McDonald's lover 'turned grey' when he had rare illness

Source: (https://bit.ly/3MO0zJh)
A McDonald's lover 'turned grey' when he gave up fast-food - and it
emerged he had a rare condition that turned the sugar in meals into
alcohol. Gregory Cole, 58, admits that he loved a McDonald's burger
and would eat them at every opportunity, but it turned out the high
sugar content in the food was very bad for him. One day he suffered
a herniated disk and was told by doctors he would have to lose
weight, but then he seemed to get sicker as he dieted - and he said
his skin changed colour. Gregory, from New Jersey, US, then went
in for tests and it turned out he suffered from auto-brewery syndrome
- which means his body was converting the sugar in food into alcohol.
Gregory said that at his heaviest point he weighed 19 stone.
Gregory knew something was wrong as when he tried
to diet and stuck to an exercise routine, he would start to feel
fatigued and bloated, as well as having brain fog and migraines.
He said: "I thought I was perhaps working out too much and was
burning the candle at both ends. "I had a good diet, but my energy
level got worse and one day, I could barely drag myself out of bed.
"My skin turned grey, I had body aches, my rosacea worsened and
I was catching colds on a frequent basis – my immunity was
compromised. He would eat McDonald's meals three times a day
When he injured his back, doctors told Gregory he would have to lose
weight.
"I went to my doctor, who told me my blood work was fine, but my
vitamin D level was low. "At the same time, my neighbour told me
about the progress she made with her nutritionist, which is when
I turned to them for help." He was told that he had auto-brewery
syndrome – a rare condition where the body turns sugar into alcohol,
making you feel drunk – so decided to cut all sugar from his diet.
He said: "I didn’t even eat any fruit – my diet consisted of green
vegetables, fish, lamb and nuts. Gregory loved fast food since he
was a child.
"[After] a year, I returned to optimal health and the majority of my
ailments disappeared. "My energy returned, the brain fog, achiness
and bloating went away and my rosacea was cured. "For the first time
since my teenage years, I felt ecstatic – almost reborn." Since his
diagnosis, he gave himself the goal to maintain his newly-found
health by working out at the gym and losing weight. After he was
diagnosed, Gregory began working out
Now, he's in the best shape of his life 
Before, he would eat McDonald’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner,
as well as lots of cake, potato chips and bread. Now, he has egg
whites and porridge for breakfast, chicken and vegetables for lunch,
with turkey and more vegetables for dinner. Sometimes, he’ll tuck
into a Greek yoghurt for dessert and, for a treat will have blue corn
tortilla chips and the occasional vodka martini. After training on his
functional strength and intense weightlifting routines, he soon
became interested in bodybuilding and won his first competition
in October 2018. He's even entered a body-building competition
He's lost seven stone, nearly half his body weight
Gregory said: "It was quite a surreal moment and the audience was
very supportive [of my journey]. "I knew that any goal I set for myself
was achievable and that was the day I crowned myself the ‘reinvention
king.’ "I want to inspire other people like me and show that being
obese is not a life-long sentence, it is possible to lose weight and
keep it off. "I hope to educate people, not only about diet and
exercise, but about how to achieve optimal health." Gregory Cole
now with a sugar free cake he backed.
Gregory, who co-owns a fragrance company, The Bubble Collection
(going on sale in UK in 2023), now poses in his own advertisements
and television stints due to his newfound confidence. Although, he
has made some sacrifices along the way to be where he is today.
He added: “In the past, my body represented so many things – the
state of my mental health, as well as my physical health. For more
of the news you care about, straight to your inbox, sign up for one
of our daily newsletters here. "I remember the day I weighed myself
and I was at my heaviest. I took pictures and said one day, I will
have before and after pictures to show the world. "Don’t be so hard
on yourself, as we are overweight and unhealthy for reasons beyond
our control. "This is a marathon, not a race and it’s important to
educate yourself about the quality of the calories consumed.
"Once you cut out sugar, you will see your hunger pains disappear,
trust me. "If I can do it, you can do it." McDonald's has been
approached for comment.