The 2lb 20-year-old machine operator lost 9lb in 13 months by giving up snacks and playing football after he felt ’embarrassed’ by struggling to adjust on roller coaster rides.
Rhys Cotton, 33, who lives in Stockport, spent his twenties and early thirties indulging in unhealthy eating habits, including regularly eating takeaways and snacks, and consuming 4,000 calories a day.
He was a size XXL with a 44-inch waist and thought his weight was fine until he went to Gulliver’s Theme Park in August 2023 and struggled to fit on the rides.
Rhys, who is 5’7″ tall, weighed himself and weighed 20lbs (128.7kg) and had a BMI of 44.2, putting him in the morbidly obese category, so for the next few months he gave up snacking and lost 4 pounds (25.9 kg).
By November, Rhys was down to 16 pounds (102.1 kg) and that month joined the Man V Fat weight loss program for men, which involves playing football.
Since then he has lost another 5 places (31.8kg), dropping to 11th (69.9kg) with a healthy BMI of 24.3.
He now feels more confident, his mental health has improved and, although he has no doubts about the loose skin, he is determined to maintain his healthy weight and reach his goal of 10st (63.5kg).
Rees told PA Real Life: “My mental health is so much better – I used to literally work and then go straight home.
“Whereas now I’m doing more things, playing extra games of football and I’m not as scared to talk to people.
“I didn’t realize I was conscious until I compared it to how I feel now – when I got bigger it felt like everyone was looking at me.
“It still seems weird to buy smaller clothes and not go bigger.”
During his twenties and early thirties, Reese developed a habit of being inactive and regularly consuming takeout, such as pizza and barbecue, at least three times a week.
His daily routine revolved around going to work, coming home, watching TV and constantly snacking on the family’s bags of chips and candy.
He consumed about 4,000 calories a day – skipping breakfast, then eating foods such as hamburgers and massive sandwiches for lunch, with takeaway for dinner.
He wore a size XXL with a 44 inch waist and had no weight or appearance issues in his twenties and thirties.
He added: “It (my weight) didn’t stop me from doing anything or going anywhere, I was fine.
“It didn’t bother me and it didn’t affect me much.”
That all changed in the summer of 2023 when he went to Gulliver’s World theme park in Warrington with his then girlfriend and her daughter.
He had a hard time fitting into some of the rides, which made him realize he needed to make a change.
“I wanted to take them to Alton Towers but I thought if I couldn’t go with them they would miss it too,” he explained.
“I felt a little embarrassed.”
In August 2023, he stepped on the scale and found himself weighing 20 pounds (128.7 kg).
He said: “I didn’t realize I was so heavy and I just knew I had to lose a bit.”
At 5ft 7in (1.70m) tall, this gave him a BMI of 44.2, classifying him as severely obese.
In the following months, he completely eliminated snacks from his diet.
“To begin with, it was harder at work because I always had a lot of snacks at work, but after a few weeks it was more because if I don’t buy, I can’t eat, and I got used to it, through “It didn’t bother me for a while,” Rhys explained.
In October, he and his girlfriend broke up, which further motivated him to shed pounds.
By November, he had lost 4 pounds (25.9 kg), dropping his weight to 16 pounds (102.1 kg) – a 20.2% reduction in body weight.
However, with a BMI of 35.3, he was still classified as obese, so he was determined to continue his weight loss.
That same month, in November, he joined Man V Fat, a weight loss program for men that includes weekly football games.
“Joining Man V Fat helped me because it allowed me to get out of the house and meet new people, which I needed at the time,” Rhys said.
“Everyone was in the same boat wanting to lose weight and it made me realize how unfit I was, it was hard for me to run after a few minutes on the pitch.”
In addition to the Man V Fat program, he began attending training sessions several times a week.
He also reduced his daily calorie intake to about 1,800, aiming for a breakfast bar, a sandwich for lunch and a protein-rich dinner, and only the occasional takeout.
By September 2024, he had lost another 5lb (31.8kg), weighing 11lb (69.9kg), wearing medium clothes with a 30in (76cm) waist.
His BMI is now 24.3, which puts him in the healthy weight range.
Rhys now feels much more confident and his health has improved.
While he is skeptical about the skin laxity, he believes the improvement in his health and well-being makes it worth it, although he is considering surgery in the future.
Rhys said: “I’m a bit self-conscious about the excess skin when I go swimming and stuff and it’s hard for me to be confident.
“But I’m hoping the gym will help with that a little bit, or the surgery if I can afford it, because I think that’s the only thing that really helps get rid of it.”
He hopes to reach 10st (63.5kg) within the next few months and is confident of maintaining the weight loss.
“I’ve stayed within a healthy BMI for the last six weeks or so, so I think I can do it in the long run, I can’t see myself going back to where I was before,” he added.
He’s not too worried about the festive period and his progress, saying: “I’ll treat myself a bit, but once it’s over I’ll just go back to what I was doing before, so it shouldn’t affect my weight loss too much either.”
