A KIT KAT a day is ‘secret’ to 29-stone man’s staggering 16st weight loss
Matthew Hughes credits his incredible weight loss to treating himself to his favourite chocolate bar every night
AN obese man has managed to shed more than half of his body weight while still treating himself to a Kit Kat a day.
Matthew Hughes, 39, has allowed himself the two-finger chocolate bar every evening since beginning his mammoth weight loss journey in January 2017, to keep himself motivated.
The data analyst, from Widnes, Cheshire, has struggled with obesity since childhood.
By his mid-30s, he had ballooned to 29st 5lbs, thanks to a diet of fatty and sugary snacks.
It was only after seeing pictures of himself at a mate's party that Matthew realised just how big he had gotten.
In just 15 months, Matthew managed to shed an incredible 16st and now weighs a healthy 13st 13lbs. He's also managed to go from a 6XL t-shirt to a large.
And Matthew puts his success largely down to maintaining his daily chocolate fix.
“I can genuinely say that I have eaten chocolate to lose weight. I love telling people that," he said.
“Every night since I made my New Year’s resolution to start dieting, I have eaten a two-finger KitKat. It’s been great.
“It’s about understanding that you can have treats as long as they are a treat and not something you’re indulging in three or four times a day.
“I know if I eat good stuff all day, I can have the Kit Kat every evening without worrying and that has really kept me going.
“You’ve got to reward yourself. Just because it’s a diet doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it.
“Even now that I’m maintaining my weight, I still have that KitKat after my tea every night without fail.”
Matthew was bullied throughout his time at school for being overweight but he says that his "happy go lucky" attitude helped him shrug off cruel comments.
A lack of food education in the 80s saw Matthew continue to gain weight into adulthood.
He managed to drink two pints of full-fat milk and five mugs of milky, sugary tea - as well as a load of crisps and chocolate bars.
Matthew also had five takeaways a week.
His increasing weight not only destroyed his self-confidence but also saw him struggling with back pain and left him wheezing after climbing stairs.
MATTHEW'S DIET BEFORE
BREAKFAST: Four pieces of white toast with lashings of butter
SNACK: A packet of crisps and a chocolate bar
LUNCH: Two white bread cheese sandwiches with another packet of crisps and another chocolate bar
SNACK: A chocolate bar
DINNER: Four pieces of cheese on toast or a meal from KFC or McDonalds
DRINKS: Two pints of full fat milk and five mugs of tea with milk and three sugars
“It wasn’t until I started losing weight and started to feel better about myself that I realised how much it had been affecting me - physically and emotionally," Matthew explained.
“When I was a kid there wasn’t the awareness and education about healthy eating that there is now.
“As a kid, you don’t care and I started snacking constantly on crisps and chocolate bars. That continued through my adult life.
“Instead of having three solid meals, I would snack all through the day on sandwiches, crisps and chocolate.
MATTHEW'S DIET AFTER
BREAKFAST: Muesli with with yoghurt and berries
SNACK: An orange
LUNCH: Jacket potato with beans and a side salad
SNACK: A yoghurt
DINNER: Grilled sausages with butternut squash, mushrooms and kale
SNACK: A two finger KitKat
DRINKS: Water
“People always assume if you’re big you must drink loads of fizzy drinks but milk was my downfall and tea with three sugars.
“I was bad with fast food too. I would eat takeaways about five times a week. Usually KFC or McDonalds.”
After struggling to fit through a turnstile at a Man U match and then seeing an unflattering photo of himself, Matthew enrolled in Slimming World.
Swapping his unhealthy snacking and fast food habit for three home-cooked meals a day, Matthew's fat has melted away.
I’ve had to completely re-educate myself on food and how to eat healthily. Now everything I have is fresh and home-cooked. Preparation is key.
“I feel so much better for it. It’s like I’ve been given a new lease of life. I’m so much more confident and I’ve got loads more energy.
“The loose skin can be hard to accept but I would much rather look the way I do now than how I did before.
“Sometimes I look in the mirror or at a photo and I can’t believe it’s actually me. I’ve got so much more self-esteem. I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved.”
But it's the Kit Kat that Matthew credits with keeping him on track.
He wants to encourage other people to give themselves a "mental high five" for every target they meet, as well as taking photos of their progress to keep track of their success.
Matthew said: “My main aim when I set out on my journey was to enjoy it.
“I didn’t look at it as dieting and restricting myself, I saw it as a lifestyle change. I was going to make my life better.
“I think it’s so important to have that mentality and celebrate every single milestone whether it’s to do with the numbers you see on the scales or something else.
“I would give myself a mental high five every time I lost half a stone and every time I entered a new stone bracket."
He said he has celebrated every time he had to tighten his belt a notch...as well as the first time that he was able to fit into a pair of skinny jeans.
“It was amazing. I never thought I’d be able to wear them.
“Another great moment was when a woman at work who hadn’t seen me since I was big didn’t recognise me until she saw my before picture on Instagram. It gave me such a good buzz.
MORE ON WEIGHT LOSS
“People need to congratulate themselves for all those victories and try to enjoy every moment of their weight loss. Have fun with it.
“It can be hard to see your own progress so the best way for me was to do lots of before and after photos.
"It really helps you realise how well you’re doing.”
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