It's all the fats fault "apparently"

"Burgers and chips were almost the death of liver transplant dad Chris Hughes.

But the 45-year-old is now ready to start marathon training to thank doctors who saved his life.

When Chris became a porter at his local hospital 25 years ago, he never thought his fast food lifestyle would lead to a life-saving operation.

But that's exactly what happened when 19-stone Chris was rushed into hospital with cirrhosis of the liver - caused by his 25-year fat-filled diet of burgers, chips and microwave meals.

Today, Chris is a picture of health after having his fatty liver replaced by one which is 10 years older than he is.

'Burgers and chips almost killed me. I feel so lucky to be alive. I would not be here if I had not had this transplant. I am so glad to be here,' said Chris, of Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire.

'I did not think that eating fast food would cause such problems. I always thought cirrhosis of the liver was caused by drinking too much alcohol - and I have never been a big drinker.'

Chris' unhealthy life style began when he started work at the former St Thomas's Hospital in Haverfordwest.

Due to irregular working hours, he used to grab a bag of fish and chips on the way home from work and drink up to two litres of cola a day.

Fruit was ignored in favour of microwave meals and Chris, a non-smoker, often used to snack on crisps in between meals.

But his unhealthy lifestyle caught up with him last January when he began to feel unwell with flu-like symptoms.

'The doctor told me to take some paracetamol and come back if I did not get any better. I thought it would pass,' said Chris, who has lost an incredible three stone.

'Within a couple of days I was admitted to Withybush Hospital. Tests showed I had cirrhosis of the liver. I was amazed. I could not believe fatty foods caused it.'

Chris later had his life-saving liver transplant op at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

'Because I started work at 6am and finished at 2am, I often used to grab something to eat on the way into work and on the way home - such as fish and chips,' said Chris.

'It was just convenience really and I fell into the habit of doing it all the time. I didn't really think about it.'

Chris has shed pounds since his transplant and now visits the gym at Pembrokeshire College twice a week.

'This has been a big shock to me and I have changed what I eat and my lifestyle,' said Chris.

'I have cut the cola out altogether and now eat about a kilo of bananas a day. Before the transplant I used to get breathless and feel tired all the time. I now feel great, as good as I did when I was 18.

'I may even run a marathon in the future to raise funds for the transplant unit at the hospital where I had my operation.'

Chris is now busy passing on lifestyle tips to his 16-year-old son Phillip and wife Trudi: 'I enjoy cooking my own meals and make sure I eat stuff like salads. It has been difficult but it is better than the alternative.

'If I had not had this transplant I would probably not be here.

' The transplant daily diet Chris' typical daily diet before his transplant Breakfast - Nothing MEAL 1 Mid-morning - Greasy bacon sandwich MEAL 2 Lunch - Cheese and tomato sandwich MEAL 3 Afternoon - Two packets of crisps plus two litres of cola MEAL 4 Dinner - Burger and chips MEAL 5 Supper - Fish and chips THE HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE Breakfast - Two slices of toast with two bananas Lunch - Ham and cheese salad, tea and two biscuits Dinner - Spaghetti Bolognese, lots of fruit. Fat's not funny anymore

dietician Christine Cashin says fatty foods really can kill.

The health expert says Chris Hughes must have been consuming huge amounts of fat to require a liver transplant.

'The average male consumes about 90 grammes of fat each day - he must have doubled that. His fat intake must have been excessive,' said Mrs Cashin, from Pentyrch, Cardiff.

'If you are eating fish and chips and burgers each day your liver can't cope with it. Your arteries become lined with fat and it can lead to coronary heart disease. It really is up to individuals to change their own behaviour.' "

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/BURGERS+AND+CHIPS+ALMOST+KILLED+ME.-a0129806160

No mention about the carbs or the trans fats I see-No surprises there then!

Paul

Isn't Christine Cashin Eddie's old sparring partner? How typical that she's so out of date with the science about fructose and fatty liver

Indy51 wrote:Isn't Christine Cashin Eddie's old sparring partner? How typical that she's so out of date with the science about fructose and fatty liver

Yep she's the one Jill, she once said on a dietetics forum that potatoes should be a staple in a T2 diet.

graham64 wrote:

Indy51 wrote:Isn't Christine Cashin Eddie's old sparring partner? How typical that she's so out of date with the science about fructose and fatty liver

Yep she's the one Jill, she once said on a dietetics forum that potatoes should be a staple in a T2 diet.

I'd like to see her try her luck and peddle that over here! Never mind a 'Flea in her ear' but she'd get a whole 'Flea circus' !

So it was the fat, not the chips, sandwiches, toast, crisps, sweets and biscuits then.

Mind you it might have been the fat too. Most fried goods these days are cooked in varnish.

AliB wrote:

Mind you it might have been the fat too.  Most fried goods these days are cooked in varnish.

I remember the pre-diabetes days and the struggle I used to have cleaning out my deep fat fryer which always contained 'Healthy' vegetable or Sunflower oils,god knows what it was doing to our insides!

Paul wrote:

AliB wrote:

Mind you it might have been the fat too.  Most fried goods these days are cooked in varnish.

I remember the pre-diabetes days and the struggle I used to have cleaning out my deep fat fryer which always contained 'Healthy' vegetable or Sunflower oils,god knows what it was doing to our insides!

Yes exactly that Paul! it was when I was cleaning my chip pan one day that I decided those oils were not so healthy and I started changing my diet, little by little. That's how I discovered LCHF. Not all at once like the rest of you, just bit by bit, exchanging foods for healthier ones. When I finally found a diabetes forum I had already been diabetic for 2 years. I was so surprised to find that I had very little left that needed changing...and that I wasn't alone!

Indy51 wrote:Isn't Christine Cashin Eddie's old sparring partner? How typical that she's so out of date with the science about fructose and fatty liver

I will say nothing on the forum re. Christine Cashin at the present time, I have commented in the past as can be seen on the link below.

http://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/british-dietetic-association-chris.html