As February rolls on, it is not uncommon or unheard of for many New Years’ resolutions to reach a slump as the novelty of the newly acquired gym membership wears off, and that fresh summer enthusiasm for getting back into shape wanes. For even the best of us, it takes something more to keep that resolution and drive going for more than several weeks.

For George Kotis, ‘something more’ was a wake-up call that came while he was debilitated in hospital. George was 42-years-old and weighed 193 kilograms when he was admitted to hospital in 2010. He was so heavy that it seemed his skin was splitting at the seams, with bad blood circulation in his legs causing ulcers to open up. It was then that he got the wake-up call that changed his life.

“My father asked me, ‘Do you like this place?’ I said ‘No’ and he replied, ‘Well get used to it because the way you’re living your life this will be your home’. That was when the penny dropped and I realised I needed to turn my life around dramatically,” George recounted. “Over 20 years I’ve been trying to get on top of the weight, it was always the devil on my back,” he says.

During the years, the scale was reaching tipping point, the so-called ‘devil’ on George’s back was his addiction to junk food. A typical daily diet would include three to four litres of Coca Cola and a block of chocolate, among other bad choices. “I was a junk addict,” he says. “I never felt that I was in control, because I was an emotional eater, I felt that the food was controlling me.”

The weight gain also took a toll on the people around George. In the three years before his drastic weight loss, George separated with his wife, was unable to see his son daily and found that his finances had also took a blow. Prior to his weight loss, the father of one said how low his self-confidence and self-esteem was, no doubt fuelled with having to deal with problems “normal-sized people don’t even think about”.

“Things like getting in and out of the car, getting off the couch is such a big effort because you’re carrying so much weight,” he recalls. All that seems like world away now. At his peak in November 2010, George weighed 193 kg, of which he lost 87 kg within a mere 12 months. He now weighs a far leaner 106 kg.

Since his weight loss journey, George has developed a philosophical outlook on his old self. “I used to look for ways to give me happiness externally, whether it was buying a new car or finding happiness through my wife and child. Those things only gave me temporary happiness. But through my journey I found inner peace within myself. I don’t need anyone else to make me happy now, so I can give happiness to others instead.” Of course, as with anyone, turning his life around was not an easy feat. George made it clear that he put in the effort and dedication needed to make the dramatic change he promised himself when he was admitted to hospital.

Committing himself to two to four hours of training each day, at times starting as early as 4.30am, it was little wonder that George managed to lose 40 kg between November 2010 to August 2011.

But surely, being the mere mortals we are, there were times when temptation threatened to push him off the wagon and fall back into his old habits? “I did go to Fiji last year and everyone knows it’s difficult to hold back on holiday, but I was very disciplined by then, and nothing was going to stop me. I wanted to be a good role model for my son,” George says. “From my own experience, unless people can find their reason to not just change their bodies but their lifestyles, they will fail because it’s not easy to sustain healthy choices.

“I also had a good support network around me, so I didn’t feel like I was doing it alone. Obviously I had my trainer, my family and my friends behind me.” Since mid-2011, George has lost a further 40 kg, this time in a mere 12 weeks as part of a national fitness challenge run by the Goodlife Health Club gyms. He won the title of national champion, beating over 4000 entrants from all over Australia. George also gave his diet a complete overhaul during the challenge, handing over his diet to Gold Coast company Performance Foods, who prepared and sent meals daily according to his dietary requirements.

Today, George is the brand ambassador for Performance Foods and helped set up a branch of the company in his hometown Brisbane. “I want to be an ambassador for overweight people and I want to share my message on the correct way to lose your weight and get away from the fad diets, these magic diet pills that are advertised.” Currently writing a book about his weight loss journey, George is also training to be a bodybuilder and has set himself a “challenge to look good enough to go on stage and to compete in a body building competition.” For George, it took a trip to the hospital to provide the push required to keep his resolution going; taking a leaf out of his story might be exactly what the rest of us need for some practical inspiration.