Hearing a medic's stark warning not to board a plane as he risked dying onboard was the moment Kit Thompson decided to tackle his 24st weight.
Finishing a half marathon in 1 hour 47 minutes this month was the instant he knew he had transformed his body, health and fitness by losing ten stone and taking up running.
Father of five Kit, 46, says: "I'm still in shock at how different I look and how much I've changed.
"Two years ago a nurse told me if I'd got on a flight to Texas to visit my dad with the blood clot in my leg, the clot was likely to travel to my lungs, brain or heart and I'd never get off the plane. I realised then how serious it was.
"My Dad had heart stents fitted after suffering strokes and heart-attacks and he's also had bowel cancer. I didn’t want to go down the same path but I was headed there by my mid-40s. I had to change, I had to turn my life around to be there for my wife and kids.
"I'd spent years sitting on the sofa not moving. It was my time to move."
Kit saw his weight creep up over ten years until he had a 48-inch waist and had to buy plus-sized clothes online.
He suffered high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 Diabetes and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, which were all weight related.
"I could barely walk up the stairs without feeling breathless," says Kit. "When doctors tested me for sleep apnoea, I stopped breathing 100 times an hour and was starving my organs of oxygen.
"It was an extreme case that terrified my wife Leanne and left me so exhausted my driving licence was suspended until I had treatment.
"People called me things like 'Big Man', which they meant affectionately but I took to heart.
"I'd never take my top off at the beach or go swimming because I was too embarrassed. I was also too ashamed to go the gym. Walking in lockdown was perfect way for me to start my weight loss."
Kit, a property finance broker, chose New Year's Day 2021 to start his new regime.
"Giving up alcohol overnight was a game changer," he says. "Corporate hospitality with clients, and playing drums and guitar in a band meant I spent a lot of time in restaurants and pubs. Not surprisingly I drank too much.
"Now I allow myself the odd pint of Guinness after I finish a race. But I can take it or leave it and most of the time I leave it."
Avoiding dangerous fad diets in favour of eating healthier, Kit stopped takeaways except for one cheat meal a week. He reduced portion size and cut out chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks.
Walking was key to his weight loss, but at first walking to the end of his street in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, was a struggle.
"I'd spent years sitting on the sofa so it was time to move," says Kit.
"I started off with a walk to end of road and back, then progressed to a mile. Within three months I was walking six to eight miles a day. By the middle of the year, my daily goal was to cover ten miles regardless of weather.
"I was outside pacing in rain, wind, snow ice. I clocked up 7 million steps and over 3,500 miles in a year and lost 8 stone. Better still, my health conditions improved so much I was able to stop all medication."
The start of 2022 saw Kit take up running. He joined a local club and ran his first ever 10k race six months later.
In April this year he achieved a personal best by completing the London Landmarks Half Marathon in 1 hour 47 minutes and raising £1200 for end of life charity Marie Curie, the end of life charity which looked after his close family and friends.
"Eighteen months ago I could barely walk to end of the street or bend down to tie my shoe-laces.
"When I started running on the roads, I'd go early in the morning or late at night as I didn’t want people to see me. These days, I love running with friends.
"Saying, 'it's too cold, too dark, or too rainy' is an excuse. Wrap up warm and get out there! Some of my favourite runs are when the rain's coming down hard. It makes me feel alive.
"When it gets tough, I just keep saying to myself, 'I don't want to be unhealthy or unhappy anymore. I am doing this for my wife, my children, myself. I want change and change takes effort."
Kit - who has three sons Kaylen, 25, Dylan, 18 and ten-year old Ollie; and two daughters Piper, eight, and six-year-old Arya - gets a buzz from buying skinny jeans in 'normal' shops.
But he stresses that his two-year transformation is not just about looking better.
"It was about saving myself and being there for my wife and kids,” he says.
"Physical changes are obvious as I'm half the size I was. But the mental changes are massive. I’ve never felt so happy and mentally well. Adopting a healthier lifestyle is the best antidepressant.
"I hope I've proved to everyone I love that I want to be better. It’s not about being thin or fat, it’s about healthy and happy.
"When people say, 'I wish I could do what you've done', I say, you can! It isn't without sacrifice and effort. Knowing I will be here to see my kids grow up makes everything worthwhile."
Kit before and after
Kit's starting weight: 1.1.21: 24 stone
Kit's weight now: 14 stone
Kit's diet before
Dinner: Pizza, curry, Chinese take-aways most nights of the week.
Snacks: Crisps, biscuits, chocolate
Drinks: Fizzy drinks and beer
Exercise: None
Kit's diet now
Breakfast: Granary toast with Marmite or peanut butter. Coffee or cereal
Lunch: Protein shake, apple, banana
Dinner: Home cooked meal made from scratch with lots of fresh veg. One take-away a month.
Exercise: Runs 30 miles a week
Kit is supporting end-of-life charity Marie Curie and its fundraising prize draw with Omaze, who are giving away a stunning house in Cornwall, valued at £4.5million. To be in with a chance of winning and support Marie Curie at the same time, visit omaze.co.uk
