Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

Madden, 100 pounds lighter today. - photo by Janet Silvera

WESTERN BUREAU:

He still has a weakness for his mother-in-law's bread, potato puddings, tarts and cakes. But, despite his sweet tooth, Ruel Leslie Madden Jr has no plans of reverting to the 297 pounds he carried around 20 months ago. He's 100 pounds lighter and loving it! As long as he can recall, he's been called 'Fattas'.

100 pounds lighter

Today, his friends are in search of a new name. "I tell them to call me 'Tas' because the fat is gone," he quipped. Two years ago, the 36-year-old operator of Madden's Funeral Parlour in Montego Bay had no idea what the inside of a gym looked like and his annual New Year's Eve wish list would take permanent leave by the end of January. "My sporting quest would go through the door. I continued like that for five years and I was getting bigger and bigger, while I kept changing clothes size, and even my shoes size went up; and by age 30, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure."

Madden's problems started when he left to study in the United States. "As a student overseas, you don't really get to eat properly. You are forced to take whatever is available, the Burger Kings and the KFCs," he reminisced.

Before long, his pants size increased from 34 to 42, and his shirts moved from 2X to size 20.

His weight became a major concern for his family and his wife, Rosemarie. "Every time I said something about it, he would ignore me. He never liked hearing it. He just wasn't ready to do anything about it," she recalled.

Eventually, she said she wanted him to do it for himself and he has.

The right shot

One fateful January evening, two years ago, he headed to a squash court and met the man who would change his life; occupational therapist, Richard Deenah. "I didn't know him from Adams. We just started speaking and he sparked my interest," recalled Madden.

What Madden didn't tell the Flair Magazine was that Deenah warned him that if he took the racket in his hand that night, he would most certainly have a heart attack.

The speech of conviction led him to the 'Deenahlites' factory, Biokinergo, the very next morning. "I have not looked back since. I go there every day, except Sundays when I go to church," he boasted.

Madden is so dedicated that when his trainer went on vacation recently and locked the gym, he borrowed the keys and continued his workout every day.

"It has become an addiction. When I don't go, it is as if something is wrong. I feel guilty and I have withdrawal symptoms."

Education is also an integral part of the process, and he terms it one of the keys to his success. "The key to losing weight is 80 per cent food intake and 20 per cent exercise," he said.

Food

So what does he eat?

Obesity runs in his family, but for Madden, a balanced meal consists mainly of carbohydrates, because of the intense regiment of his exercise programme. He explains that carbs are the most readily available source of energy. He does eat proteins, but is careful. "When you go on a high protein diet, you tend to feel lethargic and the weight loss that you achieve is not real, it's mostly water loss that you will see on the scale. When you increase your carbohydrates after being on a low protein diet, you might find your weight goes up substantially that is a result of water retention."

His trainer, Richard Deenah, explained that the carbohydrates break down into sugars which are then converted to glycogen. "Glycogen will hold a good portion of its weight, about three times its mass in water. This is where you will see the increase in weight gain. I don't encourage my clients to lose weight, I encourage them to lose fat," said Deenah.

Like his trainer, Madden Jr believes that fat loss is something that takes time, so he doesn't believe in diets that tell you that you are going to lose 10 pounds in three days. "You need to run away from those because they are not healthy."

His diet is 60-70 per cent carbohydrates, 20-30 per cent protein, which helps to rebuild the muscles, and about five to 10 per cent fat.

As a man who has been there, Madden notes that starting an exercise programme is easy, but sustaining it is the key to success.

Leslie Madden Jr two years ago when he topped the scale at 270 pounds. - Contributed