Nobody should have to feel bad about their weight or the way they look.
But Oliver Bales was bullied all through school because of it.
The 24-year-old had become stricken with depression by the time he got to university.
The Portsmouth man weighed 39 stone at his heaviest and he wouldn’t leave the house or socialise with anyone.
His weight was not just affecting his mental health, but he also struggled to stand up for long periods and his blood pressure was dangerously high.
That’s when he decided to change his life, and revolutionised his lifestyle after being inspired by a friend’s weight loss on social media.
After losing an incredible 25 stone he has been named Slimming World’s ‘Greatest Loser’ for 2016.
To put that into context that’s equal to two average sized British men.
He is now a lean 13 stone and has gone down from a 6XL and 64in waist to a M and a 34in waist.
It’s heartbreaking to hear how much Oliver’s life was affected by his weight growing up.
“Childhood was very rough,” he says. “I was very overweight as a child. I struggled to do a lot of things the other kids could do.
“I used to get bullied a lot. I didn’t feel like I was as good as anyone else and it used to really bring me down.”
He hoped university would be a clean break full of typical uni experiences, but he described his first year as ‘complete hell’
“I was too big to take part in activities, and I couldn’t fit in the seats in some lecture halls so I’d have to sit at a separate table away from everyone else, which was mortifying.”
He says he was constantly judged and bullied and suffered from depression because of it, which eventually led him to take time put from his studies.
Oliver would spend most of his days lying in bed, eating and watching TV until a friend, who had lost weight with Slimmers World, inspired him to change his life.
The main thing was changing his diet. Before he would not eat anything until lunch time, but now he has a healthy breakfast of bran flakes and fat-free yoghurt and chopped strawberries or an omelette.
For lunch he will have a chicken and pasta salad or a ham and cream cheese sandwich with salad.
Then in the evening he will eat a homemade butternut squash risotto or Slimming World Chicken and Chorizo-style Sausage Paella, if he’s short on time.
Oliver snacks on fresh fruit or sometimes he will have a low-fat hot chocolate or a fun size Mars or Twix bar.
“As the weight began to come off, I found the confidence to become more active too,” he explained.
“Now I love going to the gym, taking part in fitness classes, swimming and running.
“My ambitions now include running a marathon, doing a triathlon and learning to scuba dive.
“I feel I can set my mind to absolutely anything now. The sky’s the limit.”
He says that one important constant has been the support from his diet consultant and other members of his Slimming World group which has helped him get to where he is now.
“Everyone tells me I look amazing, which is a great feeling. As I’ve shrunk my confidence levels have soared and I’m so much happier and much more ambitious.
“Being overweight has affected by entire life – until now. I finally know what it’s like not to feel like an outcast, to be able to walk down the street without people laughing, pointing or calling you names, to not take up two seats on a train, to not be in constant pain.
“Thanks to Slimming World I feel normal for the first time in my life and my only regret is that I didn’t do this sooner.
“I hope my story will inspire other people to know that it’s never too late to get support and even if they don’t know it, there is help just around the corner.”
Pictures via Slimming World
