A MAN who became morbidly-obese after scoffing LEFTOVERS on his children’s
plates has turned his life around – and shed an incredible 14 STONE.
Determined Darren Abbotts, 41, tipped the scales at a belly-busting 28 stone
11lbs after gorging on food left by his four children.
Security officer Darren, who is 6ft 2ins tall, had a 57 inch waist measurement
and had to wear size XXXL clothes.
But he was inspired to lose weight after Slimming World consultant Debbie
Orwell walked into the community shop where he was working in August 2010.
Darren began attending classes and the weight started to fall off him.
He now weighs a healthy 14st, has a 36in waist and can fit into large and
medium-sized clothes.
Darren, from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, said: “I was never big as a teenager
but the weight crept on over a number of years.
“We only used to have takeaway now and again but having four children I used
to eat their leftovers.
“I wasn’t really worried about my weight but when I bumped into Debbie and
asked whether she helped men lose weight she told me about her husband’s
weight loss.
“It was a real ’eureka’ moment and a light switched on in my head.”
Darren joined his local Slimming World group at Weston Football club along
with wife Trish, 38, who lost two-and-a-half stone.
He initially set himself a target of losing 12 stone but went on to lose
almost a further two – taking his total weight loss to 13st 12-and-a-half
pounds.
He added: “Losing weight is the best thing that’s happened to me. I can be the
partner my Trish deserves and the dad my children need.
“My son called me into the garden recently and pointed out how much more space
there was on the washing line.
“Before I lost the weight, just one pair of jeans, a jumper and a t shirt
would take up three quarters of it. Now there is room for everyone else’s
clothes too.”
Darren has registered for the 2013 London Marathon and is now running up to
five times each week.
He will run the Weston-super-Mare half marathon in September with wife Trish
and friends from his Slimming World group.