A 20st 2lb machine operator has lost 9st 1lb in 13 months, by cutting out snacks and playing football, after feeling “embarrassed” about struggling to fit on rollercoaster rides. Reece Cotton, 33, who lives in Stockport, spent his twenties and early thirties indulging in unhealthy eating habits, including regularly eating takeaways and snacks, and consuming 4,000 calories a day.
He was a size XXL with a 44-inch waist and thought he was comfortable with his weight, until he went to Gulliver’s World Theme Park in August 2023 and struggled to fit on the rides. Reece, who is 5ft 7in, weighed himself and was 20st 2lb (128.7 kg) and had a BMI of 44.2, classifying him as severely obese – so, for the next few months he cut out snacks and lost 4st 1lb (25.9 kg).
By November, Reece had dropped to 16st 1lb (102.1 kg) and, the same month, joined Man V Fat, a weight-loss programme for men which involves playing football. Since then he has lost a further 5st (31.8 kg), bringing him down to 11st (69.9 kg) with a healthy BMI of 24.3.
Now he feels more confident, his mental health has improved, and while he is self-conscious about loose skin, he is determined to maintain his healthy weight and reach his goal of 10st (63.5 kg). Reece told PA Real Life: “My mental health is a lot better – before, I literally worked and then came straight home.
“Whereas now I’m getting out doing more things, playing extra games of football, and I’m not as scared to talk to people. I didn’t realise that I was self-conscious until I compared it with how I feel now – when I was bigger I felt like everyone was looking at me.
“It still feels weird buying smaller clothes and not reaching for the bigger sizes.”
Throughout his twenties and early thirties, Reece developed a habit of being inactive and regularly indulging in takeaways, such as pizza and kebabs, at least three times a week. His daily routine revolved around going to work, coming home, watching television, and constantly snacking on family-size bags of crisps and sweets.
He consumed about 4,000 calories a day – skipping breakfast, then eating foods like burgers and massive sandwiches for lunch, with a takeaway for dinner. He wore a size XXL with a 44-inch waist and had no issue with his weight or appearance during his twenties and early thirties.
He added: “It (my weight) didn’t stop me from doing anything or going anywhere, I was all right with it really. I wasn’t bothered about it and it didn’t affect me much.”
That changed in the summer of 2023 when he went to Gulliver’s World Theme Park in Warrington with his girlfriend at the time, and her daughter. He struggled to fit into some of the rides, which made him realise he needed to make a change.
“I wanted to take them to Alton Towers but I thought if I can’t get on the ride with them then they’re going to miss out as well,” he explained. I felt a bit embarrassed.”
In August 2023, he stepped on the scales and discovered he weighed 20st 2lb (128.7 kg). He said: “I didn’t realise I was that heavy, and I just knew I had to lose some.”
At 5ft 7in (1.70m), this gave him a BMI of 44.2, classifying him as severely obese. Over the following months, he completely cut out snacks from his diet. “To start with, it was harder at work because I always found I’d snack loads at work but after a few weeks, it was more a case of, if I don’t buy it I can’t eat it and I got used to it, it didn’t bother me after a while,” Reece explained.
In October, he and his girlfriend broke up, which further motivated him to shed the pounds. By November, he had lost 4st 1lb (25.9 kg), bringing his weight down to 16st 1lb (102.1 kg) – a 20.2% reduction in body weight. However, with a BMI of 35.3, he was still classified as obese, so he was determined to continue his weight loss.
That same month, in November, he joined Man V Fat, a weight-loss programme for men that includes weekly football games. “It helped me, joining Man V Fat, because it got me out of the house and meeting new people which was what I needed at the time,” Reece said. “Everyone there was in the same boat, wanting to lose weight, and it made me realise how unfit I was, I struggled to run after a few minutes on the field.”
In addition to the Man V Fat programme, he started attending bootcamp sessions several times a week. He also reduced his daily calorie intake to about 1800, tending to have a breakfast bar for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and a high-protein dinner, and only the occasional takeaway. By September 2024 he lost another 5st (31.8 kg), weighing 11st (69.9 kg), wearing medium clothes with a 30-inch (76 cm) waist.
His BMI is now 24.3, placing him within the healthy weight range. Reece feels much more confident now, and his wellbeing has improved. Although he is self-conscious about loose skin, he believes the improvements in his health and wellbeing make it worthwhile, though he is considering surgery in the future.
Reece said: “I’m a bit conscious of the excess skin when I go swimming and stuff like that, and I struggle being confident with that. But I’m hoping the gym will help a bit with that, or having surgery if I can afford it, because I think that’s the only thing that really helps get rid of it.”
He hopes to reach 10st (63.5 kg) over the next few months and is confident he will maintain his weight loss. “I’ve stayed within the healthy BMI range for the past six weeks or so, so I think I can do it long term, I can’t see myself going back to how I was before,” he added.
He is not too worried about the festive period and his progress, saying: “I’ll treat myself a bit, but once it’s over I’ll just go back to what I was doing before so it shouldn’t impact my weight loss too much.”
For more information, visit: www.manvfatfootball.org.