Man who drank 12 cans of Mountain Dew a day ditches soda to lose weight

By Emma Dunn via SWNS

A forklift driver who drank 12 cans of Mountain Dew a day is now half the man he used to be - after ditching his habit and shedding nearly 14st.

Chris Stewart’s fizzy drink addiction saw him reach 28st 8lbs, a US size 5XL, at his biggest.

He would also have a large McDonald's meal every day for lunch and a frozen meal for dinner.

Chris, 37, finally decided to make a change after seeing a photo of himself at his dad's funeral, which made him feel “sick.”

He and his wife, Nicole, 36, a manager, switched up their food order and started looking on Pinterest for inspiration for healthy recipes.

Chris ditched the junk food for homecooked meals such as pitta pizzas and now walks for two hours a day.

And he has slimmed down to 14st 9lbs and a US size XL.

Chris, from Freeport, Illinois, said: “I saw that picture and it made me feel sick. I needed to do something.

“I was drinking a 12 pack of Mountain Dew a day.

“I’d stuff my face with whatever I could. My wife and I put in a different order for food.

“I used Pinterest to look up healthy recipes. Now I am half the man I used to be.

“The energy I have is crazy.”

Chris would have two cans of Mountain Dew as soon as he woke up each day and ate two McDonald's cheeseburgers, fries and a McChicken sandwich for lunch.

Previously a supermarket manager, he would spend his days in the office before coming home to slump on the sofa.

After deciding to make a change when he saw a photo of himself, Chris changed up his diet and started exercising.

He ditched the sugary Mountain Dew in favor of sparkling water.

Chris said: “Who is going to carry my casket? I thought if I didn’t change something I’m going to die.”

Chris started helping out with heavy lifting at work instead of sitting in his office and “barking orders”.

Without realizing, he started to see the weight come off him and bought an exercise bike to continue to shift the pounds.

He started by cycling for 10 minutes before building it up to 20 minutes every day.

Now in the summer he gets out for walks every day after work – and started a new job in July 2023 as a forklift driver to spend more time with Nicole.

Chris said he couldn’t have done it without the support of his wife.

He said: “I’m so glad she stayed with me. I was a disrespect to our relationship.

“Weight loss is easy. I just switched my mindset. It’s you versus you.”

Weight before - 28st 8lbs
Size before - US 5XL

Weight now - 14st 9lbs
Size now - US XL

Before Diet:
Breakfast – Two cans of Mountain Dew before works
Lunch – Two McDonalds cheeseburgers, fries, a McChicken sandwich and a Mountain Dew
Dinner – Whole Frozen pizza
Snacks – Mountain Dew

After diet:
Breakfast – Smoothie made with protein shake, banana, mixed frozen fruit, peanut butter powder, chia and hemp seeds.
Lunch – Meat and cheese wrap
Dinner – Pitta pizza
Snacks – Peanut butter oatmeal bar