A man who got surgery to disconnect part of his brain to treat an epilepsy that caused him to have six seizures a day has managed to lose an incredible eight stone.
Jonathan Clutterbuck, from Tameside, weighed 23st 7lbs ahead of his surgery as he suffered from epilepsy and feared exercising would trigger a seizure.
Feeling low, he would seek solace in caloric foods such as crisps, chocolate and cheese, the Manchester Evening News reports, which in turn knocked his confidence further as it caused him to gain more weight.
Jonathan, 38, was born with cerebral palsy, a lifelong condition that limits movement and co-ordination, before he was diagnosed with severe epilepsy at the age of seven which caused him to have daily seizures.
His condition was "really life limiting" and at 6ft and weighing 23st, Jonathan had a body mass index of 44.5 compared to the NHS healthy range of 18.5 to 24.9 - meaning he was obese.
"I felt really self-conscious," the 38-year-old said.
"Everyone kept telling me to lose weight, but I never listened to them. It wasn’t until after my surgery that I started to change my lifestyle."
Then in February 2013, Jonathan was admitted to Salford Royal Hospital for a hemispherotomy - a complex operation which disconnects the cortex, or outer layer, of one half of the brain from the other inner section.
The aim was to stop the signals that were causing his epilepsy seizures, as his medication couldn't control them.
Do you have a similar story to share ? Get in touch as webnews@mirror.co.uk
"My epilepsy was a major struggle," Jonathan said.
"I was taking up to six pills a day for my seizures, but I still had them daily. But nothing was working and it was really life limiting.
"When the doctor approached me about having the surgery I was so scared. I was so worried something bad might happen.
"But I knew I couldn't keep living in fear of my epilepsy - I had to go for it."
Jonathan spent seven weeks in hospital after the eight and a half-hour operation, and was in a wheelchair due to developing an infection during his recovery.
In hospital, Jonathan dropped down to 14 stone, but by the time he got home he piled on the weight again due to him not being able to move.
"It took three months for me to learn to walk and I remained on my epilepsy medication for 12 months and I was so drowsy I just slept all the time.
"However, the surgery was a miracle and after 12 months I didn't need my medication and my seizures had stopped.
"I'm so thankful to the NHS. They cured my epilepsy and I don’t have seizures anymore."
But in September 2015, Jonathan decided it was time to ditch the pounds so he started working out on the Wii Fit.
He started with 10 minutes of jogging alongside stretching and step exercises, working out everyday and increasing the workouts by 10 minutes each time.
A few months on, Jonathan felt confident enough to start jogging and even visit the gym.
"I started small and built my work outs up," he said.
"The more I did, the more I wanted to do. I really fell in love with it."
Within six months Jonathan had become a real fitness convert.
"I became really passionate about exercise. I started circuit training and running every day," he said.
Jonathan also overhauled his diet and cut out foods that were high in fat or sugar, using supermarket labelling as a guide, and swapped out calorific meals for salads.
By September 2017, Jonathan had lost eight stone, dropping to 15st 9lbs and reducing his BMI to 29.6.
"I feel like a transformer," he laughed.
"I feel like a new person and I can’t believe I got so big before.
"I now love being active. I do lots of cycling – usually six miles a day.
"I volunteer at Tameside Hospital in Ashton-Under-Lyne helping the staff and putting the wheelchairs back and I even do exercise classes with the elderly people. It’s amazing to share being active with so many people."
After losing eight stone he has bought a custom-made face mask with before and after pictures of himself to showcase to fellow bus passengers as he travels to his volunteering job.
"I feel so emotional about my weight loss," Jonathan, who in lives in supported housing, said.
"I love telling people about my story and, when I wear my face mask, it makes people want to speak to me. I’m really proud of myself."
Jonathan was thrilled to be awarded the Changing Lifestyle accolade at The Pride of Tameside Sport & Physical Activity Awards in 2017.
"I just feel so proud of everything I’ve done. I just want to shout it from the ceiling."
"I love talking to people on the bus about my story," he said.
"I wanted to celebrate my weight loss, so I put it on my facemask. It’s amazing, people come up to me and always ask if it's me.
"I’ve made so many lovely friends. It’s given me so much confidence and I even feel like I can find love and maybe meet a woman to be my girlfriend!"
He added happily: "Losing eight stone was the best thing I’ve even done and it’s all thanks to the NHS for changing my life."
