Born weighing 11b 4oz, Jason Parrish used to joke that arriving into the world that big meant he had no chance of ever being slim.
For years, it seemed he was right as his weight ballooned to 13 stone aged 13, 21 stone at 21 and 30 stone when he reached 30.
He was so fat that when he developed appendicitis, doctors were unable to operate and said the condition could kill him. But, despite the warning, he didn’t change his ways and his weight continued to rise, reaching almost 40 stone.
It was only when his seven-year-old grandson asked him if he’d still be around for his wedding day that Jason realised he had to make a change.
And 12 months on he has lost a staggering 23 stone and gone from a 7XL to XL. Jason said: “My life has changed unimaginably.”
He said his problems started after being diagnosed with dyslexia as a child as he was bullied for that as well as his size.
Jason, of Telford, Shrops, who married Marie in 2002, said: “The more alone I felt, the more I sought solace in food.
“By the age of 21... I was eating four boiled eggs on bread and butter for breakfast, fish and chips for lunch, a full roast for dinner and countless chocolate bars and crisps in between.”
After the comment from his grandson, Jason was told he could have surgery, but had to lose 5% of his weight first – and he managed to shed five stone in four months.
Jason, 45, then underwent surgery, 15 months ago, to have a gastric balloon for six months and then a sleeve gastrectomy, where most of the stomach is removed.
Since then, he has lost 23 stone and now weighs under 17 stone.
Nurse Bryony Price, of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital, said: “We often joke that we’re addicted to chocolate or can’t live without cheese, but an addiction to eating is very real.”
