NI man: Losing 21 stones helped me survive coronavirus

Phil Kayes, 47, from Bangor, has been named this year’s Slimming World’s Greatest Loser, having been warned by doctors that he would be lucky to see 40 because of the strain his weight was putting on his health.

Phil, who used to wear 8XL shirts and had a waistline of 68 inches, was recently ill with what was thought to be Covid-19. He believes that while it was unpleasant and he was knocked off his feet, he’s not sure he would have survived if he hadn’t lost weight.

He said: “I dread to think how my body would have responded. It was a timely reminder of how important my health is.”

At his heaviest Phil suffered a string of other health issues including pressure on his knees and sleep apnoea. His main worry was that would he die in his sleep and his body couldn’t be removed from the third floor of his parents’ house.

Phil, who has slimmed from 37st 2.5lbs to 15st 6lbs in three years, said: “I was always bigger than my peers – I remember at school being called out by my PE teacher for being too big to play football.

“The weight really started to pile on though when I started university. My size meant my life became increasingly insular and I made up a variety of excuses not to go out.

“I’d avoid gatherings like parties and weddings because I just felt so uncomfortable. I knew I wouldn’t fit into a plane seat so I never travelled, even though I really wanted to. Apart from my job as a civil servant, I didn’t really do anything except hide away and eat. It was a very lonely time.”

Phil realised he had to do something about his weight when his mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer: “Mum was facing her fourth cancer battle which sadly turned out to be her last. The news sort of spurred me into action and I knew this time I had to try and be as healthy as I could – not just for her but for me as well.

“I was also worried that if my mum did pass away, I wouldn’t be able to be one of her pallbearers, which was heart-breaking. She died in October 2017, by which point I’d lost five stones. I know she’d be really proud if she could see me now.”

Since halving his bodyweight, Phil has become more active and has started cycling again after a near 30-year absence from the activity.

He said the best thing to happen to him since shedding 21 stone is meeting his partner, Nicole Mullholland, on an online dating app.

Since the temporary suspension of its 19,000 community groups, Slimming World has launched a virtual weight-loss service to continue to support members.

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