A 34-stone man who scoffed his way through £5,000 of takeaways in a year has shared intimate pictures of how his body has changed over the course of his 10 month diet.
Jack Towers, 21, has lost more than 14 stone in less than a year after spending most of his teenage years eating stashes of crisps, chocolate and three takeaways a week, which equated to more than 7,000 calories a day.
The XXXXXXL public health advisor from Ashford, Kent, who was bullied and called names like ‘chubster’ and ‘fat Jack’, felt more than twice his age and was warned by doctors he could suffer from serious health consequences if he did not make a serious life change.
Jack Towers, 21, weighed 33st 12lbs at his heaviest (left) but has lost more than 14 stone in the space of ten months (right)
A walk from his home to the car would leave Mr Towers’s feet and knees aching, but it was when he had to leave the cinema with his girlfriend Lauren Gatehouse, 20, because he did not fit in the seat that he realised he needed to turn his life around.
But after joining Slimming World in mid-January this year, Mr Towers has undergone a startling transformation and slimmed down to 19st 10lbs from his starting weight of 33st 12lbs.
The 5ft 11ins man from Ashford, Kent, said: ‘Simple things like putting on my socks and shoes became such a struggle and just walking up a few steps would leave me so out of breath. I felt 20 years older than I was.
‘I was just getting bigger and bigger but every time I didn’t fit into my clothes I would just buy new stuff without thinking. It was a real “ignorance is bliss’ situation.
‘But then just before Christmas last year, I went to watch Christmas Office Party with Lauren. I walked ahead of her into the cinema and realised I didn’t fit into the seat.
‘I knew she would have been understanding but I was so embarrassed. I told her that I felt sick. I even went to the toilet and pretended to be sick so she would agree to go home.’
Mr Towers (right) said the turning point for wanting to change his eating habits was after he went on a date with his girlfriend Lauren Gatehouse (left) and not fitting in the cinema seat
Mr Towers added that another reason for wanting to become more healthy was warnings from doctors that his lifestyle could make him prone to diabetes.
He said: ‘I went to the doctor and they told me I was on the verge of being prediabetic. To hear that at just 20 years old was a massive shock.
‘I made a joke to the doctor. I told her I’d come back in six months and she wouldn’t recognise me. And that was it, I stuck to my word.
‘I cook everything at home now and the weight has just dropped off. I’ve got so much more energy and confidence. I really feel like I’ve got my life back.’
Mr Towers’s diet also led to him suffer from extreme ear infections – one so severe that he was hospitalised for a week – due to his diet.
Since joining Slimming World and undertaking a new diet, Mr Towers has shed more than 14 stone
Mr Towers began piling on the pounds as a teenager and was bullied at school for his weight, where he was called ‘chubster’, ‘fat Jack’ and other horrible names
Mr Towers tries on one of his old 6XL T-shirts after losing more than 14 stone
A key to Mr Towers losing weight is his new diet, which has seen him ditch his previous diet of ordering three takeaway meals a week
Not only that, but the bullying at school had effects his self confidence so much that it took him six months to let his girlfriend see him naked.
He said: ‘I was bullied in school and called all the usual cruel names. Instead of losing weight, I decided I would start imitating the bullies to try to fit in a bit more.
‘It worked and the bullying stopped but I just turned into a bit of an idiot. It was this weird rebellion and I didn’t really like who I had become.
‘Because they stopped calling me names, I then thought my weight didn’t matter. So I tried to embrace it and pretend it didn’t bother me.’
His new diet which has seen him cut out fatty foods, sugary sweets, ditch alcohol and a slow increase in exercise has seen him get his blood sugar levels back to normal and even improved his relationship with his girlfriend.
‘My weight never bothered her and she has been so supportive since I joined Slimming World.
‘Losing weight has given me so much more energy that I feel like I can put more effort into our relationship now. We can go out and do things and I don’t need to worry about not fitting into cinema seats.
‘I’m so much more confident and I’m not keeping secrets from her about my eating. It’s definitely strengthened our relationship.’
Mr Towers started off by doing light exercise but has now built up to doing three cardio sessions a week