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A man approaching his 50th birthday has gone from flabby and unfit to super muscular within a year as a tribute to his own father.

This time last year Andy Billington was a self confessed couch potato, eating the wrong foods and drinking too much alcohol.

"My dad, Dave Tilson, died of cancer on New Year's Eve 2019 and it hit me hard. I started drinking at the funeral and I didn't really stop," he said.

Andy before and after his 12 month challenge

"It was becoming a problem. I was going through two bottles of wine a night. And, while I was drinking, I was eating unhealthy foods."

After a year, Andy looked in the mirror and was horrified at what he saw. Though he'd previously been very fit, and even worked as a personal trainer in the past, his body the most out of shape it had been for years

"I didn't like who I was turning into. I decided to fight back and become fitter and stronger than ever before," he vowed.

"My target date to do this was before my 50th birthday on the March 23."

The photos chart Andy's progress over the months

Andy set up a fundraising page, with the aim of raising cash for Willen Hospice, who cared for his dad in his final weeks. The link expires the day after his birthday

He decided to save money by not joining a gym to get fit. Instead he used money he would have spent on membership to buy health high protein foods such as salmon and chicken.

He already had a treadmill, weights and boxing gear at his Wolverton home, so he built a regime around those.

"I did a run and some weights before work and when I got back I'd exercise a bit more. My job as a recycling worker at centre:mk keeps me quite active too, so that was good."

Andy is a big fan of Bruce Lee and this week he was finally able to compare his new shape very favourably with that of his hero.

"I'm pretty pleased," he said. "I actually think I could have done it in a quicker time as I stopped and started a few times. But the result is good."

He is also delighted that his fundraising page has raised more than £1,500.

On Wednesday this week Andy plans to celebrate his new body and his 50th birthday with partner Lora and his daughter Shannon, who is 21.

"It's good to be 50 and fit again," he said.

From couch potato to muscle man in 12 months: Milton Keynes dad tells the story of his body transformation