A man who weighed 30 stone completely turned his life around after swapping his daily gaming marathons for hill walks.
Sean Jones halved his body weight over three years, shedding 15 stone after deciding he'd had enough of being grossly overweight. He put an end to his regular gaming habit and began taking up walks on a hill behind his house in Cwmbran, Wales.
He began counting calories and working on his understanding of nutrition after giving up a snacking habit that was piling on the pounds. Last year, he underwent surgery to remove the excess skin left over from his transformative weight loss.
He told Wales Online that he now has the confidence to holiday abroad without feeling ashamed of his appearance. His efforts have also seen his mental health improve.
The 30-year-old general labourer 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."
Sean had been struggling with his weight after leaving school at 18, describing himself as a "bit of a hermit" who didn't leave the house and played games competitively. Ultimately, he became fed up with becoming breathless climbing a single set of stairs.
He continued: "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.
"I 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.
"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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