Ben Owen’s story. Age 32. Lives in London. Hometown; Perth, Australia
On July 22nd, 2010, Ben weighed 155kg. Height 1.96m. BMI: 40.3
On 7th April, 2011, weight: 109kg. BMI: 28.4
Total Loss: 46kg (7 stone 3lb!)
At 6ft 5in tall, Ben Owen was known to all his friends as Big Ben. If the affectionate nickname were all about his height, he wouldn’t mind. But at 155kg, he knew people were referring to his weight and that made him feel embarrassed and self-conscious.
“The first thing people said when they met me was about how big I was. It was usually said with good intentions but it made me feel really uncomfortable,’ he says. ‘I’d joke alone with people but cringed inside. I was always a bit shy, but my weight made me try to hide rather than going out and talking to people. I’d stay home and avoid places where I knew I’d stand out. To be honest, I sometimes felt quite depressed.’
“When I was at school, I was always very active and loved playing Basketball, Cricket and Aussie Rules Football. When I had a growth spurt in my last year of school I started eating a lot more and, unfortunately, even though I stopped growing taller, I carried on eating and my growth spurt moved to my waist!
“About six years ago, I moved to London and was eating and drinking a lot, rarely cooking for myself and socialising all the time. As an accountant, I was not very active. I piled the weight on and soon found myself at 155kg, my heaviest weight ever. My health was definitely affected and I got breathless easily. Walking up stairs tired me out. I just felt so unfit and I couldn’t play sport like I used to even though I would have liked to get back into Aussie Rules Football. It all felt a bit doom and gloom to be honest.
“When I was asked to be groomsman at my best friend’s wedding, I decided the weight had to go. I didn’t want to look how I did in the official photos. I just woke up one morning feeling ‘Now’s the time to do it.’ And this time I was determined to do it properly though. I don’t want the weight coming back again. I joined a weight loss plan and have lost 46kg to date. One I got to my goal weight of 110kg I feel really good. I’ve found it so easy that I’ve decided to lose another 5kg to get down to a really healthy weight.
“I am so happy with the progress I’ve made. Instead of people commenting on how big I am they are remarking on my weight loss. I’ve joined a gym and I have even joined the Aussie Rules football squad, training twice a week. I am feeling a lot more confident and happy. My friends have been really supportive, and I’ve receive a lot of good feelings from those around me. I am confident I will be able to get to my new goal and stay there.’