A man looked so different after 11st weight loss his phone’s face ID stopped working. Dave Taylor, 46, had always struggled with his weight and hit 24st 4lbs and a size 5XL at his heaviest.He started to realise he needed to make a change after he began struggling to walk his Labrador, Henry, three.
Dave decided to give the Cambridge 1:1 diet – which involves meal replacements – a go to overhaul his lifestyle and lost 11 stone in nine months. He has got down to a slender 14st 4lbs but now fluctuates up to 17st and wears a size medium.Dave said he looks so different his phone face ID stopped recognising him and his parents ‘ doorbell camera didn’t know it was him either.
Dave, a senior project manager in construction, from Pontefract, Yorkshire, said: “On my own doorbell I saw myself when I watched the video back and I thought ‘who is that?’ My parents have a doorbell that recognises people.
“I have been since I lost the weight and it didn’t know it was me because my face has changed so much. I’ve had to change my face ID on my phone. I had to try it a couple of times before my phone would let me in.”
Dave had always been “big” since he was a teenager but hadn’t realised how much his weight was holding him back until he got his dog, Henry. He said: “It wasn’t until I got the dog and I was walking less distance with him.
“When I first got him I could walk fine – my mobility got worse. I’d take him down the road and had to hang on the wall with my hip in agony.”
Dave was told at his annual health check-up that he if he carried on how he was he would become diabetic. A friend had tried the Cambridge 1:1 diet and saw results so Dave decided to give it a go in June 2024.He started with meal replacements before building up to low-calorie evening meals.
He swapped frozen meals to healthy homemade dinners such as stir fry and chicken and vegetables and within nine months Dave had dropped to 14st 4lbs. Dave donated all his clothes to charity and can finally buy clothing in high street stores such as Next.
He said: “Before it would take a long time to clean the house. I would dust and hoover the bedroom and be exhausted.Now I can do the whole house in two hours.”
He has so much gratitude for his journey – and now being able to comfortably walk Henry. Dave said: “The more that I walk with him – it’s not a given that I’m able to do that.When I walk and play with him – it’s not lost on me that it could have gone the other way.
“I never underestimate the value of how my life has changed.” Since losing the weight Dave has fluctuated slightly – and is now back at around 17st – but feels he has the tools to get back to his goal.He said: “It’s not a miracle cure – I have got to work at it.”