If Big Ben can do it, why I can’t?

Ben Owen’s  Age 32. Lives in London. Hometown; Perth, Australia 

On July 22nd, 2010, Ben weighed 155kg.   Height 1.96m.                         BMI: 40.3

On 7th April, 2011,     weight: 109kg.           Height: 6 ft.5 in.         BMI: 28.4       

Total Loss: 46kg (7 stone 3lb!)

Ben Owen was known to all his friends as Big Ben. He was 6ft.5 in.tall.  If the affectionate nickname were all about his height, he wouldn’t mind. But at 155kg, he knew people were referring to his weight and that made him feel embarrassed and self-conscious.

The first thing people said when they met him was about how big he was. It was usually said with good intentions, but it made him feel really uncomfortable.  He’d joke alone with people but cringed inside. He was always a bit shy, but his weight made him try to hide rather than going out and talking to people. He’d stay home and avoid places, where he knew he’d stand out. Honestly, he sometimes felt quite depressed.

When he was at school, he was always very active and loved playing Basketball, Cricket and Aussie Rules Football. When he had a growth spurt in his last year of school he started eating a lot more and, unfortunately, even though he stopped growing taller, he carried on eating and his growth spurt moved to his waist!

“About six years ago, he moved to London and was eating and drinking a lot, rarely cooking for self and socialising all the time. As an accountant, he was not very active. He piled the weight on and soon found himself at 155kg, his heaviest weight ever. His health was definitely affected. Walking up stairs tired him out.

“When he was asked to be groomsman at his best friend’s wedding, he decided the weight had to go. He didn’t want to look how he did in the official photos. He just woke up one morning feeling ‘Now’s the time to do it.’ And this time he was determined to do it properly though. He didn’t want the weight coming back again. He joined a weight loss plan and lost 46kg . Once he got to his goal weight of 110kg he felt really good.  He found it so easy that he decided to lose another 5kg to get down to a really healthy weight.

Instead of people commenting on how big he was they remarked on his weight loss. He joined a gym and even joined the Aussie Rules football squad, training twice a week. He started feeling a lot more confident and happy. His friends have been really supportive, and he has developed a lot of good feelings from those around him. He is confident he will be able to get to his new goal and stay there.