the perception of what society expects is unrealistic and that those in my position should be doing their transformations for themselves and ignore the misconceptions currently out there,” he says.

And that’s Kaberry’s main piece of advice for anyone wanting to lose fat or get fitter: do it for yourself.

“Keep focussed on your diet and ignore the scales, as weight isn’t the key,” he says. “Nutrition is the way to find happiness, and ensure a balanced diet is matched with good levels of weight training and HIIT.”

The fitness fan encourages people to weigh their food out for a week when preparing meals to make them realise quite how much they’re consuming. “This alone will answer whether a change is needed in your own life,” he says.

Kaberry’s top tips are to get your nutrition right, find a good weight training guide and track both your macronutrients and the weights you’re lifting.

“I genuinely feel so much happier from before and only wish to inspire others,” he says.