'Saved my life': Cricket great's staggering body transformation
Australian Test cricket legend Greg Ritchie says the extraordinary body transformation he's undergone, effectively saved his life.
Ritchie used to go by the nickname, Fat Cat, but after details of his dramatic weight loss have been revealed, it's fair to say he's done enough to shake off the tag.
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The 60-year-old former batsman used to weigh 133kg but has shed an astonishing 36kg in a move that he says has been a lifesaver.
He was told that he ran the risk of dying if he didn't do something about his weight so Ritchie set about losing the excess kilos.
After doctors said he was likely to die from a heart attack, former Australian cricketer Greg Ritchie undertook a dramatic change to turn his life around. That and plenty more in What's The Buzz, via @BuzzRothfield https://t.co/E9MeQHznR8
— Telegraph Sport (@telegraph_sport) May 23, 2020
“I wanted to keep waking up in the morning and they said if I didn’t lose any weight I’d probably end up looking at the inside of a box and that wasn’t a great alternative,” Ritchie told Sky Sports Radio.
“I was advised to go and see a medical clinic in Brisbane called the LifeShape clinic … the only medically supervised weight loss clinic in Brisbane, April 1 last year.
“Fourteen months later I got 36kg off.
“(I undertook a) Food replacement program for really 12 months and a re-education of how to eat, (addressing) the psychological problems that I might have had that were making me eat, an exercise program.
“And the most important thing is the discipline that goes with it. I had to report every week – when I say report in, I went and spoke to my clinician every week and we diarised all the progress so it’s been a fantastic journey.
“It’s saved my life.”
A big part of Ritchie's weight loss has been centred around regular exercise and a cutting down on the booze.
He says he's only had a hand-full of beers in 14 months and instead opts for the occasional scotch or glass of red wine.
Ritchie laments feud between Warne and Waugh
Ritchie also took the time on the radio program to address the ugly feud between fellow Aussie cricket greats Shane Warne and Steve Waugh that has resurfaced recently.
Warne reignited the bad blood between the pair when he shared a video of the 104 run-outs Waugh was directly involved in over his career - to highlight his long-standing opinion that the former Aussie skipper was a selfish player.
TWITTER CRICKET FANS!!! HERE IT IS!!
😎
Steve Waugh was involved in 104 run outs in his international career..
His batting partner was the victim 73 times, here's the video of those unlucky souls..
It's an hour long!!! Took me over 24 hours to make 😴https://t.co/rctxyQp2F2— Rob Moody (@robelinda2) May 15, 2020
Ritchie said while he was reluctant to get involved, he questioned why the feud needed to be played out in public in the first place.
“I don’t like to see cricketers have feuds,” Ritchie said.
“It’s none of my business what Warnie thinks of Steve Waugh but is there a need to air all of that publicly? I don’t think so.
“I don’t think you win any favours by belting up Steve Waugh, who was one of our best ever.
“I can’t see the point of it. They were two great cricketers.
“We don’t need to be doing that. Two great Australian cricketers, we don’t need to be seeing that in the press.”
