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An overweight chef has dramatically slimmed down for the sake of his three children, shedding an impressive 106lbs thanks to daily five-minute workouts. David Nino, who once weighed a hefty 306lbs (21st 8lbs) and wore triple XL shirts with size 45 trousers in January 2024, now tips the scales at a much healthier 198lbs (14st 1lb) and slips into size 34 trousers with ease.

The 38-year-old executive chef turned his life around after a chilling warning from his doctor. He overhauled his lifestyle by embracing daily five-minute high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions, intermittent fasting, and cutting back significantly on carbohydrates.

David swapped out rice and pasta for green beans and frozen veggies, upped his protein game, and treated himself to weekly cheat meals to maintain a sense of equilibrium. The most taxing part for him was maintaining patience and self-belief as he awaited the fruits of his labour.

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"One day, I went to the doctor, and they say, 'Listen, David, you have to lose weight, or you're going to end up not being there for your kids'," said David, from Jacksonville, Florida. The father to Maximilian (14), Lexington (12), and Nixon (8) was spurred on by health issues like asthma, back pain, and sciatica to make sweeping changes.

Despite his hectic life as a chef, Nino found time for exercise, fitting in quick HIIT routines that demanded just five minutes of his day. "I did two minutes of burpees, 30 pushups, and 60 crunches or max out," he said. This combination of short, sharp workouts and dietary adjustments has led to his remarkable transformation.

Carbohydrates were the main offender in Nino's weight gain. "I used to eat five bowls of rice a day, sometimes maybe eight or 10," he confessed. "It is the carbs that are killing us. It is the rice. It is the pasta."

He dramatically cut down his carb intake and upped his vegetable consumption, with a particular fondness for green beans. Using his culinary knowledge, Nino shares an intriguing fact about frozen vegetables.

"The frozen veggies that you're eating that have been stored at least a year before, maybe two years in the frozen. It's actually healthier than what they're putting on the crops today," he added, referring to the increasing use of pesticides on fresh produce. Intermittent fasting became another weapon in his weight loss battle.

"Don't eat past 6pm," he suggested, though he admits the fasting was tough. He also increased his protein intake, which he describes as "a fat killer," while reducing his consumption of red meat. David started seeing results within just six days of implementing his new routine. He allowed himself one weekly cheat day to maintain sustainability, saying: "Once a week, I will demolish a pizza, maybe a pizza and a half.

"The most difficult part is not seeing change and having to have patience. Just believe in yourself."

David's diet before weight loss:

Breakfast: Six slices of bacon, 3-4 eggs, four slices of toast (often skipped breakfast entirely).

Lunch and dinner: Multiple bowls of rice (5-10 daily), pasta, large portions with minimal vegetables.

Drinks: Water and copious amounts of milk.

Snacks: Anything he fancied, without any portion control.

After shedding the pounds, David's diet changed to:

Breakfast: A slice of toast, two eggs, a collagen peptide smoothie, and occasionally a fruit smoothie.

Lunch and dinner: Protein (chicken or fish) served with frozen green beans instead of rice, and a maximum of half a cup of rice when consumed.

Snacks: Small savoury protein-rich snacks (chicken with buffalo sauce, cream cheese, spinach).

Drinks: Mainly water, with reduced milk consumption.

Rule: No eating after 6pm, except for one cheat day per week.

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