Ash lost 60kg and is now on a mission!

My name is Ash I’m 33 years old - Sydney

Ever since I could remember, I was always the Fat one of the group. I was the fat kid in school, the fat teen, the fat adult and since starting my family; the Fat Dad. 

This all stems from when I was little. I had an unhealthy relationship with food which turned into an addiction. My mum, God love her - was doing her best as a single parent trying to keep a young lad under control by allowing him to eat sweets, soft drinks and other crap as long as it would keep me quiet.

Her cooking was the standard “Meat 2 veg” style of country cooking that she grew up with. However – since my dad left, she was still cooking the oversized portions and loading up my plate with this home-cooked goodness. She was of the opinion that if I didn’t finish my plate, I must have been sick. This suited me fine – because I LOVE FOOD. Getting adult-sized portions when you are 8 years old – Ummm…. Jackpot! 

To add to the pain, I would always beg my mum for any drink which had equal parts sugar to liquid. This included soft drinks, juice and cordial. To which I drank….. in excess.

That being said, I was never overly obese during this time. I kept very active every afternoon riding my bike or skateboard and getting up to mischief with the other kids on the street. 

It wasn’t until my late teens that I really started to balloon outward. I had an unhealthy diet of tuck shop lunches and Coca-Cola every single day. My metabolism started to slow, my fascination with video games increased, and my Driver’s licence stopped the need for walking before and after school. 

During my 20s I battled with weight, going up and down but would always ultimately gain it all back, and further my record for heaviest weight. Which brings me to my 30s. Where I tipped the scales @ over 160kg in November 2019.



In November 2019 I had some necessary surgery on my nose as I couldn’t breathe properly. This was a contributing factor to my severe Obstructive sleep apnoea which in turn didn’t help my issues with weight.  

Before my surgery, I had to jump on the scales for the anaesthetist. The numbers looking back at me were 160.7kg. This floored me. I knew then I needed to make a change. But before I had any time to get over the shock of my weight - I was lying flat on a cold metal table, belly blocking any view of my feet getting ready to be operated on. 

I was terrified that I wouldn’t wake up due to my extreme weight. I was convinced that I kissed my daughter for the last time earlier that day. I sobbed quietly to myself.

The following month I was recovering from the surgery at home. It felt like I had been given a hall pass to eat whatever I wanted while playing Xbox at home. My old bad habits came back with a vengeance.

Drowning in a sea of junk food I happened across Matt Jurd’s Story on ACA. I related heavily with it. It ignited a flame in me to make a change. This time – I didn’t have any surgery/recovery stopping me from starting.
 

It was that moment I decided that I would go “all-in” with The Man Shake. Whilst hedging my bets by starting my own YouTube channel called “That Fat Guy” where I could keep myself publicly accountable and log my feelings and progress for me to refer back to. 

Starting out I was scared, embarrassed and vulnerable. I’ve seen what internet trolls can do, but I decided to push on. When you start at 0 subscribers, it's daunting. You create videos for the unknown. I liken it to standing in a backlit doorway staring into a completely empty and darkroom. You cannot see where the room leads or whether it has an end … but you just start shouting and telling the room your innermost fears and secrets. I expected to have monsters to come and attack me. Shockingly enough I was greeted by love, support and light that radiates back to me daily. To all my Subscribers… I truly love you, and there is nothing you can do about it.

People ask me, why YouTube? Where do you get the motivation to keep going?

I think Eminem said it best: “Have you ever loved someone so much, you'd give an arm for? Not the expression, no, literally give an arm for?” 

My someone is my Daughter Alyssa, and my beautiful wife-to-be Angela. I owed it to them to fight for my life… so I could be a big part of theirs. This means increasing the odds in my favour by any means necessary to stay alive. This means keeping myself publicly accountable, using a tool like the Man Shake and building a community that I can draw strength from. 

I love my little family. I would do anything for them.



I have had many attempts at weight loss in the past. All with varying levels of success or failure. I have tried: Weight watchers, Lite N Easy, intermittent fasting, calorie counting, muscle meals with 5 day a week 3 hour per day Gym sessions. Hindsight being 20-20, I can easily see now why all those attempts failed me.

The Man Shake has been by far the EASIEST weight loss Journey I have ever been on. It slots in perfectly to my hectic schedule at the moment and allows the flexibility I need to keep on the straight and narrow. 

This is how my days look:

• 8AM I start with a Long Black coffee. 
• 10AM: 1st Man Shake
• 12PM: Healthy snack like a Man Bar or some fruit
•  2PM: 2nd Man Shake
• 430PM: Healthy Snack (if needed)
• 6PM Dinner.

The best part is that I have not counted a single calorie since starting the Man Shake. PLUS!!! I have a Celebration (cheat) meal every week. Like my favourite KFC ZINGER BOX which I have enjoyed every week for the last 10 months whilst still losing 50kg. Life can’t get much better than that.

This leads me to EXERCISE. All I do is walk. Yes…. Just walk. 

I started the first 4 months with a 6000 step per day goal. Of which I have increased now to 10k steps (average) per day goal. 

UPDATE - As of 22/7/21 Ash has lost a total of 60kg!

The biggest difference I notice in myself is my confidence and overall attitude. I have gone from being constantly angry and hating on the world – to loving it. I look forward to the prospect of a bright and healthy future. 

I no longer snore! I’ve gone from sucking in windows and forcing Angela to sleep in the spare room, to sleeping peacefully. 

Physically I feel awesome!! I fly upstairs now and actually enjoy going out for walks. I stand up straight and no longer feel fatigued everywhere I go. You will not see me sitting on a bench catching my breath at outdoor events. I could rattle on and on and on about my weight loss journey, in fact, I already do on my YouTube chan. But I would like to pass on some advice to anyone who has made it this far into my story and is wanting to turn their life around.

Weight loss should not be a chore. Make it fun. This is why I love the Man Shake. It has allowed me to balance my lifestyle in a way that is healthy, convenient, time-saving, cost-effective and most importantly – allows me to have fun and enjoy a treat every single week.



Make a list of ACHIEVABLE short, medium and long term goals and celebrate when you achieve them! Start with little goals, like fitting into your favourite pair of jeans or dropping an “X” off your shirt size. Increase the difficulty of each goal with the length of time to achieve. My ultimate goal is to be under 100kg and to fit into a shirt without an X on it. 

Tell your friends or family you are doing this! Even go as far as to create a social media account where you can log your progress and let people know how well you are going. You never know who you will inspire to start their own journey. Be sure to let me know so I can be your first subscriber!

Finally – go in with the attitude “I can do this. I will achieve my goals”. As to whether you believe you can or you can’t - you’re right.

I love you all, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.