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An obese 18st 12lb man lost 5st 7lb in six months by swapping takeaways for ready meals.
Stuart Campbell, 30, a 5ft 6.5in insurance processor who lives in Herne, Kent, began gaining weight during lockdown.
In 2020, he weighed about 17st (108kg), and by 2024 he reached 18st 12lb (120kg) with a BMI of 41.4, classifying him as obese.
At the time, Stuart wore a size XXL in clothes and “did not want to leave the house” because he was self-conscious of his size, and when he did, he was paranoid that others were looking at him and thinking “he’s massive”.
Stuart was having takeaways, such as pizza, chips, deep-fried chicken, for lunch almost everyday and for dinner, and was doing almost no exercise.
After considering surgery, he finally realised “enough was enough” and decided to embark on a weight loss journey by going to Man V Fat football sessions, walking 10,000 steps a day and eating about 1,700 calories daily with Marks and Spencer ready meals.
Within six months, he lost 5st 7lb (35kg), now weighs in at 13st 5lb (85kg), and he is a size M in clothes – and his wife Chloe, 28, a secondary school science teacher, has noticed how much more confident and happy he is.
Stuart told PA Real Life: “I feel good going out now – I feel like when I was bigger, even though it wasn’t the case, I always felt like people were looking at me and thinking, ‘he’s massive’.
“That was always in the back of my mind and I don’t really feel like that any more.
“I just feel like I can enjoy my life now without this burning thought in the back of my head that everybody’s looking at me and thinking I’m disgusting.
“I just wouldn’t go out and so I think that, alongside working at home, changed my whole personality, making me not want to do anything or go anywhere.”
Stuart said he started to “really pile on the pounds” after he began working from home during lockdown.
In 2020, he weighed about 17st (108kg) and by the beginning of 2024 had reached 18st 12lb (120kg).
Throughout this time, Stuart would wake up “as late as possible”, sit at his desk all day and do no exercise.
Even before that, his only form of exercise was “walking from the car to the office”, but lockdown “made that stop completely”.
Over this period, Stuart’s diet consisted mainly of processed foods, and he was having takeaways up to seven times a week.
He said: “I was having loads of high-fat foods like pizzas, chicken, chips, all the stuff you’re not meant to have.”
His weight had severely affected his self-esteem, to the extent that he did not want to leave the house.
Stuart was so unhappy with his weight that he began looking up weight loss surgeries on social media.
The more he saw on TikTok, the more inclined he was to have the surgery, but after some reflection he realised it was “so stupid” to go down that route as he “could do it (himself)”.
This realisation pushed him to embark on his own weight loss journey and, after speaking to a friend who recommended a weight loss programme where men play football: Man V Fat, in April 2024, Stuart decided to give it a try.
Originally from Northern Ireland, Stuart moved to Kent about 10 years ago for university and hoped that joining the club would help him make new friends, as he had no “childhood friends around” him.
Initially, Stuart was “so worried” he would not be able to keep up and would be “the largest there”, but he “felt so welcome” and found “no judgment” from the other players, as they had all been in his shoes.
Since joining, Stuart has played a game of football once a week, walked 10,000 steps a day and eaten around 1,700 calories a day.
For lunch, instead of takeaways, Stuart has mainly eaten Marks and Spencer ready meals from their Count on Us range, including: chicken fillets with vegetables and mash; hunters chicken and wedges; and sweet and sour chicken with rice; which are about 300 to 400 calories per meal. For dinner, he continues using Gousto’s food boxes, choosing high-protein, lower-calorie meals.
He has found this method “really easy because it has taken the stress away” and, as a result, he has been consistently losing 2.2lb (1.0kg) per week.
By following this plan for about six months, Stuart has lost 5st 7lb (35kg), now weighing in at 13st 5lb (85kg), and he has gone from a size XXL to a M in clothes.
He added: “I mean, in general, I feel a lot healthier, and going out in the mornings for a walk just gives you that clear head for the rest of the day. It’s so refreshing and sets me up for the day now.
“So, with the way I was before, my weight was held a lot around my stomach and my waist. I’d be pulling and stretching my XXL tops to fit me; a lot of shirts wouldn’t fit me because my proportions weren’t right.
“Being able to wear shirts again is such a massive confidence boost for me because it’s something I never did before.
“It doesn’t feel real – I still keep thinking that surely a medium isn’t the right size for me, but it is, which is just quite surreal.”
Stuart also believes his relationship with his wife has improved since losing weight, as they often go for evening walks together now, instead of “sitting at home watching the telly”.
He said: “It’s been refreshing for us both, and she’s complimented me.
“She can tell that I’m happier now.”
Stuart is also “so happy” that he can now play football for longer than a few minutes and can help around the house more – before, he struggled to lift anything.
Looking to the future, Stuart is determined “never to let himself” return to his previous size, as he is now “so conscious and aware of calories” and believes he has made a “lifestyle change for life”.
He hopes to lose another stone by the end of the year and plans to continue attending Man V Fat sessions as a maintenance member.
To others hoping to lose weight, he said: “I would recommend Man V Fat.
“It’s been amazing for me, and being in an environment where everyone understands and is in it together has just been great.
“I don’t know if I could have done it otherwise.”
For more information, visit: manvfatfootball.org
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