Brandon Pickup, 22, wanted to be strong – so he turned to Instagram for bodybuilding inspiration.
He would force-feed himself steaks, burgers and fried breakfasts in a bid to get bulk up, which saw his weight reach 23 stone.
While this meant he could lift an impressive 53 stone, Brandon realised he had a problem when he could barely bring himself to look at his reflection.
He changed his ways when his dad, Jason, 48, suffered a stroke and sepsis and was left fighting for his life.
Now 18 months on, Brandon from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, is a personal trainer and has taken his weight down to a healthy number, having lost nine stone.
The problems began when Brandon read about World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall, and how the champion ate 12,500 calories a day.
Wanting the same success, Brandon began a six-day weightlifting routine, gorging between 8,000 and 10,000 calories a day.
On an average day, he would eat eight rashers of bacon, four slices of toast, four eggs and an ice cream protein powder smoothie for breakfast.
He would then snack on beef jerky, cakes, and muffins before a lunch of four burgers and a pint of milk.
A typical teatime would see Brandon eat out at steakhouses or burger bars, or scoff a large portion of takeaway fish and chips.
Now his diet is much healthier – six 400 calorie meals a day, such as eggs and oats for breakfast, beef, and rice with vegetables and chicken, potatoes and greens.
‘When I set out all I knew was I wanted to be as strong as I possibly could and I didn’t care about the effects that had on my body,’ Brandon said.
‘I had a passion to get strong and was inspired by Eddie Hall and the bodybuilders I followed online.
‘I took on board what they did and caved into the pressures to eat loads of food. I had an obsession to get strong and wanted to go all out.
‘My mentality was to eat as much as I physically could, regardless of how fat it made me.
‘I was willing to do anything to be the strongest and I started eating at least 8,000 calories a day.
‘It made me feel awful but I was getting really strong.’
All that food left him tired and sleepy most of the time.
By copying how other bodybuilders were eating, Brandon had piled on nine stone in just over a year and would get out of breath just walking up the stairs.
Watching his dad’s health issues was the final straw and Brandon decided to overhaul his diet.
Brando's diet before and after
DIET BEFORE: 8,000 calories a day
Breakfast – eight slices of bacon, four slices of toast, four eggs and an ice cream, protein powder and peanut butter smoothie.
Lunch – Four beef burgers with bread and cheese and a full pint of full fat milk.
Dinner – Typically restaurant meals like large fish and chips, steak and chips with a cheesecake for dessert.
Snacks – Cakes, chocolate and muffins.
DIET AFTER: 4,000 calories a day.
Breakfast – Protein powder shake consisting of egg whites, oats, peanut butter and blueberries.
Mid-morning – Chicken, potatoes and vegetables.
Lunch – Lean beef, white rice and peppers.
Dinner – white fish, rice and broccoli.
Snacks – almond nuts, dark chocolates, berries and fruit.
By last summer, Brandon had lost all the weight he put on and now sports an impressive physique, helping his clients become fitter too.
Brandon said: ‘I now wake up and look at myself in the mirror with a smile on my face.
‘I can now see the results of everything I have worked towards since I was young.
‘This is what I have always wanted and I am so proud of myself.
‘I hate how I used to look but no one used to say anything, although I could see the look on people’s faces.
‘I have a much more positive outlook on life now.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/02/man-loses-nine-stone-by-ditching-10000-calorie-diet-he-copied-from-instagram-bodybuilders-11989492/
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