A dad lost a whopping 14 stone after his concerned seven-year-old son asked him if he was going to die.
Matthew Riggs saw his weight creep up as he tucked into up to four takeaways a day washed down with an entire bottle of rum.
Alongside his regular trips to the takeaway, Matthew, an IT director, would also chow down on huge portions of home-cooked food and saw his weight hit 27st 2lbs. You can see Matthew in action here:
Speaking to LADbible, he said: “It was years and years of bad eating and I would say I was on the verge of becoming alcoholic.
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"I was drinking a bottle of rum and full-fat coke most days for three and a half years, and I’d be eating three takeaways a day on top of my wife cooking me dinner.”
Matthew admits that he didn’t really pay much attention to his growing size until one day when his son Harrison asked him a sobering question.
He continued: “I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong in my eyes. I knew I was getting bigger and bigger - my clothes weren't fitting me and I’d have to keep buying new clothes.
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“But it was only when my son was seven - he came home from school and he said to me, ‘Dad I need to ask you something - are you going to die?’
“And I looked at him and I literally broke. I said, ‘Harrison, why would I die?’ and he said, ‘Well, we’ve been learning about the body at school and you’re fat and you're overweight. Are you going to have a heart attack?’ I said to him, ‘Don’t be silly’.
“I had to walk out of his room and into my room because I literally couldn’t talk; he caught me so unaware and I looked at myself in the mirror and I thought, ‘What the f**k are you doing?’
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“I walked back into his bedroom and I said ‘listen to me, I promise you daddy’s going to get fit, he’s going to get strong, he’s going to get healthy and I’m going to prove you and show you.'”
Although he’d tried various other diets over the years, Matthew knew this time was different.
A few days later, he went along to a gym with a pal, something he admits was slightly intimidating for a ‘fat guy’, but his friend encouraged to put his headphones on and focus on himself.
Alongside his new workouts, Matthew also began to research how to lose weight through calorie tracking and ditched his usual takeaways and generous portions of pie and potatoes in favour of healthy meals he would prep himself.
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And by sticking to his new routine strictly - he went 755 days without missing a gym session - he soon saw results and within 11 months he’d lost 11st. Three years on, he’s lost 14st, going from 27st 2lbs to 13st 2lbs.
He said: “People would say to me, ‘You need a rest day’ and I’d say, ‘Listen, I’ve had plenty of rest days. This is my time now to sort this out.’
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“I’d tried every diet before and nothing had worked - this time was totally different because I prepped all my food, so for breakfast I’d have oats, for lunch I’d have chicken and rice and then for dinner I’d have turkey meatballs with potatoes and veg and I’d even have a small snack in the evening.
“After a couple months it became a habit and I loved it because I saw the weight coming off - it was falling off - and I became more happy and confident.”
As well as the change in his physical health, Matthew says losing weight and discovering a love for exercise has helped him mentally, too.
And, perhaps most importantly for Matthew, his two children are growing up with a fit and healthy dad.
To track his impressive transformation, Matthew set up an Instagram account where he shares his weight-loss journey and hopes to inspire others - you can check it out here.
Topics: Health, Weightlifting
Claire Reid