Goodna dad was forced to trim fat to avoid early grave

THE GOODNA dad was forced to make a drastic change to his lifestyle, when a combination of bad diet and no exercise resulted in serious problems.

DETERMINED: Danial Beinke turned his life around with good diet and exercise. Picture: David Nielsen

IF ANYONE can tell you about the pitfalls of over-indulgence it's Ipswich furniture maker Danial Beinke.

The Goodna dad was forced to make a drastic change to his lifestyle three years ago, when a combination of bad diet and no exercise resulted in some serious problems.

"I was drinking 10 vanilla cokes or three 750ML bottles of iced coffee every day," Mr Beinke said.

"Then there was the food; too much fat, potatoes and rice and no fibre. I was constipated, but I was eating like a horse."

By March, 2013, Mr Beinke was tipping the scales at 126kg.

The excess weight was having serious ramifications on his livelihood, which involves the construction and repair of Chesterfield furniture.

"I had been in poor health for some time. I was diagnosed with a degenerative hip and was on the waiting list for a hip replacement. I was snoring so badly because of my weight, and my shoulders and arms were becoming so painful that I couldn't move them," he said.

The then 44-year-old was at serious risk of type 2 diabetes, with a doctor telling him the only thing he could do was cut fat out of his diet. From that day he set out about changing his lifestyle.

He built up a gym, went on regular walks, researched his diet and stuck to it religiously.

He has lost nearly 40kg since his so-called D-Day.

"I was able to turn off my sleep apnoea machine and cancel my hip surgery. My hip condition is still there, but I don't feel the pain," he said.

"My productivity here in the shed has gone back to what it was when I was in my early 20s."

Diabetes Queensland figures show more than one million Queenslanders are overweight or obese. About 200,000 are diagnosed with diabetes, but another 93,000 have type 2 diabetes and don't even know it.