A dad-of-four who was once so overweight that he couldn't have a bath has lost a staggering 15-and-a-half stone in just seven months.
Mike Smith, from Beaufort, Ebbw Vale, said he became so obese and unfit that he would struggle to walk around a supermarket without getting desperately out of breath.
The 43-year-old admitted his diet of takeaways and sweet treats saw his weight balloon to 32st 2lbs and led to him suffering with terrible water retention, swelling and back pain.
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But after undergoing a £12,000 gastric sleeve procedure at a private clinic in Birmingham, coupled with a complete change in his exercise levels and eating habits, he has lost half his body weight.
"Movement was tough, walking was tough and exercise was tough - basically life was tough," said Mike, reflecting on how he felt before he lost the weight. "I felt isolated by society. I just felt like people were watching me all the time."
But in June 2021 Mike decided that enough was enough and he made the bold decision to have gastric sleeve surgery, where a portion of the stomach is stapled off.
"I had to go on a pre-op diet which meant I could only eat 800 calories a day for 28 days. It was brutal because at the time I was so used to eating a lot of all the wrong stuff," he added.
"After the surgery you're almost back to being a baby [with food]. You start on fluids, work your way up to purées and then you introduce solids after six or seven weeks to see how your body reacts."
Mike, who is a healthcare worker in a psychiatric hospital, said that the surgery stopped him from getting as hungry and eating the portion sizes he was used to.
"The gastric sleeve is a tool for weight loss not the solution, and over time the hunger does return and it's easy to go back to your old habits, so you have to change your lifestyle too," he said.
"I started walking first - which began in the hospital straight after the operation - then I started walking a mile or so at home, and now I'm up to running 10K three to five times a week," he said.
However, he said the toughest part of his whole weight-loss journey was the fact he has been unable to eat socially: "If I went out for a meal I'd be like 'what can I eat?' This was a problem especially early on [after the operation] as I could eat very little."
Mike, whose chest size has reduced from 72 inches to 44 inches, said going weekly to Slimming World has also been vital in encouraging him to eat more healthily.
"Early doors I really struggled with what to eat. You get so sick and tired of protein shakes," he said.
"But in Slimming World you get loads of support, people give you ideas about what to make, and it gives me a goal to aim towards. I don't think I would have lost the weight I have if it wasn't for this group."
Mike said he has now lost so much weight that some people fail to recognise him.
"The kids now say to me 'do we have to walk to school, Dad?' Life has improved tenfold - everything is easier," he said.
"I couldn't even have a bath before. I couldn't go to a public toilet as I was worried I wouldn't fit in. If we went to a caravan park I'd have to make sure there was a big enough toilet for me to fit in.
"They used to call me 'Shallow Hal' as I'd keep on breaking seats everywhere I'd go. But now it's onwards and upwards for me as I want to lose 20 stone and reach 12st 2lbs."
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