A teacher has been called 'unrecognisable' by his pupils after his astonishing weight loss was put down to eating Warburtons Thins. Nick England from Wimbledon topped the scales at nearly 27 stone before embarking on a weight loss journey in 2021.
The dad-of-two, who admits he's always been a 'big guy', decided to turn his life around after suffering from indigestion due to a food and Coca-Cola 'addiction' that saw him sport clothing up to size 7XL, reports the Mirror.
In the space of 18 months the teacher lost a whopping 14st 11lbs and credits the low-calorie sandwich range from the popular bakers for his transformation, but admits he's 'scared to death' they could be discontinued.
Nick, now weighing in at just 12st 2lb, revealed his freezer is constantly stocked with the goods and an interaction with former pupils at his school sparked shock among the returning students.
He said: "I'm scared to death of the day that Warburtons decide that Thins aren't something worth keeping in their range any more.
"I'm hoping that's a long day off, I swear by them. I think they're brilliant, I always keep my freezer stocked with them.
"Last week I had pupils come back [to school] who hadn't seen me for a few years. They came back just to say hi, they're just about to finish their degrees, and they came back to see me.
"One asked me if they could speak to Mr England - they didn't recognise me. Their reaction was everything in terms of being awestruck. One couldn't speak for five minutes."
A Type 2 diabetes diagnosis confirmed the worst for Nick but he admits it was the 'kick up the bum' he needed to push on.
He added: "At that point I weighed 26st 13lbs, just shy of 27 stone. I've always been a big guy, I've always struggled with my weight ever since I was a kid. I was ostensibly at peace with myself.
"Everything that had always been a danger or a worry in terms of 'you'll never find love, you'll never get married, you'll never have kids' none of that seemed to transpire for me.
"I wasn't unhappy, I didn't feel like I wanted to lose weight. I knew I was unhealthy, I wasn't stupid, and I had an addiction to Coca Cola that I knew I had but was in denial about.
"I started suffering from indigestion problems and started to get concerns at my age that it might be the 'big C' or something else I needed to get checked out.
"The doctor came back with a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. I wasn't surprised.
"I knew my time was up and that my revelry had reached a point where I knew I was going to be now dealing with the consequences of a lifestyle that wasn't good for me.
"It was a wakeup call to once and for all do something about my weight. I intend to be here for my kids' weddings and see my grandchildren and I needed that kick up the bum."
Nick cut out some fizzy juice and urged those keen to shed the pounds to stick to portion sizes on packaging.
He added: "I was never somebody who just ate crap, I enjoy food of all sorts. [Before] it would have been a nice array of food but there would just have been way too much of it.
"I like loads of vegetables, I like healthier foods as well, so it was more just a case of making sure I ate more of those and less of the bad stuff and I kept the portions to the right size.
"I'm a massive fan of [toasty maker] CRIMPiTs. They replaced the shop-bought baguette sandwiches I'd have for lunch containing mayonnaise or Marie Rose sauce.
"Warburton Thins are 100 calories and when I saw the CRIMPiT on my Facebook feed I loved the idea. If you don't respect the size of the Warburtons Thins and the size of the CRIMPiT and try and fill it too much it won't crimp and will burst on you
"If you stick to portion sizes as per packaging you always fill it perfectly and it never comes open.
"Just before Christmas 2021 the diabetic nurse tested my bloods and found they were what a 'normal' person's blood sugar levels should be. So I put my diabetes into remission within three months. I'd done what had been suggested and just thought 'this is working, I'm going to keep doing it.
"The big changes were getting rid of Coca-Cola, I was drinking five cans a day, and portion control. Now I have more energy, feel better within myself and feel more in control.
"As intelligent as I like to think I am, I knew I was doing myself damage with my old lifestyle and yet I didn't really act on it. I feel much happier with what's going into my body now."
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