“I was big – I had been for years though I wasn’t always big. I used to play rugby and was quite into sport but, over the years, I became less active and began piling on the weight. Then things happened that changed my priorities…

On the 1st March 2006 I started to change my life. I had been thinking about it for some time. Though I’m not sure what happened that day to make me start. I suppose it was a number of things really – I was 23 stone 11 and not very happy with my life in general. I was worried.  I was heading towards 40 and I didn’t want to die and I knew that was inevitable if I didn’t do something about my health. Fortunately, I was offered a job at a place that had a gym in the building that was free for me to use and a swimming pool so I started making changes soon after beginning the job by using the pool. I cut my calories to 1500 – 2000 a day and swam for 40 minutes twice a day before and after work. The weight dropped off me initially and I lost a stone in a month. I’m fairly obsessive once I start something so it became a mission for me. Then I got a pedometer and I started to walk everywhere instead of driving and getting cabs. I took more care of what I was eating and cut out salt and sugar.

After about 4 months I went down to 18 stone and I started to feel a lot better about myself. So I took the next step from swimming to signing up to the gym at work. The trainers at my gym devised me a training routine in which I would loose weight easier. I updated the routine with them every month to ensure it was most effective.

My friends and family were amazing. They supported me throughout. My flat mate even put up with me banning certain foods from the house.

About October/November time I had lost 8 stone and was close to being 15 stone. That was when I realised I had gained another problem – excess skin. I was hesitant to see the doctor at first, but I eventually plucked up the courage to see him and he was so supportive. In fact, he was so pleased that I was finally losing weight that he referred me to a surgeon to help accelerate the process.