60kg weight loss after quitting alcohol: how a beer lover’s liver disease saw him give up his ‘6 to 8 pints a day’ habit and get in the best shape of his life
- Ross Bendix drank beer daily and weighed 127kg (280lbs) before having a seizure, being diagnosed with liver disease and spending over a month in hospital
- ‘What have I inflicted on my family?’ he thought – so he quit alcohol, changed his diet and started walking regularly, now averaging 12km to 15km (8 to 9 miles) a day
Ross Bendix had a rough start to 2022. On New Year’s Day, he suffered a seizure and collapsed in his living room while watching television. He arrived by ambulance at Hong Kong’s Ruttonjee Hospital where he spent five days in the intensive care unit – and 42 more days in hospital on a drip.
He was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver.
At the time, Bendix was overweight, weighing 127 kilograms (280 pounds). He was put on antibiotics for blood poisoning, strong sedative medication to avoid repeat seizures, and diuretics to flush excess fluids from his body.
By the end of 2022, Bendix, now 49, had reclaimed his health and turned his life around. He lost 60kg during the year, weighing 67kg by December 2022, leaving him in the best shape of his life.
Originally from Cornwall in the UK, Bendix has called Hong Kong home for the past 20 years and works as an executive in the city. He has a wife and a seven-year-old son, Charlie.
“I had gained weight over the years because of a steady consumption of alcohol, unhealthy eating habits, long working hours and lack of exercise,” he says. The keen rugby fan would drink 6 to 8 pints of beer a day on average, and ate processed food.
“I didn’t eat that much, but when I did it was kebabs, curries, anything spicy in a sauce, and I got enough sugar from the booze!” he says.
Alcohol had become a core part of his life.
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“I started drinking beer as a teenager with my stepdad and mates. Soon it became the norm, weekend binges followed by massive hangovers. I was a ‘grazer’, never hammered, but also never stopping.
“My work was business development, and back then I would plan social beers around long lunch meetings or early evening meets. I was a social drinker, but underneath that lurked feelings of self-loathing and deep-rooted anxiety, issues I was not confronting,” he says.
The ordeal in hospital was a wake-up call.
“‘What have I done to myself and what have I inflicted on my family?’ I thought. I had let them down, felt like a failure and was worried about what would happen to them should I not survive.
“I promised myself that if I was able to leave the hospital semi-intact, I would do everything in my power to take back control of my health.”
He vowed to quit alcohol as soon as he left the hospital.
“I had my last beer on New Year’s Eve 2021,” he says. He has not had a drink since then and has never been tempted to revert to the old ways.
“My biggest motivation to stay off alcohol is that I never want to be in that helpless state that I was in. I want to make up for the trauma I caused my family, witnessing me collapse, being stretchered off in an ambulance, and spending days in agony in hospital,” he says.
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“The memory of what transpired and the pain I suffered was enough. It haunts me and I’m compelled to tell anyone who is feeling that low, or with such inner turmoil that they’d want to destroy themselves unwittingly, that they can be heard and that there is help.
“I want to listen to them; I want to shout out that there is a clear road to live a life well lived.
“I made a bet to myself in that hospital bed to change because of the love of my wife, son, family and friends, and to make that same bet every day onward. I started to own my problems, face my fears and that freed me. I am sharing my story in the hope that maybe I can strike a chord with others.”
He still meets friends for dinners, socialises and attends rugby events – all without a beer in his hand.
Bendix also consulted a dietitian at the Hong Kong Sanatorium hospital.
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Bendix started walking a few hundred metres a day. Soon he was walking three kilometres (1.9 miles) without getting out of breath.
“I started walking from the Hong Kong Exhibition Centre to the Hong Kong Observation Wheel, then further to Kennedy Town, and eventually all the way back. I had several mates who walked with me to encourage me,” he says.
By the end of five months, in May 2022, he was walking 12km a day and now averages 12km to 15km (8 to 9 miles) a day.
In October 2022, he took up boxing classes with Vander Dave Ramos, a boxing coach with 10 years’ experience.
“Boxing has given me focus and discipline. My fitness levels have increased significantly, and my confidence levels have soared.”
Training takes place at Versus Performance in Sheung Wan, each morning after Bendix’s walk. Ramos focuses on bodyweight training, boxing mitts and exercises with a kettle bell.
Bendix credits family and friends’ support for helping him achieve his new-found fitness.
“The superstar in this story is my wife Ellane. I owe my recovery to her for standing by my side and encouraging me on towards my journey to health,” he says.
“My friends rallied around and took care of everything from escorting me to doctor visits, keeping me positive mentally, to taking care of my family in the UK and in Hong Kong while I was in hospital. I am humbled by the love and support we received.”
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He has more energy and clarity of thought now, and is a better partner and parent.
“People often ask me what the secret to becoming fit is. The answer is simple: willpower, discipline and self-belief.
“You just have to keep on marching, never doubt yourself and never give up.”
