Stunning weight loss for popular Gympie businessman

Time travel might be fiction, but one man has turned back the clock through an amazing commitment to change.

Gympie real estate agent Murray Benton has lost 33kgs in the past seven months... and he is not done yet. Picture: Scott Kovacevic

TIME travel might be the stuff of fiction but Murray Benton has found the next best thing: weight loss.

Over the past seven months the popular Gympie Century 21 real estate agent has shed 33kg, which he said was not only great for his health but also had a unique reward.

"(I'm now) able to fit into clothes I was not able to fit into since I was 14 years old,” he said.

While a drop from 142kg to 109kg sounds like the ultimate New Year's resolution success story, Mr Benton said there was key to understand it was not something which could be done as an off-the-cuff commitment.

"A lot of people do the New Year's resolution thing where they go 'yeah, I'm going to lose a bit of weight' and they might have a couple of smoothies,” he said.

"You've really got to change what you do in terms of what you do in shopping, down to your daily routine at work.”

Even the traditional and much-loved coffee with friends fell before the oncoming train of his lifestyle change.

It was not the only victim, either.

"Our cupboards and fridge at home is basically full of green fruit and veg,” Mr Benton said.

"Even temptation is a big thing.

"At work the other day everybody had pizza, and you've got to have your crackers and hummus and not be tempted by all the good stuff around you.”

Gympie real estate agent Murray Benton has lost 33kg in seven months. Picture: Contributed

And what of the idea that healthy food like broccoli and hummus was not the most delicious of diets?

"To begin with I thought it was s***. I thought it was horrible,” he said.

"But after a couple of days I look forward to it and enjoy it.”

In fact, the need to develop a plan and stick with it was in his mind the hurdle which tripped up most weight-loss promises.

"I think that's why a lot of people give up on it,” he said.

"I swim most mornings up at the aquatic centre, and of a night-time I'm at the gym.

"There's fair a of planning in terms of your daily routine with what to eat and when to eat it.”

But the results were clear as day, and even better the benefits did not stop there.

Mentally Mr Benton said it had been a boon too.

He no longer felt drained after work, and his confidence had climbed back into the stratosphere.

"It's doing something positive for yourself.

"There's quite a lot involved in the mental wellness,” he said.

For those who were of a mind to make their own change, he stressed that the social aspect was just as important as the mental and physical ones.

"It's not something you can do by yourself,” he said.

"If you don't have as much support at home or your friend networks, it is extremely hard to sit there and eat some fish and veg for dinner if your family are eating KFC around you.”

And the rewards spoke for themselves.

"Physically it gives you confidence, and confidence affects how well you work,” Mr Benton said.

"It makes you a better person in general.”