Obese man ‘too fat for sex’ sheds staggering 16st after his marriage broke down
AN OBESE software engineer blames his battle with the bulge for ruining his marriage - because he was too big for sex.
Stephen Ringo, 38, says that he became so heavy that it was a struggle to even put on his socks - let alone perform in the bedroom.
The once super-fit powerlifter tipped the scales at 29st in January 2016, after the end of his relationship forced him to re-evaluate his health.
And in just two years, he's managed to shed an incredible 16st.
"It's fair to say that my weight ruined my marriage," said Stephen, from Johnson City, Tennesee.
"It was the single biggest factor. My relationship with my wife deteriorated as my weight crept up. I was depressed and as that set in, intimacy kind of left. My weight drove my sex life into the ground."
He said that reality hit when he went on a holiday to NYC with his now ex-wife back in 2012.
"When you're in New York, there is a lot of walking involved.
"After a walk in Central Park I had to sit on a bench to catch my breath for a half an hour.
"I felt like a failure."
Despite having once been super-fit, Stephen said that he lived off fast food as an adult, usually going to McDonald's for lunch and having Pizza for dinner.
he explained: "I would usually go to McDonald's for lunch and order a Big Mac family meal, which was two Big Macs, two large fries, and two large cokes as well as 20 chicken nuggets.
"I would drive through the drive through so they might think I was ordering the meal for a family.
"After I finished I always felt so bad about myself. I hated myself."
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In October 2016, Stephen decided to finally return to the gym, which he said was an extremely discouraging experience as he realised just how far he'd let his fitness slip.
But the former powerlifter hit the gym every day and began to practice intermittent fasting - which now sees him eat only between 5pm and 9pm each evening.
"My first time in the gym I was disgusted with myself. I could literally bench 175lbs which is as much as I could when I was a young teenager," he said.
"I don't know how I had let myself get that far.
"Gradually I've built myself back up 340lbs.
"Now I practice intermittent fasting which means I only eat between 5pm and 9pm.
"When I get home I break my fast with an apple and for dinner I have ground turkey and a pound of green beans.
"I have two cups of air-popped popcorn and one low-fat ice cream."
Stephen, whose waist has gone from 60ins to 32ins, said his weight loss has changed his life and confidence.
Although he isn't quite ready to date, the computer whizz thinks he would be a stronger partner now that he has turned around his life.
And he even has his own YouTube channel dedicated to his weight loss journey, which has seen him lose an astonishing 16st.
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Stephen said: "Losing this weight has changed my life. Something as simple as being able to put on your socks makes such a different.
"I do have a lot of excess skin. I'd love to get it removed but surgery costs a lot so it's not my priority now.
"I don't feel ready to date yet but I do think I'd be a better partner in the future. I'm so much happier in myself and I think that would make a big difference."
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