A man who weighed 30 stone completely turned his life around when he swapped his computer games for daily walks. Sean Jones from Cwmbran has lost 15 stone in three years, halving his body weight.
The 30-year-old general labourer said one day he woke up and decided he had enough and couldn't continue living like this. He put an end to playing computer games and pushed himself to go for a walk every single day.
Discussing the moment he knew he had to change, Sean said: "I just had enough, I started going on walks, making healthier choices with my food, and the weight started flying off me. There is a hill behind my house that leads to a mountain, and I would walk that hill every day, I kept getting further and further until my body had enough, then the next day, I'd go a bit further."
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Sean said he struggled with his weight since finishing school at the age of 18. He described himself as a "bit of a hermit" who would not leave the house. He played computer games competitively, which fuelled his addiction as he felt like he could not let his team down.
He said: "I played a lot of computer games and I was addicted to it. I would get home from work and play on my computer all night. I'd go downstairs to get food, and I'd be out of breath by the time I got back to my room."
Sean explained that his diet that led him to weighing 30 stone was made up of snacks like crisps and chocolates. He said: "Before I would eat well, but my issue was snacking and a lack of exercise. I was very depressed and anxious and self conscious about my weight and how I looked. I would then eat more food to comfort myself which is obviously not a good thing."
He has achieved his weight loss by calorie counting, and learning about what macronutrients such as protein he needs for his weight and height. However he credited his weight loss to an increase in his movement.
"It was making small changes to what I eat but also working out how many calories I need to eat for my weight and height, but exercise was the main thing for me. I would walk or cycle 20 to 30 miles a day. Every weekend I was hiking. I'd drive to north Wales and climb the mountains up there.
Last year Sean underwent surgery to remove the excess skin that was caused by his weight loss. He said the surgery changed his life, having never been on holiday before, he now has the confidence to go abroad and doesn't feel he needs to hide his body.
It hasn't just changed his confidence, but also his health. He said after 12 months of following this new lifestyle, he felt physically fit, even though he still had a way to go with his weight loss.
His life has changed in more ways than one. He has completely given up his computer games, moved out of his parents house and has a girlfriend. Moving forward Sean is committed to continuing his weight loss, but said he isn't far off his goal.
"I am now at about 21% bodyfat and my aim is to get to 18%. I am documenting my journey through my Instagram, @SJ_obese2beast, because that is what I want to be, from obese, to beast."
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