A student nurse who weighed in at 23 stones reversed his pre-diabetes by swapping out junk food for healthy meals and taking up mountain climbing.
After losing more than 8 stone, even Rhys Perry’s own dad failed to recognise him.
Rhys had long struggled with yo-yo dieting and emotional eating, feeling self-concious next to his three naturally tall and slim brothers.
Now a trim 14st 12lb, Rhys – who is single and lives with his Romanian rescue dog Alfie in Torfaen, near Newport, South Wales – is opening up about his body transformation, recalling his dad failing to recognise him in the supermarket.
“I walked towards him and, obviously, the masks do have an impact, but it wasn’t until I was right next to him that he realised who I was!” he said.
Rhys said the trigger point for changing his lifestyle had been seeing overweight Covid patients in their early 60s, bedbound and struggle for breath on hospital wards.
“It was so sad and I thought, ‘If you don’t do something, that’s going to be you.’ Think of a bad eating habit and I had it – stress eating, binge eating, emotional eating – I did the lot.
“Realising I was pre-diabetic at a university lecture when we were asked to do a test was a bit of a stark moment, but seeing the Covid patients finally gave me the wake-up call I needed.
“Now I feel happier, my mood is better. I’m more positive and confident in myself.”
At his largest, the 5ft 11in former primary school teacher weighed 23st 3lb and wore a size XXXXL T-shirt. His BMI of 45.4 made him obese.
But, since joining the slimming club app, My WW – formerly known as Weight Watchers – in June 2020, he has lost a staggering 8st 5lb, weighs 14st 12lb and wears a size L, also boasting a BMI of 29.1.
Rhys said his teaching job through his 20s had been a “minefield” for his terrible eating habits, as he would frequently graze while he was marking and turn to junk food when the workload was overwhelming him.
In 2019, Rhys began a career change, swapping school whiteboards for scrubs and ward rounds.
When he started nurse training, he said he had “given up”, figuring he would always be that size. He couldn’t wear what he wanted and wasn’t happy, but also struggled to admit this to himself.
“Then we had lectures on diabetes and had to do a test on ourselves and I was pre-diabetic Type 2,” he said.
Feeling overwhelmed, Rhys initially avoided confronting his weight, ignoring recommendations to see a GP.
What tipped him over the edge was seeing overweight patients in their very early 60s during the early wave of the pandemic, who were completely bedbound on hospital wards, needing full care.
“Thinking, ‘That is going to be me’ horrified me,” he said.
“On top of that, I’d do 12-hour shifts as a nurse and get home from the ward and my joints would be in agony from standing all day with the pressure of my weight.”
So, in June 2020, Rhys took the plunge and signed up to WW’s ‘Green plan’, which he said has helped to “unravel” his eating issues.
In June 2021 he did a transformation photo and found he had lost 8 stone and 5 pounds.
Rhys is still aiming to lose another stone to a stone and a half, but is thrilled with his results so far.
“I just ate what I know is good and healthy to lose weight and I base my life around that now,” he said. “You can’t take care of other people if you don’t take care of yourself and nursing is notorious for poor eating habits.
Now, he said he didn’t think of it as a diet, but rather a lifestyle change.
Reactions from friends and family have also spurred him on, with many of his friends and family shocked after seeing him for the first time in 12 months after lockdown.
“Everyone’s amazed. They’ve been so pleased and proud. People even say I look younger. It’s nice when people ask how I did it, as I feel like I’m giving something back.”
Best of all, Rhys has completely reversed his prediabetes, which he said was a “massive relief” and had even prompted him to dip his toe into the dating world.
He is also delighted to be able to take up new hobbies, including running and mountain climbing – and is hoping to fulfil his dream of visiting Egypt in September 2022 to see the pyramids as his present to himself for graduating as a nurse, in March next year.
He had a new passion for exercise, he said, having taken up running, and climbing, with plans to tackle the Blorange, the Skirrid and the Sugar Loaf – three other mountains in South Wales.
“I feel like I’ve got control of my life and I can go out and do things. I climbed Pen Y Fan with friends recently and I wasn’t at the top needing an oxygen mask – it’s a new lease of life.
“I think there was always a thin person inside me – even at my biggest – and he just needed to be let out.”
Rhys’ Diet Before:
Breakfast – milky coffee, latte with sugar
Lunch – either wouldn’t eat all day or fast food or more sugary coffee
Dinner – fast food, ready meals or grazing all evening on carbs, crisps and chocolate
No exercise
Rhys’ Diet Now:
Breakfast – porridge, overnight oats or baked oats
Lunch – chicken salad, ham and tomato, peanut butter or cottage cheese wrap, sandwich thin or bagel with low points crisps or chocolate and low points squash
Dinner – spaghetti Bolognese, chilli con carne, butternut squash, chicken sausages, or a stir fry
Now runs 5K three times a week
