A dad who once weighed 20-stone says he was inspired to lose weight after seeing photos of himself at a friend’s wedding – and he’s now transformed himself into a svelte-looking lifeguard.
Lloyd Knight, 29, from Leicester, admits he was too lazy to cook and would gorge on chocolates, crisps and late-night takeaway pizza.
The father-of-two got so big he was unable to take daughters Lara-Hope, five, and Eva-Louise, two, to the park without struggling for breath.
Transformation: Lloyd Knight, a father-of-two from Leicester, switched careers after losing seven stone to ensure that he would stay motivated to keep slim
The photo that humiliated Lloyd, pictured with his wife Charley, into slimming down: pictured at his best friend’s wedding in Australia
After skipping breakfast completely, Lloyd would start his day with chocolate and crisps
Lloyd joined a slimming club after seeing the snaps and struggling to get on a ride at Alton Towers (pictured above with a pair of shorts he used to fit into)
On another occasion he was too bulky to fit in a ride at Alton Towers.
He finally changed his lifestyle after being ‘humiliated’ when he saw a picture of himself at his best friend’s wedding in Australia in 2016.
On returning to the UK, Lloyd immediately signed up to his local Slimming World group, shedding 12 pounds in his first week.
He has since lost nearly seven stone, and now weighs a trim 15st 4kgs, after undergoing daily cardio sessions at Enderby Leisure Centre.
The amazing weight-loss has prompted him to quit his job stacking shelves at the Co-Op to take up a ‘dream role’ as a lifeguard at the swimming pool in July last year.
Lloyd, who lives with wife Charley, 29, a full-time mum, now aims to get down to 13 stone before his 30th birthday in May.
He said: ‘I’ve always struggled with my weight, but in the ten years or so leading up the weight-loss, I really piled it on.
‘I tried to keep it off a bit when I first met Charley, in order to impress her.
A unhealthy diet of pizzas, curries and Chinese food saw LLoyd’s weight balloon – and he admits he relied on takeaways because he was ‘too lazy to cook’
The leisure centre duty manager says he now tips the scales at 15st 4kgs (97kgs) but plans to keep going until he weighs 13 stone
‘But then, once we started to get comfortable with one another, I went back to my old habits. It would be constant chocolate bars, packets of crisps, and takeaways in front of the telly.
Me and the lads went to Alton Towers eight years ago and I wasn’t allowed on one of the rides because the safety harness didn’t fit round me…
‘I’d have at least three or four takeaways a week, I was just too lazy to cook for myself. I loved getting in pizza and Chinese food.
‘Even when I was trying to cook for myself, it was be either frozen food or ready meals, nothing with any nutrition in it.
He says that while he was often embarrassed by his size, he never got round to doing anything about it.
He explains: ‘Me and the lads went to Alton Towers eight years ago, and I wasn’t allowed on one of the rides because the safety harness didn’t fit round me.
‘They ripped into me because of that, but it was just banter and not something that affected me or made me change my habits.
The gym-bunny says that he can now run around with his daughters, Lara-Hope, five, and Eva-Louise, two, without getting out of breath
The lifeguard said his new fitness has already seen him help two children who were struggling in the pool and had to be rescued
He says his daughters would always try and persuade him to walk to the park but he’d put it off.
‘Looking back it was pretty shameful. When we got there, they’d love to rush around on the swings and slides, but I’d be out of breath by the time we arrived and couldn’t really play with them.
‘When I got back from the wedding in Australia, I looked at a picture of me and saw it as a real wake-up call.
‘Of course I wanted to lose weight before, for the kids, but that photo pushed me over the edge.
After signing up to Slimming World, along with his wife Charley, he says he instantly saw a difference and decided to boost his chances of losing weight by also going to the gym.
He explains: ‘Going to the gym seemed like a good ways to speed things up, and from there I got hooked on it. You meet so many great people there, and it’s now a big social thing for me, as well as a means to weight-loss.’
He adds: ‘I’d always dreamed of a job where I’d be able to help people, as I wasn’t finding my job in retail particularly fulfilling.
‘Out of an idle-chat, one of the guys at the gym suggested that I apply for a job there, because I was going everyday anyway and everybody could see the effect that it had had on me.
‘I got a job as a lifeguard, and have now worked my way up to being a duty-manager, which is extremely fulfilling.
The former supermarket worker is convinced that his career change will help him to stay slim
‘On two occasions I’ve had to jump in two save kids, which was a bit terrifying but was a huge adrenaline rush.
‘At the end of the day that is my job, but to be able to save people like that when a few years ago I could hardly even walk to the park is an amazing feeling.
‘I love the job, it doesn’t feel like work most of the time. It’s a great environment for me to be in, I think it’s only going to help me to keep the weight off.’