Daniel Lost 78kg With Help From His "Guardian Angels"

Hey all.
Where do I start?
I apologise in advance, but this will be a LONG read. I kind of just kept writing… so bear with me.
My journey contains discussions of suicide and mental health. Please take this into consideration before reading.

I’m Daniel and this is how I went from 225kg to 147kg with The Man Shake.

Around 2020, I hit rock bottom.
I lost my job of 13 years.
I fell into a deep depression.
I have dealt with depression ever since my 20s but this was by far the worst time in my life. I was deeply ashamed of how bad things had gotten.
I had always been overweight ever since I was a kid. But over the years, I let it slide further and further downhill without concern for myself.

I had no idea how much I weighed.
All I knew was that my shirt sizes were steadily increasing to a 9XL then a 10XL… it wasn't good.
But I was in deep denial.
Around the time of the pandemic, an ulcer opened on my leg. So, throughout the lockdowns, I was attended to by home nurses who told me over and over again that if I didn't lose weight then I would be on their books for the rest of my life. Perhaps even left to be bedridden someday.

I was deeply ashamed of myself and very depressed.
Come late 2021 I tried to commit suicide by way of pills and alcohol.
Thankfully, I survived that ordeal, and I started talking to a therapist around that point. Much like everyone else, they suggested losing weight as a starting point.  

But I was stubborn and set in my own ways.
I had no sense of self-worth and I felt like a burden to everyone around me and I couldn't see a way out. I had no job, very little money, and an open wound on my leg that did not look like it was ever going to heal.
I felt worthless to everyone.
I was ordering 20 McNugget Meals every day from Uber Eats, so make of that what you will. Eating was one of my only comforts back then.
There was one thing I used as a distraction of sorts from all my darkest thoughts. It was a fan page I ran of Former WWE Diva, Stacy Keibler, on Instagram. I am a massive fan of hers; she was a strong source of positivity when I needed it.
As suggested by my therapist, I needed to keep the dark thoughts at bay by keeping myself distracted. Editing content and videos for that page kept my mind away from the suicidal thoughts that continued to haunt me.

I refused to step on the scales and put it off for a LONG time.
I didn’t want to face the music and see how big I had truly gotten. I didn’t want to know the number. It was too shameful. I had a feeling it would be around 200kg… but it was more.

I weighed in at 225kg on the hospital scales.
As I looked at the dreaded number, I burst into tears.
I knew it was going to be bad, but I was holding out hope it wasn’t over 200kg. I was so very wrong. It was even worse converting it to pounds and realising I was at 500lbs. At this point, I was ALMOST eligible for the show 'My 600lbs Life'.

You would think this would have been the kick in the butt I needed to make some change, right?
Instead, I ended up drifting for a while. I knew I HAD to lose all of this weight, but my low self-worth continued to be the barrier to progress. Your mind can be your worst enemy and that little voice in my head refused to let me believe in myself.

In August 2022, what I would consider a blessing happened.
On Instagram, I began following another Former WWE Diva, Torrie Wilson.
At the time, she was working with a social network platform called SageSpot, a website to create a space where content creators could engage with their audience more deeply. For her, Torrie was all about promoting fitness and health.
By chance, I won a free month of access to the site. I used that website as a way to express my inner turmoil and get things out of my head. Torrie took an immediate shine to me and would answer everything I wrote with great insight and positivity. At a time of complete darkness, she became a beacon of light giving me a perspective I did not have. She too had a history of eating disorders and she related to a lot of what I wrote in ways I never would have expected.
That was when something clicked in me and I was able to start taking my first steps in this long health journey.

My first step was an easy but effective one. I cut out all soft drinks.
My second step was to start walking every day. I aimed for at least 5000 steps per day and it was tough! My back would ache and my legs would hurt. I would be gassed before I hit the end of my street! According to my Fitbit, I would hit my cardio heart rate before I even got there.
But I made it a habit and before I knew it, a month had passed, and I was free and clean of soft drink. My pain began to reduce as well,  so I started upping my steps from 5,000 to 8,000.
In my chats with Torrie, she kept stressing protein on me and this led me to The Man Shake.
I started using the Shakes and, lo and behold, I really liked it!
They had a pleasing taste. Something I felt other protein shakes didn't quite match.
It's now become a staple in my daily routine.
Before long, the scale FINALLY tipped under 225kg and into the 190s.

A couple of months passed and I was still kindly receiving support from Torrie, so much so that we became quite friendly. While chatting one day, I mentioned the Stacy Keibler fan account I ran. Torrie and Stacy are friends outside of wrestling and social media and, in an unmeasurably kind gesture, Torrie shared a video I had made to celebrate Stacy's birthday with Stacy herself.
And Stacy loved it! She even sent me a warm thank you message in return.
Stacy now follows that page and I have contact with her on occasion as she too encourages and cheers me on the weight loss journey.
It was the first time in a long time that I felt good about myself.

After twelve months I was down to 179kg and small enough to do the Sydney Bridge Climb. It was my way of celebrating the first 46kg down. It was a fantastic way to end the first leg of the journey and I felt so accomplished doing something I never thought I would be able to do.
But then I hit a wall in my 170s. I entered my first plateau. I hovered around this weight longer than I expected.
To be brutally honest, it was a wall of self-doubt mixed with body dysmorphia. I never stopped moving and I never stopped going to the gym but the diet was a little in decline thanks to stress eating.

In March 2024, I was able to travel to New York and finally meet both Torrie and Stacy at a fan convention. It was amazing to thank them in person for all their support. I consider these two women to be something of guardian angels to me as they have supported me and encouraged me all the way. I never thought I would get on a plane again back at 200+ kg but at 173kg, I did what I thought was once impossible and flew to New York to meet those two amazing women.
I also couldn't have done any of this without the aid of the Man Shake. In the end, it's all connected. As Torrie tells me, protein is key! And The Man Shake is a great source of it!

Travelling to New York made me realise something. I will never stand in my own way again!
As excited as I was to meet those two women, it also opened my eyes a little more as to just how much I was responsible for stopping my own success.
I was so scared and nervous that they would think I was a massive dork. Especially when I consider them to be two of the coolest people. But more than that, I was scared I didn't belong there and wasn't worthy of their support and time because I hadn't made it to my goal weight.
I stood in my own way.
I needed to trust and believe in myself.
In May 2024, I started to get back to work on losing more weight.

I have been on this weight loss journey for two years now and have lost 78kg in total.
All thanks to diet changes, daily exercise, and PROTEIN. Always protein!
It is astounding to realise I have lost roughly the weight of one average-sized human.
It hasn’t been easy. It’s been a lot of work both mentally and physically.

I still walk twice every day and average around 15,000 to 20,000 steps.
I go to the gym at least 6 days a week.
I am still learning better eating habits day by day.
The ulcer on my leg has now been closed for just over 1 year. Which shocked and delighted my ex-nurses.
Admittedly, I am still trying to figure out my purpose in life. But I am more than grateful to be surrounded and supported by a truly wonderful network of people willing to help in any way.

I can’t say I have every aspect of my life sorted out. Who does?
But I am slowly rebuilding myself day by day to stay away from reliving the past. With every day my self-worth grows.
All I know is I don’t want to go back to 225kg.
With every new day, I continue to learn to be and live better. I keep fighting and striving to not only get to my target goal of 100kg, but to keep a positive mindset.
With The Man Shake by my side, I'm positive I can get to where I want to be.
I'm down 78kg with another 49kg until I reach my target goal of 100kg.
Even with the difficulties and hurdles I've had to face, reclaiming my life has been the most rewarding part of all of this and I wouldn't have it any other way.

When it comes to The Man Shake, I tend to stick to the Chocolate Flavour. It’s just that good!
I often mix it with almond milk and a dash of chia seeds to help thicken it up for more of a thick shake texture. If I want a super thick shake, I’ll throw it in the fridge overnight. Unmatched!
I keep to a routine of two shakes a day and a total protein intake of around 200g. The Man Shake gets me to 60g per day without even really trying, freeing me up to have a quality dinner.
After having my morning Shake, it usually leaves me satiated until around 2 or 3 pm at least. I’m snacking far less than I used to and the hunger pains are no longer an issue.
By restricting my calories throughout the day, I’m achieving just over 1kg of weight loss a week. Understandably, by starting at a higher weight I can get these results. Where others may not.
But it’s pretty staggering how a simple shake can satiate you so much throughout the day

After losing 78kg, as you can imagine, I feel a LOT better.
Whether it be The Man Shake, my new active lifestyle, or my focus on a positive headspace, this change has been both a literal and metaphorical weight off my shoulders.

I have been very fortunate to have some amazing people share their time and advice with me, and I would love to pay it forward.
So, here are my words of inspiration:

DO IT!
Don’t put it off.
Don’t delay.
Just do it!
And I don’t just mean The Man Shake. I’m talking weight loss in general.
The shake is a great aid. It’s easy to mix and tastes delicious. It’s an essential tool that should be part of anyone’s weight loss tool kit. 
Start small and work your way up. Make small habits and keep building on them as you go. Make small changes in your diet too. Maybe you can’t go cold turkey with soft drinks like I did. Swap it for the no-sugar option and then reduce it over time.
The toughest part is getting started, but if you can make small changes you will be able to stick to it. It’s about breaking your old habits and mindset to create new and healthier ones. Even just one shake a day is a step in the right direction and will benefit you in more ways than one.
Once you get the ball rolling and begin building habits, it will become your new normal.
You’ll be more than thankful for the new norm that awaits you.
The Man Shake is a wonderful tool for that.

Okay. If you managed to make it through all that then kudos to you, sir!
Thank you.