ANDREW Fairley lost five stone – and completely changed his life. Having avoided exercise for most of his life, he tells health reporter Kate Liptrot why he’s running the Yorkshire Marathon

AFTER the birth of his daughter, Andrew Fairley decided he had to do something about his weight. 

A sedentary lifestyle as a PhD degree student, which saw him spend hours in the library, and occasionally the student bar, had caught up with him and Andrew had reached the heaviest he had ever weighed at 17st 5lb.

He felt unhealthy and lacked the energy to run around with his young son Alex, now three, and daughter Matilda, who is now 18 months.

Spurred into action, the University of York academic, now 27, from Fifth Avenue, decided to completely transform his diet and started going to the gym three times a week. 

In the space of a year, he lost five stone and now weighs 12st 5lbs.

“I could see results pretty quickly,” he said, “I really wanted to do it, not just for me but for my family. I was finding it difficult running around after my son and I wanted to be there for my family.” 

Supported by his wife, Emma, Andrew cut down on sugar and fat, and reduced the number of carbohydrates he ate as well as reducing portion sizes. 

He recorded his diet with the help of an app and gradually started exercising more, going out to run.

Having previously avoided running at school, he started to really enjoy it, and having completed his first 10km run on the first day of this year, and a triathlon earlier this summer, has now signed up to take part in the Yorkshire Marathon in York in October.

“I feel absolutely amazing now,” he said, “Before I got fit, walking into town and back would exhaust me. Now I can go out for a 10km run and then walk into town in the afternoon and feel fine. It’s an incredible feeling to enjoy exercise and feel great. 

“I can run around with my son and I feel good, I know he loves it as well.

“It’s a lifestyle change – I’ve changed the way I live my life completely.”

Andrew is hoping to raise £500 for Martin House Children’s Hospice as he said he can’t imagine “how awful it would be to have to cope not only with the heartache of having a child with a life-limiting illness, but also deal with the stress of trying to provide them with the care and support they would need”.

- If you would like to sponsor Andrew, visit www.justgiving.com/Andrew-Fairley3/ or text AFMA70 and the amount (eg £5) to 70070 to make a donation to Martin House.