As Josiah Ojofeitimi made his nightly pilgrimage to his local corner shop to stock up on snacks, he had no idea that this biscuit run would change his life.
At the time, the father-of-two, 31, from Manchester, weighed 35 stone and was forced into XXXXL clothes – but it was experiencing agonsing back pain and shortness of breath which scared him into addressing his weight.
He said: ‘When I got back from my five minute walk, my back was killing.
‘I was sweating and breathless.
‘I looked in the mirror and said out loud “what’s up with my back?”
‘I saw my reflection and realised obviously that’s what it was, so I ordered scales.’
Mr Ojofeitimi ordered heavy-duty scales that could hold up to 33 stone, only for them to flash up an embarrassing error message which truly drove home how his bad eating habits had spiralled out of control.
But rather than turn to GLP-1 medications – also known as fat jabs – like Wegovy, Mounjaro or Ozempic, he decided to lose the weight the old fashioned way by overhauling his diet and exercise regimes.
Josiah Ojofeitimi weighed 35 stone at his heaviest
He says he still loves to have fun – but does so sensibly
He said: ‘The biggest scales I could find went up to 33 stone and when I stepped on them it said ‘error’.
‘I think I was around 35 stone.
‘The thought of trying to lose the weight felt impossible.’
Mr Ojofeitimi – who stands 6″4 – admits that he had terrible eating habits and mindlessly packed away thousands of calories, even indulging in two breakfasts.
He said: ‘I’d wake up as late as I could and have a pint of apple juice, four slices of toast, a big bowl of cereal and a Penguin bar before I left the house.
‘Then I’d have a second breakfast in the office with bacon, sausages and Ribena to wash it down.
‘I’d get four packets of biscuits for a meeting with three people and eat most of them.
‘At home, I’d have a normal tea with my family then order a kebab later.
He ditched his nightly kebab and followed a keto diet
He experienced back pain after a five minute walk and was inspired to take action
‘Before bed, I ate Doritos, chocolate and sweets.’
But after his scale shame, he slashed his calories and spent a year on a keto diet before adding daily walking, cycling and gym sessions to his routine.
He has now slimmed down to 19 stone and wears an XL, and his transformation inspired him to quit his job in insurance to help coach others trying to get fit.
Mr Ojofeitimi said: ‘I started moving my body more with walking and cycling.
‘I started going to the gym in the morning and tracking my calories.
‘Even when I’d lost seven stone, I was still a significant weight to be running, but I did two marathons this year.
‘I go to the gym every day but I still have birthday cake or chocolate at Christmas and I have dessert if I’m out for dinner.
‘I still go out and have a good time, I’ve just got the control to not let it turn into a day or week.
He now loves running and no longer fears walking
‘It’s been life changing. Wherever I went, it had to revolve around me not walking.
‘Now I don’t have to rely on taxis to get around and I don’t have to book the end seat at the football or feel unfortunate for whoever is sat next to me on a plane.
‘A taxi driver I used to use says he remembers me taking up the whole of the back seats.’
He believes his transformation proves weight loss injections should not be a first resort.
He said: ‘I didn’t go to the doctor for 15 years because I thought no matter what’s wrong with me they’d tell me to lose weight.
‘These days, they’d give you a prescription.
‘I used to have to order clothes from America online but it’s easier to be 30 stone now because you can access bigger clothes, even designer stuff.
‘I understand why people do it but principally after what I’ve done, I’m against jabs.
He doesn’t agree with fat jabs being used to get thin as opposed to getting healthier
‘It should be worst case but it’s become a cosmetic thing where girls who are a size 14 want to be a size eight.
‘They aren’t willing to put in the work to naturally lose weight so they’d rather take a jab.
‘The easy thing to do is jab yourself but they aren’t thinking about everything else like the relationship with food.
‘You want to be healthy as well as skinny.
‘People see body confidence as a size 28 wearing a bikini.
‘Good for her, but that shouldn’t be recognised as body positivity. It’s unhealthy.
‘A woman who went from a size 28 to 14 through hard work and has excess skin, I respect that.’
Mr Ojofeitimi said he had struggled with his size all his life but insists he was never bullied, instead creating a larger-than-life persona to fit in.
He added: ‘I’ve got a size XL football shirt from when I was nine and it fits me now.
‘People from primary school say I was bigger as a child.
‘I was always a big kid because we had quick, easy, cheap meals.
‘Then I got older and had my own money and freedom so I was eating more and buying alcohol.
‘I didn’t get bullied but there was constant banter.
‘When I was 10 I was six foot and 18 stone so I expected comments.
‘It didn’t hold me back, I wasn’t a recluse and I was confident.
‘When you stand out that much, you have to play a character and be larger than life.
‘People say I used to be funny but it was a persona to be accepted.
‘With the confidence I have now, I’m willing to leave my job and set up as a coach and trust it’ll work, even though I don’t have a six pack.
‘I might have excess skin but I’m fitter than most of my friends.’
