A father has lost four stone after piling on the pounds when his son was born – by exercising with his baby
Sion Monty, 30, gained four stone in weight just six months after becoming a dad to his first child Tedi. He was juggling a lot; he was getting to grips with fatherhood, and he also owned three businesses – a gym, a fitness supplement company and a gymwear clothing line.
With no energy or time for anything other than Tedi and work, Sion and his partner Kara had started to have up to five takeaways a week.
“My baby suffered with reflux and he never slept, so we were always tired,” he said. “We didn’t have any time for cooking and it was really hard work. My family came first, then my businesses, and soon going to the gym and fitness went out the back door.”
Given his line of work, his weight gain had left him mortified – and so on Boxing Day last year, he vowed to start getting into shape.
Time for change
The dad from Porthmadog, Wales started by taking on a diet overhaul, giving himself an ‘eating window’ of midday to 6pm and fasting 18 hours a day to encourage his body to burn fat.
Exercise was going to be more difficult to fit around his busy schedule as a dad, so Sion decided to involve Tedi in his fitness regime, going for daily runs, hill sprints and long walks with his son in the pram.
Speaking exclusively to Baby magazine, Sion said: “I would fit in my weight training during my 9am to 5pm working hours, and me, Tedi and my girlfriend would go for walks every evening.”
“Having Tedi definitely made it easier to go out and exercise, as I know he loves the outdoors and he’s obsessed with birds. So knowing he enjoyed the time spent always made it easier.”
Sion also tried hill sprints with the buggy to burn fat, which he recommends as a good fitness technique to other dads. “I would recommend going for walks, and if you do come by any hills, then run up, challenge yourself, but make sure your baby is safe!”
Is there enough out there to help dads lose weight?
There’s far more out there for mums who want to lose weight during and after birth, but what about dads? Sion believes that new fathers aren’t currently get the sufficient amount of support they need, but he’s aiming to fix that.
“I think there should be more out there for men who gain weight after the birth of their children, and that’s what I’m setting out to do.”
READ MORE: How to approach exercise post-baby
In the meantime, though, he’s happy to continue exercising with Tedi and celebrating his achievement: “I’ve never been happier than I am now. I love being a dad, and I’m happy with my body. I feel like a different person.”
Sion’s top exercise tips for dads
- Pushing the buggy on long walks and up hills
- Press-ups with your child on your back
- Carrying your child up and down the stairs
- Go swimming!
- Play sport with your children, like football, rounders or rugby
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