A morbidly obese bus driver has revealed how he shed almost 11 stone, after losing the use of his legs – and gained an inch in height.
Dave Bevan, 30, was told his excessive 24 stone 7lb bulk meant he risked paralysis, after he was rushed to hospital in the middle of the night, unable to walk.
The super-slimmer, of Swansea, South Wales recalled: ‘I woke up in the early hours and couldn’t feel my legs. I’d walked downstairs to get a glass of water, but I realised I couldn’t go any further.
‘I called my mum who I live with, and she dialled an ambulance.
‘Rushed to hospital, doctors gave me an ultimatum – lose weight or face risky surgery on my spinal cord, which could leave me paralysed.’
Heeding doctors’ warnings, Dave has now slimmed down to 13 stone 12lb and lost a staggering 10 inches around his waist.
Dave Bevan, 30, from Swansea has slimmed down to 13 stone 12lb after doctors warned his 24 stone 7lb bulk meant he risked paralysis
Dave reached a 44-inch waist and rarely socialised because of his lack of confidence
A chubby child, Dave had always enjoyed tucking in to his 51-year-old mum Judith’s home cooking.
Bullied at school because of his expanding waistline, Dave took to eating sugary snacks and didn’t go out.
‘It was a really dark time for me,’ he said.
‘Other kids would call me fat and even use physical violence.
Dave enjoyed tucking in to his 51-year-old mum Judith’s home cooking, as well as the occasional pint
Dave’s new image attracts admiring looks in the street and he says he even enjoys clothes shopping now
‘When I came home one day with a massive footprint bruise on my back, Mum was horrified. I had friends, but not very many, so I started to comfort eat.’
Snacking was Dave’s downfall – even as an adult – as he did not know when to stop.
‘For breakfast, I’d have massive portions of cereal and toast, and I’d just skip lunch, eating chocolate, crisps and biscuits all day,’ he confessed.
‘Then, in the evening, I’d eat almost three portions of my mum’s homecooked food of roast chicken with huge helpings of rice or potatoes and some vegetables.’
Bullied at school because of his expanding waistline, Dave took to eating sugary snacks and didn’t go out much (pictured with friend Lee)
By the time he was 17, Dave weighed 18 stone and, once he left school, getting a job at his local Matalan clothes shop, his weight continued to balloon.
‘After I left school, I withdrew from life as my size increased,’ he said.
‘I had a few friends, but I felt too self-conscious to go out with them – worried that people would make fun of me.
‘Instead, holed up at home, I’d play computer games for hours on end, stuffing my face with chocolate, crisps and sweets. Mum tried to talk to me about my weight, but whatever she said fell on deaf ears.’
Dave, who reached a 44-inch waist, said: ‘I didn’t go out after work and never really had girlfriends, as I didn’t think they’d be interested in someone like me.’
Dave and his mum Judith have been on the weight loss journey together
The turning point came for Dave when, aged 22, he hurt his back lifting a box of beef at his supermarket job in Morrisons.
‘I bent down to pick it up and my back just went,’ he said.
‘I felt shooting pains down my back and into my legs, but carried on working in immense pain. I thought the pain would go, but it didn’t.’
The next day, Dave booked at appointment with his GP, who referred him to Neath Port Talbot Hospital, 10 miles from Swansea.
Dave lost a staggering 10 stone 9lb over 18 months, but when he was at his heaviest snacking was his weakness
‘I could barely use my left leg and was signed off work. I had months of investigative scans and luckily missed a diagnosis of cauda equina syndrome (CES), a rare but serious condition, where the nerves at the end of the spinal cord are compressed,
‘But was told I had lumbar spinal stenosis, a disorder that is caused by a narrowing of the spinal canal,’ he said.
Dave was told he could lose the use of his legs, by developing CES, if he didn’t shed the pounds.
Dave has shed almost 11 stone (pictured here when he was larger). He is happier and healthier after his weight loss
By this point, Dave weighed 22 stone, after managing to lose three stone by going out cycling on his own after work.
‘Doctors made it clear I needed to shift the excess weight I had, or the strain on my back could be very dangerous,’ he said.
And, just a few days later, their warning was ringing in his ears, when his legs stopped working and he was rushed to Morriston Hospital.
There medics told him that if he failed to lose weight, he faced complicated and risky spinal surgery.
Fortunately, the feeling returned to Dave’s legs after nine hours and he was discharged.
Dave Bevan, 30, was told his excessive 24 stone 7lb bulk meant he risked paralysis (pictured with friend Luke)
But it had been the wake-up call he needed.
Vowing to shed the pounds, Dave joined Weight Watchers with his mum, an office clerk, who wanted to support him and was also keen to slim down.
And, after losing a staggering 10 stone 9lb over 18 months, with his chiselled features and confident smile, Dave soon looked and felt like a new man.
He said: ‘I had been stuck in a vicious cycle since school, where the more I was bullied, the more I ate.
‘It was a way of making myself feel temporarily happy and comforted.
‘Now, though, I’m so much more confident. I have such a noticeable spring in my step that people turn to look at me in the street.’
Eating porridge for breakfast, a salad for lunch and grilled chicken and vegetables for dinner, Dave and his mum stick to their healthy eating regime.
He said: ‘I couldn’t do any intense aerobic exercise, as I lost weight, because of my spinal problems, but I began walking everywhere and my energy levels soared.
‘It also helped me mentally, as instead of stuffing my face when I felt stressed, I’d go for a walk.’
Dave has since landed a new job as a bus driver.
Dave slimmed down to 13 stone 12lb and has lost a staggering 10 inches around his waist
He said: ‘I feel amazing now, like a completely different man – I even enjoy clothes shopping.
‘The weight loss has transformed my life. It’s eased the pressure on my spine – so while I’ll possibly still need spinal surgery at some point, due to the nature of my condition, it will be a long way off – if ever. And if I do need it, there will be far less strain on my back, now I’m slimmer.
‘Plus, I’m even taller by an inch – going from 6ft 3ins to 6ft 4ins – because my body has straightened itself out.
‘My doctor’s over the moon and I’m walking tall.’