A civil servant who used to reward himself with a takeaway after walking now looks unrecognisable amid his 10-stone weight loss.
At his heaviest of 21 stone, Mike McCook, 33, was left 'depressed and anxious' after being known as the 'big guy' for his entire life.
During the coronavirus lockdown, his weight ballooned while his mental health spiralled following a breakup.
He reached a point where he knew he had to make a change, and started watching his favourite TV shows whilst working out on an exercise bike - which helped him lose seven stone alone.
Now happier than ever, Mike feels like a new person and wants to inspire others with worries about their health and appearance to make small changes.
"For 31 of my 33 years, I had always been heavier and never imagined I would be anything else," Mike, from Ballymena, Northern Ireland, said.
"I was always around the 18-19 stone mark.
"During the first UK lockdown in 2020, my weight ballooned even further up to nearly 21 stone."
As Mike grew bigger amid the pandemic, during which he suffered a break-up from a long-term relationship, his physical and mental health began to spiral.
He would spend days gorging on take-outs and snacking at every possible opportunity.
"If I managed to go for a walk, I'd reward myself with a takeaway and ruin any chance of the exercise actually having an effect on my body," Mike admitted.
"My brain wanted me to be unhealthy - it wanted me to reward myself for doing something small with an enormous meal and I felt like no matter what, I'd always be the big guy.
"I've struggled with anxiety and depression for most of my life because of my weight and it has always made me feel like I don't belong anywhere.
"I felt like people were judging me at every turn, but not nearly as much as I was judging myself".
Mike eventually realised that something had to change, quickly, and so began the start of his exciting new health and fitness journey.
He started tracking what he was eating, cut out takeaways, and bought an exercise bike, which he used every day without fail.
"I lost seven stone in my first year solely through the use of an exercise bike and by sticking to my new diet," Mike explained.
"I knew that I wouldn't always be motivated, so I only allowed myself to watch my favourite TV shows whilst on the bike - this is called 'habit stacking' and it's really useful for keeping up consistency.
"You have to find ways to make your goals seem as attractive as possible and it'll help you stick to them."
Mike switched out certain products from his diet and began incorporating healthy substitutions and lower-calories alternatives.
He also satisfied his sweet tooth with a simple swap in his coffees.
"I'm a huge coffee lover and used to drink cup after cup, each one filled with copious amounts of sugar," Mike revealed.
"Now, however, I use the Skinny Food Co's Sugar-Free Barista Syrups and highly recommend others do the same to satisfy their sweet-tooth cravings, as I didn't notice the difference in taste, but the calorie difference and savings I'm making is huge - 30 calories versus 300 calories from a coffee shop!"
He added: "It's all about making healthy substitutions - I can't believe it's been so simple all this time."
When his family and friends began to notice his weight loss, Mike's confidence started to blossom.
"I realised that, after my break-up, I had to focus on something to stay grounded and I'm so happy I chose self-improvement," he said.
"I had friends and family pointing out the changes in my body, and this in turn changed the way I acted.
"I felt my confidence grow as I began to need smaller sized clothing and my mental health began to improve day-by-day as people began to look at me differently".
Now with a desire to help others with their own weight loss journeys, Mike shares his tips for those wanting to kick-start a change in their own lives.
"The best advice I can give is to start small and work your way upwards - by that I mean you don't need to start on day one with a 10k run and 20,000 steps," he explained.
"Start tracking your calories and how many steps you do per day, as these are the two things you can truly manage.
"Above all, be consistent! One bad week or a few boozy weekends doesn't mean you've fallen off the wagon and they certainly don't leave you back at square one.
"Just get back to it the next day and over time you'll see changes start to appear. You can lose just as much weight from walking and maintaining a good diet as you can from using a gym every day - it's just about finding what works best for you.
"Most importantly, stop resisting the urge to eat and start incorporating healthy alternatives into your diet."
Mike finishes by reflecting on his newfound confidence and his excitement for what's to come, adding: "I'm a new person now and could not be happier with the way things are.
"I'm so ready to see what life has in store for me now I'm physically and mentally healthier than ever before".
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