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I racked up 100k debt and weighed 22 stone - 2pm rule has turned my life around

Paul Fish, 47, would binge eat up to 10 times a day and built up huge debts

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A car salesman whose life fell apart due to huge debts and serious weight gain sorted things out with a simple 2pm rule. And after turning his life around, Paul Fish can now look back at what a mess his life was in.Paul battled a 3,000-a-month cocaine addiction while binge eating up to 10 times daily. Now he has kicked his drug habit and shed 6.5 stone through fasting and walking 12,000 steps each day. Paul, 47, wrestled with binge eating and substance abuse after falling 100,000 into debt during the financial crash.

At his worst, the sports massage therapist from Cardiff reached 22.5 stone and wore size XXXL clothing, consuming food 10 times daily whilst getting through 700 worth of cocaine weekly. Following rejection for a wisdom tooth procedure due to his elevated BMI, Paul started walking for exercise, but whilst still eating poorly and using drugs, he managed to shed three stone over four years.

He then discovered fasting through YouTube, and Paul now delays eating until 2pm, trains six days weekly, and has swapped crisps and chocolate for salmon and avocados, resulting in his weight dropping to 15.8 stone. After experiencing a "spiritual awakening" on 31 October 2025, Paul finally broke free from his 25-year drug dependency, and has now established a walking group in Cardiff to motivate others.

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Paul reached 22.5 stone at one point

Paul said: "There was a point where a dealer would throw two grams of cocaine in a fag packet over the fence at 9am every day, and I'd just be in the house sniffing all day. I'd go out to the pub getting pissed every night as well, and I'd get my partner at the time to go to the Co-op to buy me flakes, and salt and vinegar Squares and full fat coke.

"In 2021, I was denied wisdom tooth surgery because I was 22.5 stone, and doctors said my BMI was too high. I put on my trainers the next day and started walking.

"I did a 150km charity walk for Great Ormond Street, but I was still sniffing cocaine and eating crap, so I wasn't getting anywhere. I started fasting and now I don't eat until 2pm, sometimes 4pm.

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Paul had hit rock bottom - but turned things around

"I eat things like avocado, salmon, chicken, it's changed my life. Then on October 31st 2025, I had a spiritual awakening, and I haven't touched cocaine since.

"Fixing my food was the final piece of the jigsaw, my mental health has improved so much, because I'm giving my body what it wants. I feel like I've been released from prison, I've got so much more more energy.

"I'm now on a mission to help other people." Paul's battle with addiction first began during the 2007 financial crisis, when he found himself drowning in debt that his modest car salesman's salary couldn't cover.

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Paul now wants to help others

"I was struggling with drink due to the pressure of the payments," he explained. As his debts spiralled, Paul's relationship broke down, triggering a destructive cycle of binge eating, heavy drinking and cocaine use.

He relocated to South Africa with a new partner, but when that relationship collapsed in 2016, he found himself back at his mum's cramped bungalow. "I felt like a spare part," he recalled.

"I would just end up going to the pub and sniffing coke," he added. At his lowest point, Paul would arrange for a dealer to throw two grammes of cocaine over the garden fence every morning, costing him around 100 daily. He would then spend the entire day indoors "sniffing", whilst binge eating on crisps and chocolate.

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Paul, who now clocks up 12,000 steps a day, with boxer Joe Cordina

His drug habit eventually cost him his job in car sales, forcing him to retrain as a sports massage therapist. By 2021, Paul had ballooned to 22st 5lbs, and was refused wisdom tooth surgery after medics deemed his BMI too high.

This wake-up call spurred Paul into action, and the following day he laced up his trainers and began walking 12,000 steps daily. He launched an Instagram account for fellow male walkers in his area, and completed 150km in 14 days to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Yet despite his newfound passion for exercise, Paul continued using cocaine and eating poorly, meaning he was "getting nowhere". Between 2021 and 2025, Paul shed just over three stone, dropping from 22.5 stone to 18 stone 10.

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Paul has transformed his diet

Paul then started watching nutrition videos on YouTube and decided to experiment with fasting. Instead of demolishing Gregg's chicken and mayo sandwiches with crisps for lunch and eating up to 10 times daily, he now consumes less than 40g of carbs from Monday to Saturday, with a "carb refeed" on Sunday where he eats 450g.

Paul eats nothing until 2pm or sometimes as late as 4pm each day, and maintains an extremely healthy diet of salmon, avocado, Greek yoghurt, chicken and steak. He also lifts weights six times a week, and takes a variety of supplements, such as collagen, magnesium and ashwagandha.

Then, on 31 October 2025, he revealed he'd experienced a "spiritual awakening" and hasn't touched cocaine since. "I'd been to cocaine anonymous for years, I'd been through counselling, and lost relationships and nothing worked, but after my spiritual awakening, I haven't thought about using cocaine once," he said.

Following Paul's "spiritual awakening", he shed a further three stone, bringing him down to 15 stone 8. Determined to support others, Paul has now established a walking group in Cardiff called the Monday Reset Project, whilst sharing his journey on his TikTok channel @paulfish.ckd.

His first walking event, on Sunday 8 March, was attended by Welsh boxer Joe Cordina, and he's anticipating over 100 attendees at his next event, on 29 March.

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