Meet the Aussie Forrest Gump! Former 'couch potato' who once weighed 145 kilograms walks 5,400kms from Perth to Brisbane - taking selfies along the way
- Gary Wilmot has been on a mission to walk 5400 km from Perth to Brisbane
- On Friday, he celebrated his half way mark in Adelaide after nine weeks
- He tackled an incredible 2,700 kilometres on foot since May 16
- The father-of-two tipped the scales at 145 kilograms nearly five years ago
- He decided to turn his life around after years of smoking and drinking
- The 46-year-old has set up a campaign called Hearts for Australia
- He aims to raise $1 million and hopes more Aussies join him along the way
- Will arrive in Brisbane in September via Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney
He went from being unable to move from his couch to gearing up for a trek across Australia.
Gary Wilmot, who moved to Australia from Somerset in South West England more than a decade ago, has been on a mission to walk 5,400 kilometres from Perth to Brisbane to raise awareness for the Heart Foundation.
And on Friday afternoon, the 46-year-old celebrated his half way mark in Adelaide after tackling an incredible 2,700 kilometres on foot since May 16 with only a few days rest in between.
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The former couch potato in November 2007 (left) before he looked fit and healthy after turning his life around

The father of two previously lived off an unhealthy lifestyle but decided to turn his life around by exercising

Mr Wilmot has been on a mission to walk 5,400 kilometres from Perth to Brisbane to raise awareness

Mr Wilmot has been trekking across the country in a bid to raise awareness about living an active life
‘Five years ago, if you had told me I was going to walk across Australia – I’d say you’re nuts,’ Mr Wilmot laughed as he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I got to a point in my life where I felt really down. I was feeling negative, extreme bitterness and sarcastic – I knew with having that attitude, nothing was going to work out well for me.
‘I was morbidly obese and a non-exerciser who was a ticking time bomb and my life was on the line.
‘I knew that if I didn’t start making any changes or sacrifices in my life, I was just going to be another heart attack statistic within the next two years.’
Nearly five years ago, the father of two lived off an unhealthy diet where he was excessively smoking and drinking – a lifestyle that saw him tip the scales at 145 kilograms.
‘When I was 42, I decided to turn my life around by embracing a healthy lifestyle,’ he said.
‘My first goal was to run a marathon. I hated running but I started training. I competed in my first marathon in June 2013 and by April 2014, I ran the London Marathon.
'It felt amazing and I had all this energy and a change of mind set after and I was becoming a fitter and different person than who I was.’

The 46-year-old software developer decided to set himself a bigger challenge - by walking across the country

Mr Wilmot (centre) celebrated his half way mark in Adelaide on Friday afternoon after tackling 2,700 km

Mr Wilmot pictured with his Half Marathon medal - just one of several marathons he completed over the years
The software developer started his own blog called No More Mr Fat Guy, during which he documented and shared his incredible journey to his followers who watched as he banished all his bad habits and transformed into an active runner.
After competing in several marathons, he decided to give himself a bigger challenge – to travel from Perth to Brisbane via walking as part of a campaign he set up called Hearts of Australia.
'The biggest challenge so far were my feet. I had stitches but three weeks in, my skin started to toughen up and I've been good to go since,' Mr Wilmot said.
'Another challenge is basically getting up every single day and doing the same thing over and over but it comes down to how you approach it mentally.
'I'm just taking this one step at a time and it's been nine weeks since I've left Perth and we're expected to reach Brisbane in the middle of September.'
'I am also accompanied by two 22-year-old guys from the UK who wanted to travel around Australia. They've been driving the campervan with our food supplies and meeting me at my stops each day.'

Mr Wilmot is being accompanied by two travellers from the UK, who wanted to explore the country
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The father of two previously lived off an unhealthy lifestyle but decided to turn his life around by exercising

He started his own blog, during which he documented and shared his incredible journey to his followers

The former couch potato started training every day after setting his first goal - to run a marathon
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The father of two has been on a mission to walk 5,400 kilometres from Perth to Brisbane to raise awareness
Mr Wilmot aims to raise $1 million for the Heart Foundation and hopes more Australians join him along the way.
‘I want to use this initial event as a starting point for an annual virtual run designed to spread the active lifestyle message across and inspire Australians to get fit and healthy,' he said.
'It's all about having fun and promoting the benefits of a healthier lifestyle. Anyone can join and do it anywhere - doesn't matter whether you run, walk or crawl.
'I've also had people ask me to stop by their towns. It has been an amazing experience and the biggest standout have been the support from people and strangers I've met.
'The target does sound out of reach but we hope to raise that money by the end of year or some stage over the next few years. Whatever happens, we'll keep going until we get there.'

Gary Wilmot has been on a mission to walk 5,400 kilometres to raise awareness about living an active life

He aims to raise $1 million for the Heart Foundation and hopes more Australians join him along the way

He also hopes his incredible journey will inspire others to embrace themselves by starting a healthier lifestyle
He also hopes his incredible journey will inspire others to embrace themselves by starting a healthier lifestyle.
'I went from a couch potato to doing something amazing for myself,' Mr Wilmot said.
'Just do it. Take the first step and remember what your goals are - remember why you're doing it. There's a reason why you didn't want to stay where you were before.
'Take what I'm doing at the moment - if I decided to do this five years ago and the minute something didn't work out, I would've said it was over. But I never gave up.
'By documenting my journey overtime, I was able to see the results. Start your positive journey today. Don't wait until Monday, your birthday or New Years - start now.'
Mr Wilmot will spend the rest of the weekend in Adelaide before heading off for Melbourne on Monday morning followed by Canberra and Sydney. The team is expected to arrive in Brisbane mid-September.