Steve was motivated to lose weight when he realised he would likely be dead by the time his child was 30

When I was younger, I was something of an ‘action man’. I loved sailing and being outdoors – there was no spare fat on me. But I was ambitious, and while I put in long hours building up my jewellery business, the weight slowly crept on throughout my 20s.

Business dinners in the Midlands were often Chinese or Indian with sticky sauces and a “carb-fest” of poppadoms, starters, naan breads and mountains of rice. Unsurprisingly by the time I hit my 30s I was 14 stone. My work was going great, I had about 500 employees and the company made it onto The Sunday Times fast-track top 100 companies in 2014.

But I was pushing myself and getting terrible chest pains. Climbing up the stairs was a struggle as my weight had hit 15.5 st. Sarah, my second wife, was worried – as was I. The doctor said the heart pains were down to stress, and put me on a low-fat diet.

For figures in the public eye and positions of authority – politicians, chief executives, even pilots – it seems like there’s a constant expectation to be healthy and in good shape. Sadly, it seems to give people more confidence in you – despite the fact that your size doesn’t really make you any better at your job.

So, whilst my position as a chief executive didn’t drive my initial desire to lose weight, I knew I would feel more confident if I could drop a few stone and go to work in anything other than baggy, form-hiding clothes.

Steve now has the energy to be the dad and grandpa he always wanted to be - John Lawrence

I began diligently trimming the fat off meat and cooking pasta in the evening instead of eating out. But it was doing very little for my waistline.

Then, eight years ago, I had a bit of an epiphany when I went to a remote part of Kenya where I’d set up a charity. I was working alongside a Masai friend, Philip, and he’d watched me in horror pull on my trainers and go running, despite him warning me there were elephants circling our camp. That night Philip prepared a goat for us, and as I habitually trimmed the fat off my portion he looked puzzled. “Mr Steve,” he said. “You run like a crazy man, then you cut the fat off my goat: is this because you like to be a big fat Western man?”

I laughed and explained no, I did these things because I wanted to get a lean, warrior-like physique like him and his tribe. “Mr Steve,” he said. “It’s not working.”

It was like a penny dropping – he was right. When I returned home, I had another wake-up call: my beloved dad had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and my mum, Alzheimer’s.

What’s more, Sarah and I also welcomed our final baby, Louie, now eight, to our brood. I was pushing 50: I did the maths and realised by the time Louie was 30, I’d likely be dead, the way I was heading.

‘I have a fantasy of being 90 and teaching my great-grandchildren to kite surf on the beach’ - Bailey

So I took a year off work and threw myself into fitness with the same drive that had helped me succeed professionally.

I ditched the low-fat diet and began making fibre the focus of every meal. Instead of crack-of-dawn exercise, I prioritised sleep. I stopped eating refined carbohydrates (which the body turns into sugar) and anything processed.

I loaded up on vegetables, even for breakfast, starting the day with food such as spinach and tinned tomatoes, along with some eggs and bacon. I always ate the veg, before anything else. For lunch and dinner I’d make sure I ate a green salad or a bowl of broccoli before tucking into the meat. I wouldn’t ban all carbs, but I’d only eat them if I was still genuinely hungry. I drank a lot more water, but I still had three to four cups of coffee a day.

In the first week I lost 7lb, and after a month I’d shed nearly a stone. Now, I’m three and a half stone down. I don’t hide under baggy layers and have a wardrobe of clothes that fit me and I feel confident in. That being said, I’ve always been an anti-suit CEO and that hasn’t changed!

When I was overweight, I was driven by hunger which meant I was constantly snacking throughout the day. Now, I don’t tend to snack, and have so much more energy and focus, which means I can put more time into my work, family, and activities.

While exercise wasn’t the key to my weight loss, I’ve rediscovered my love for being active and have done some pretty crazy things. I’ve sailed across the Atlantic, cycled the length of Italy, and walked to the North Pole. Yes, in my midlife, I’m a man of action once again.

I have enough energy to play with the family and be the proper dad and grandpa I always wanted to be. I have a fantasy of being 90 and teaching my great-grandchildren to kite surf on the beach. I am determined to make it happen.

What I ate before

Breakfast: Shredded Wheat with milk and sugar, large glass of orange or apple juice

Lunch: Cheese, ham or tuna sandwich

Snack: Crisps or cake

Dinner: Pasta or baked potato loaded with baked beans

Alcohol: Half a bottle of wine with dinner

What I eat now

Breakfast: Two eggs, two rashers of bacon, tinned plum tomatoes and a handful of spinach

Lunch: Tangerine, tuna and avocado salad

Snack: Fruit or handful of nuts

Dinner: Braised venison and swede hotpot or tom yum soup

Steve’s tom yum soup

Alcohol: Two small glasses of wine with dinner

As told to Susanna Galton, with additional reporting by Ella Nunn

Steve Bennett is the author of The Fibre First Diet, which is available to buy on Amazon.

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