“If it inspires one other person, it’s worth it.” 2CC’s Stephen Cenatiempo opens up about his 104kg weight loss

Stephen Cenatiempo. Image: Instagram

2CC Canberra Breakfast host Stephen Cenatiempo has never seen himself as inspirational or extraordinary – just your regular, garden variety talk radio announcer.

But the tables have turned and Cenatiempo himself is now making headlines for shedding 104 kilograms – without using any weight loss drugs.

Opening up about his journey in the Herald Sun (subscription required), Cenatiempo says when he started his radio career in Coffs Harbour sixteen years ago, he was the heaviest he’d ever been in his life.

“With the help of Renee, great personal trainer and Scott, a completely mad army veteran/martial arts instructor, both of whom remain dear friends, I managed to drop 75 kilos in the 18 months I was in Coffs. I was dieting hard and training like a bloody athlete.”

“In hindsight, I was never going to be able to keep it up.”

Cenatiempo’s radio career then took him to the New South Wales Hunter Valley, where he was the Mornings Announcer and News Director at 2NM in Muswellbrook.

“For one reason or another, I put most of the weight back on.”

In 2020, Cenatiempo felt like things were getting desperate. He underwent sleeve gastrectomy surgery.

“I lost about 30 kilos but then put it all back on, and then some.”

“Fast forward to a few years and a conflation of events set me on the path I’m on now. I went through a pretty rough patch with my mental health which my dear friend Kristy helped me pull myself out of.”

At the same time, he received a marketing email from a pre-prepared meal delivery service, offering him a good deal on a five-week program.

“On top of that I started going for a 30 minute walk each morning after I finished my radio program, essentially to keep me sane. (it now takes me 15 minutes to do the same walk).”

Cenatiempo says a routine blood test – which revealed the beginnings of Type-2 diabetes – was the ‘kick in the arse’ he needed to set himself on the right track.

Today, his blood pressure is bang on, as is his cholesterol. And his blood sugar is coming down.

“I haven’t taken GLP-1 injections. Most people don’t believe me. But I have a general aversion to prescription medications, despite being on four oral medications. But I also hate needles!”

“So what did I do? I moved more and ate less. I ate better and started drinking a lot more water. I worked on my discipline.”

He also cut out most junk food and reduced his portion sizes.

Cenatiempo says going back to church and using a physical diary again have given him a sense of accountability.

“I still enjoy good food – I’m Italian for goodness sake – but I now eat a lot less of it. I still eat pasta but rather than twice a day it’s now three times per week.”

“So as at writing this, I’ve lost 104.3 kilos with about another 30 to go.”

“People always ask me if I feel better and I jokingly say I don’t know because the alarm still goes off at 2:15am and it’s hard to feel good at that time of the morning.”

“The truth is I feel a lot better and the benefits are myriad.”

Cenatiempo has thanked his TV, newspaper and radio mates – including 2GB’s Mark Levy and 3AW’s Karalee Katsambanis – for making him the story.

“I was reluctant at first to share my ‘journey,’ but if it inspires at least one other person then I guess it’s worth it.”

Images: Capital Radio Network and Instagram