Man With 6 Months To Live Loses 76 Pounds On Fruit And Protein Shake Diet

A Durham, North Carolina, man turned his life around after serious medical news.

Derek Barnett, 55, was diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease 10 years ago, according to a SWNS report.

At his heaviest, Barnett weighed 240 pounds and was a size 38.

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Barnett, a builder who is currently unemployed due to health problemsbrushed off his diagnosis, telling SWNS he “thought nothing of it.”

“Everybody has something,” he said.

At his heaviest, Barnett weighed 240 pounds and was a size 38. (SWNS)

But the man’s condition worsened, progressing to cirrhosis and eventually hepatocellular carcinoma, also known as liver cancer.

In January 2024, Barnett received a letter from his doctor with bad news – he potentially had just six months to live if the cancer continued to grow.

“When they gave me that letter last year, it became real,” he reflected.

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“This note said, ‘If the cancer becomes aggressive, you will have six months to live.’ I kept it, looked at it every day, and it blew me away.”

Barnett’s doctors informed him that the best way to regain his health was to lose weight – and he realized that it was time to gain motivation and act.

“I played college baseball, tennis and football in the 80s, but I gained weight as I got older,” Barnett said. (SWNS)

“I said, ‘OK, we can do it,'” he told SWNS. “I’m a fruit lover. I went to a staple fruit diet mostly.”

Barnett began limiting his diet to “very small portions” throughout the day, including lots of his favorite fruits.

“It’s about eating right, staying active and never giving up.”

“I can eat a whole watermelon in a day, but I also eat apples, oranges and grapes – whatever’s in season,” he said.

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“I also drink protein shakes. I’m not a vegetarian, but I don’t eat much meat because it’s too filling for me.’

Barnett recently hit a record low weight 164 pounds. He reported that he dropped pounds following this diet and that his “results look fantastic.”

Barnett reported feeling “fantastic and I’m just getting started.” (SWNS)

“I haven’t weighed it since I was probably 15,” he said.

Barnett said he still has work to do toning his muscles to “catch up with skin loss” but he keeps moving forward.

“My clothes are too big and baggy and it’s hard to afford clothes when you’re losing weight so quickly, but I feel fantastic,” he said.

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Barnett also kept the weight off stay activedespite his physical limitations.

“I have osteoarthritis in my right knee and I need a knee replacement,” he said. “I can’t jog or walk up the stairs, but I do what I can.”

Barnett managed to lose more than 70 pounds with the help of a fruit and protein shake diet and consistent exercise. (SWNS)

He reported that his workouts usually involve sitting in chairs and “using small dumbbells.”

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“I do it continuously, but I do it without harming myself,” he added. “Losing weight is just (about) staying active, finding things to do to get off the couch.”

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Barnett told SWNS that he will know the status of his prognosis in February and that he hopes to inspire others with his successful weight loss journey.

“I definitely don’t want cancer anymore,” he said. “I don’t want a liver transplant. I want to lead an active lifestyle.” (SWNS)

“If I can do it, anyone can,” he said. “I did everything the doctors told me to do. It was eating right, staying active and never giving up.”

“I was 55, he was 90,” he continued. “Now I’m 55, I’m back to being 20 again.”

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Barnett hopes to get back to work and life”full-fledged, active lifestyle“, reports SWNS.

“I want to ring that bell the next time I see my doctors and tell them I did it,” he said. “This is just the beginning.”