A self-conscious man who battled cancer was forced to change his whole wardrobe after a dramatic body transformation inspired by The Avengers.
Marcus Syson was diagnosed with Burkitt's lymphoma - a rare cancer which affects your organs, when he was 22 years old and has not relapsed since.
The 37-year-old from Wakefield, who works as an IT manager in Leeds said the diagnosis was mentally difficult, but promised himself to take better care of his body in the future.
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At his heaviest, Marcus, a self confessed yo-yo dieter, was 16 stone and has now shed more than 20kg.
He was inspired to get a body like Hollywood actor and Captain America star Chris Evans, but did not think it would be possible to get a six-pack.
He has since lost more than 20kg and has been forced to change his whole wardrobe as none of his old clothes fit anymore.
“It’s given me that boost I needed,” Marcus said. “I feel more confident and I feel positive from a health point of view, it's the best my body has ever been.
“I’ve had to buy a whole new wardrobe, many of my old clothes don’t fit. I’ve had to chuck some of my old clothes but kept some jumpers.
“It felt wonderful, I can now walk into places I couldn’t previously and fit into their clothes. I've gone from 36 waist to 38 to 32 or 30 depending on the fit. That's the best achievement
“I’ve always lacked body confidence, I’ve always been conscious of how I look.”
He continued: “One of my regrets after my cancer, I said I would not pile on weight.
“I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 22, I battled through through until the end. I’m in remission, I always said to myself I would look after my body a bit more
“It was something I’d regret doing until now, I think for me it's an achievement. I've done it but at the same time I shouldn’t have left it so long.”
Marcus joined Ultimate Performance gym in Leeds where he would train twice a week, in 23 weeks he lost 20kg and lost more than 20% body fat.
When Marcus was diagnosed with cancer, it took only a couple weeks before he was receiving treatment and he was in hospital for six months.
However, since then he has been in remission but now has to take immunosuppressant medication to this day.
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Before he started taking his gym journey seriously, he said he would struggle to lose weight but now he has a better understanding of how to lose weight after events such as Christmas.
Marcus added thanks to his weight loss he is more focused at work and mentally. He also believes his new lifestyle is also the reason he hasn’t had chest infections or aches which he used to have.
Speaking about his diagnosis, he continued: “It was a massive whirlwind, it happened very quickly.
“In a couple of weeks I went from being diagnosed to being in hospital for six months. That was mentally difficult.
“It was very surreal not being able to see many people, I had the support of my friends and family
“It took me a long time after cancer to become mentally stable and not worry about everything. If I found a bump or a lump, it was a terrifying time but I couldn’t have gone through that without friends and family.”
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