A man was able to lose more than half of his body weight thanks to years of sheer 'hard work'.
Mark Stephen began his weight loss journey at the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020. He managed to drop from over 32 stone to just under 15 stone.
The 43-year-old was able to lose 11kg by taking part in a variety of exercise accompanied by healthy eating for more than two years. The former hospitaly worker moved to Nottinghamshire in 2019 after living with his family for a while and hoping to become more independent.
Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live, he said: "I had found an Airbnb that I could do temporarily. When I was there the coronavirus then happened and I needed something that I could control, and there was very little that I could control other than my weight and what I did with myself.
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"You were allowed to go out to exercise but not much else, so basically to get fresh air I used to borrow my neighbours' Shar Pei dog all the time to go for walks. If they hadn't let me take Oscar the journey would have taken a lot longer."
Mark then decided to incorporate other forms of exervise into his daily life after finding some weights at the flat which the host didn't mind him using. He added: "It was a dumbbell about 11 kilos and I did a lot of the various weight training things that I had on YouTube and got her help a couple times, and used the resistant bands as I realised walking the dog is great but I'm not using any of the other muscles.
"I was eating the same meal every day, terribly boring, but that regiment was the only way I could wrap my head around it and I just used to mix it up with different spices and sauces so it wasn't just tuna and pasta, which made it nice and cheap as well."
After managing to keep the weight off for two years, Mark began growing frustrated with the excess skin that he developed. So, he emailed various doctors and organisations looking for assistance as it was making it difficult for him to do daily tasks and find clothes that fit.
Unfortunately, he was told the NHS could not help because it was considered "a cosmetic procedure". Mark said the response felt like he did "all the hard work" and they "moved the goals" but he was still prepared to live with it.
Sadly Mark's dad passed away in March 2023, which has changed his outlook on life. He said: "My dad passing away has put a few things in focus for me."
His father's death inspired him to fund the surgery so that he could live his own life in a better way. "This £15,000 that I need for my arms and my belly, I've got it in my head as a wall I need to build, and each brick in the wall is £25 and that way it doesn't seem like such an unmanageable task as I've built walls with over 600 bricks."
When asked what it would mean for him to be able to get the operation, the 43 year old explained: "It would literally be life changing, and I've done all the hard work and put in all the hard effort. It would be amazing as well as I could go out to see mum a bit more."
If you wish to donate to Mark's fundraiser, you can do so here.
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