A man who was so big he dodged going out to avoid the stares of strangers has lost 10st in eight months leaving doctors amazed. Dave Taylor struggled to walk and had high blood pressure and cholesterol as well as being pre-diabetic.
The 46-year-old had been overweight for most of his life but by July last year, he found himself weighing 25 stone. He was unfit, unhappy and unable to fit into regular clothes.
His size left him anxious and depressed and he hated the thought of any situation that meant he would have to walk for any length of time – as he knew he’d end up in pain and out of breath. The Senior Construction Project Manager from West Yorkshire was so embarrassed he skipped social occasions and was taking medication for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and low mood.
He told how his annual health check-ups were distressing as every year his weight along with health problems got worse. Then last year the doctor warned him he was heading towards becoming pre-diabetic.
Dave said: “I had become more insular but didn’t get the drive to lose the weight until my mobility became affected. I had noticed I was less able to walk any distance with the dog. Last year, I was relying on my family to walk him because I was experiencing severe hip and back pain walking the shortest of distances.
“The people closest to me were concerned about my health and would mention how much weight I’d gained – but always from a perspective of concern, not to be mean. I noticed strangers staring at me at times, so I avoided going out. I went to Las Vegas for my 30th birthday in 2008, and when a cab driver told me I was a ‘really big guy’, it dawned on me that I’d got bigger than I had realised. That’s not something you want to hear as a visitor to America.”
Dave said he had tried every diet going, losing weight only putting it straight back on. But when he found he was tipping the scales at 25 stone 4lb, he said it left him feeling significantly older than his actual age and unable to wear fashionable clothes.
He said: “I was overweight because I took my pleasure from food and had gained a huge appetite. I couldn’t be filled and then I’d struggle to sleep because I had eaten too much.
“I was an occasional binge drinker and I wasn’t exercising enough. I had struggled with my mental health for years and eating made me feel better momentarily, but then added to my anxiety and depression.”
He said it was only when he spoke with a pal in London last year that he discovered the solution. His friend had lost a couple of stone on The 1 to 1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan – a meal replacement diet that works with a consultant to help people lose weight – and kept it off.
Dave explains: “Once I had made the decision to try the plan I was determined to give it my best shot, so I went cold turkey. Starting was tough but I was drinking up to four litres of water a day, which kept the hunger at bay. Once I found the meal replacement products, I really enjoyed it and it became so much easier.”
After two weeks, he consumed two products a day followed by a 600-calorie, healthy and ‘clean’ evening meal and the weight started to fall off. Dave lost 10 stone in eight months, only relaxing slightly during a New Year’s trip with friends.
His waist size dropped from 60 inches to 32 which led Dave to donate all his old clothes to charity, buying a whole new wardrobe. Previously, he had relied on online shops that specialised in plus-size clothing, which offered fit over style.
He said: Although it is a drastic diet due to the reduction in calories, it taught me to be able to moderate what I eat. The plan has helped me realise that I can stay at a healthy weight and not restrict myself all the time. It has given me tools to not spiral and to get back on it when I have overdone it.”
When visiting friends for meals, Dave would either bring his own prepared food or cook for everyone to ensure he knew the calorie content of his meal. And he now walks his dog three times a day, short trips in the morning and evening and at least an hour at lunchtime.
His new look has even caught him out as he once spotted a glimpse of himself on a ring doorbell and didn’t recognise his own image. He said: “I felt so relieved and happy to have lost the 11 stone and to have made such a change to my life.
“My happy weight is between 15 and 15.5 stone and that’s where I try to keep myself. It is a constant effort to maintain this and I’m not always successful, but I always get back to that because I know this is where I am happiest and healthiest.”
Dave is no longer on any of the medications that he used to take and he feels much more sociable and comfortable in his own skin. He recently went wall climbing with friends—something that would have been impossible before, as he once weighed more than the equipment’s limit.
His focus now is on maintaining his weight for the next few years before considering excess skin removal surgery to feel truly ‘normal’ under his clothes. He said: “My proudest moment was when I had a health check at the doctors and the doctor was amazed at the difference.
“He said it is extremely rare that patients reverse blood pressure and cholesterol through diet and exercise. People are very complimentary about me looking better and that is lovely but genuinely losing the weight was never about that. It was always about health and mobility.”