A jeweler has revealed how he lost 40kg in just eight months after giving up his sneaky snacking habits – and his appearance has changed so dramatically that his wife even struggles to pick him out from the crowd.
Chris Hannan, whom his son once nicknamed “fat dad,” knew he was too overweight.
But speaking to FEMAIL, the 46-year-old Melbourne man explained he was never unhappy with his size, so he didn’t do anything about it.
So, one day in August 2023, he decided to go to the doctor to get a realistic picture of his health.
“I told myself that if she says I’m prediabetic or something, then I’ll have to make a change,” he said.
Chris Hannan knew he was overweight but he never felt unhappy.
The 46-year-old says he now has a lot of energy and feels great.
The reality was much more sobering.
Not only was Chris very overweight, he was also pre-diabetic, had high blood pressure, high blood sugar, fatty liver and inflammation.
“The doctor wanted to prescribe me medication to lose weight, but I wanted to try to do it myself, naturally.”
And he did.
In the first six months Chris lost 30 kilos just by changing his eating habits.
“I do intermittent fasting and I only eat Lite and Easy for lunch because it’s easy and I have dinner with the family,” she said.
He explained that his wife Julie-Anne had always prepared healthy meals for the family, but he ate too many.
I also snacked too frequently and consumed thousands of calories in sweet drinks like Coca-Cola and bubble tea.
Chris and his father Jim before and after Chris’s epic weight loss
“I’d get up and have breakfast, nothing unhealthy, just some toast and stuff,” he said.
Then things would go downhill.
Then I could order a burger from Maccas. Then I would have lunch at home but I would also go out to eat a hamburger or some donuts,” he said.
Then I would have a bag of candy or something at work. Go home, have dinner, and then eat four pieces of toast while watching TV.
Chris didn’t want his wife to know how bad his diet was, despite having gone from 75 kilos to 110 kilos in ten years.
Chris doesn’t count calories every day and “still eats chocolate” and pizza, just less of it.
He assumes he consumes about 1,000 calories a day and usually fasts until 1:00 pm, which helps him reduce his intake.
In February, Chris began adding exercise to his weight loss efforts. He made his first career with his 12-year-old son, who once nicknamed him “Fat Dad.”
Chris said his kids used to call him ‘fat dad’
“He would jump and I would stop every few hundred meters.”
Chris now runs seven or five miles several times a week and has booked a 10k fun run. He wants to complete a half marathon next year.
While the father of three says he was always happy, he didn’t realize how much happier he could be.
He says he feels more confident and energetic and loves his life. He also gets to play more with his children, which is important to him.
He has lost 40 kilos since the doctor told him to address his weight problem
When Chris went to see his doctor, she barely recognized him and tests revealed that he was in excellent shape and had reversed the impact of his previous unhealthy lifestyle.
She’s not the only one who doesn’t recognize it.
‘My wife walks past me in public. “She doesn’t recognize my shape in the crowd,” she said.
Chris says he still has a little to lose and will next add muscle-building exercises to his regimen.