I’m a typical guy in my 50s and I lost 50 pounds in six months by making one simple change. Thousands of people will argue that it’s not worth it. This is why they are wrong

Steve Aguiar started having a few drinks after work to help him get through the “miserable” two-hour train ride home every night.

What started as a schooner of beer and a dash of liquor soon turned into a few more drinks, which ultimately contributed to his bad drinking habits.

On a normal morning, he stopped at the McDonald’s Drive-Thru on his way to the nearest train station to work to grab an Egg McMuffin and a hash brown.

At his heaviest, the American supervisor, who worked for a city office, weighed 118 kg (260 lbs), wore an XXL shirt and had a waist size of 42.

Soon he found himself in a vicious cycle of after-work drinks, followed by more drinking at home, only to wake up the next day and do it all again.

“It became a daily drinking pattern, and it was both new and disturbing… I was unhealthy and unhappy,” Steve, now 55, told FEMAIL.

He knew he had to overcome his bad habits to get healthy after his wife tearfully begged him to stop drinking.

‘My wife confronted me and expressed her concerns about my health and my drinking. When your wife is in tears because of her true love and care for you, it is a wake-up call,” he explained.

Steve Aguiar weighed 250 lbs (118 kg) after leading an unhealthy lifestyle of alcohol and fast food. He lost 25 kg after eliminating alcohol in just six months

Determined to turn his life around, Steve cut alcohol out of his diet for good and started cycling and eating healthy.

His lifestyle change helped him lose 50 pounds in six months.

Before his incredible body transformation, Steve, from California, led a seemingly active life.

He enjoyed sports at school and tried to stay in shape throughout his 20s and 30s by running, participating in marathons and going to the gym.

Over the years, his weight fluctuated as he tried different types of diets.

‘I’ve always tried to stay active. “I was running and going to the gym, but my diet was bad,” he said.

“I’m sure you know the saying, ‘You can’t outrun a bad diet.’ Well, I was.’

Every morning before work he treated himself to a McDonald’s breakfast.

During lunch, he went out with colleagues and consumed a high-calorie meal at a restaurant.

“My diet wasn’t good,” he said.

Steve enjoyed being a social drinker, but he gave up alcohol when he was training for his massive marathons.

However, his drinking began to spiral out of control when he began taking a four-hour round trip by train to and from work.

“I fell into a pattern of having a few drinks before the evening train home – usually a shot of spirits and a beer,” Steve recalled.

“Then it evolved into a few more drinks at home later that evening.”

He soon found himself in a vicious cycle of after-work drinks, followed by more drinking at home, only to wake up the next day and do it all again.

He normally saved his drinking for the weekends and sometimes he went ‘big’. But eventually his weekly social drinking turned into a daily habit.

His turning point came in early 2020 when his wife expressed her concerns about his drinking problem.

“And then I started searching online for ‘quit drinking,’” he recalls.

He came across videos by James Swanwick, the Australian-American founder of Alcohol Free Lifestyle, a scientific program to help individuals change their relationship with alcohol.

“Something resonated strongly within me as I listened to James’ description of his method and approach,” Steve said.

He signed up for the program’s 30-day No Alcohol Challenge in March 2020. A month later he participated in the Project 90 program.

“I couldn’t have made a better decision at a better time,” Steve said.

“This was the beginning of the Covid lockdowns and I made the commitment to go alcohol-free just as a vast majority of Americans were on lockdown and alcohol consumption was increasing.”

During the first four months of his weight-loss journey, he kept track of all his meals and counted calories.

“My goal was to keep my daily calorie intake between 1,600 and 1,800 calories,” he said.

His exercise consisted of cycling.

“I used to bike 3 miles from the train to my office, but I got off one stop early and made it a 7-mile ride,” he said.

“I remember one of these rides the first week of this trip. I stopped on an overpass out of breath, cried a little and thought to myself, ‘Damn, how did you let yourself get so out of shape? You’ve run marathons in the past and you feel like you’re going to die climbing this overpass?’

‘My original goal with cycling was to get to a healthier weight and start running again and maybe train for another marathon. I also started cycling during my lunch break.

‘This became a daily routine and eventually I got to the point where I had to ride about 20 miles during my lunch break. It was during this trip that I fell in love with cycling and have never looked back.”

Reflecting on his marathon days, Steve said he had found the strength to “feel happy, healthy and strong again” just like he did in his 20s and 30s.

“But this time I wanted to stay that way,” he said.

“With James’ help, I was able to shift my view of eliminating alcohol from a ‘giving something up’ view to a ‘what do I gain’ view.

‘This change in thinking was crucial to my success. I live an alcohol-free lifestyle which allows me to consistently enjoy mental focus and clarity and maintain a healthy and very active lifestyle.”

He knew he had to overcome his bad habits to get healthy after his wife tearfully begged him to stop drinking

Between April and October 2020, Steve lost 25 kg (55 lbs) after going from 111 kg (245 lbs) to 86 kg (190 lbs).

‘The most important change in my diet that led to my successful weight loss was without a doubt the elimination of alcohol. Alcohol thwarted all attempts I made to eat a consistent and healthy diet,” he said.

‘I examined my relationship with alcohol and fairly quickly came to the conclusion that eliminating it from my life would be the best decision

“Once that factor was taken away, I became consistent. Consistency is the key to success.’

Since retiring in August, he now spends his time living a happier, healthier life.

‘In the morning I do about 30 minutes of stretching and dumbbell weight lifting routine. I start with a stretch for my legs, back and shoulders. I do a series of push-ups, followed by a series of crunches,” he said.

‘I do a set of 15 arm curls, shoulder press and bench press with the dumbbells. I only do this to maintain upper body strength and to avoid having small bike arms.

“The plan is to eventually expand my weightlifting activities now that I have more time by eliminating two hours of commute and no official work day.”

Between April and October 2020, Steve lost 25kg after going from 111kg to 86kg

He follows a healthy diet, but occasionally treats himself to his favorite foods, including pizza and ice cream.

“I deviate from the diet and enjoy a snack or eat a ‘splurge’ meal like pizza, but the next day I’m consistently back on the bike and eating normally again,” he said.

“Ice cream is my guilty pleasure. I also have to remember that “you can’t outrun a bad diet, or stop following it now.” I need to abstain from these guilty pleasures and do better portion control.”

Looking back at old photos of himself, Steve – who is now a shirt size large and a size 36 in trousers – said: ‘I feel proud and happy to be where I am today.

“I was telling my wife the other day that I do these long rides and they are great achievements and challenges,” he said.

‘But I’ll never forget the day. I was out of breath on a short climb on an overpass… It was the start and the start was so hard and it hurt. But it also lit a fire in me to keep going. It got better, I got better. I’m really proud of that ride.’

For those struggling to lose weight, Steve said: ‘Think and write down all your ‘whys’. Ask yourself, “Why do you want to lose weight?” Focus on them daily.

“Your ‘why’ is what you gain when you lose weight and become healthier. Focus on what you gain instead of focusing on what you think you sacrifice.

‘The only thing I would do differently is start earlier. I’m glad I finally made this switch at the age of fifty.’