Obese 23st man sheds half his body weight in one year after ride embarrassment

A man who was “too big” to ride nearly every rollercoaster in the amusement park has now revealed his incredible weight loss.

At his heaviest, Martin Hannis, 38, tipped the scales at 23st where he could barely squeeze into size XXXXXL clothes.

Before he embarked on his transformation, the singleton’s diet consisted of pizza, kebabs and a bottle of red wine every night.

He decided to confront his problems when he struggled to fit on the rides after he took his niece Lola Thomas to the theme park.

As he couldn’t fit his body on all but two of the attractions, Martin was adamant to make a change once and for all.

So he ditched booze and took up running while losing an impressive 12st in just a year.

Now Martin, who says he’s the “happiest he’s ever been”, weighs a healthy 11st 9lbs.

He said his weight crept up for ten years where he used food and alcohol as a coping mechanism for dealing with anxiety.

Martin said: “I knew my health was getting worse, but when you’re suffering from anxiety, it’s easier to just brush it off.

“I used to come home from work in the evening and eat a whole packet of biscuits without a moment’s thought.”

He changed his eating habits after the theme park incident with his niece, then six, in Somerset last April.

The stock and bond manager added: “It felt like a walk of shame with everyone looking at you as you got off the ride.

“Some staff tried to sugar-coat it, but some put it very bluntly.

“I’d noticed my weight creeping up over the years but it wasn’t until the theme park trip that really motivated me to do something.

“I felt so humiliated when I was asked to leave almost every ride in front of everyone.”

Martin committed to a strict weight loss regime in July 2019 where he limited himself to to just 1,000 calories a day.

He said his first run “nearly killed him” as he struggled to manage even 60 seconds without stopping.

Now he eats around 2,500 calories a day – half his total 18 months ago – and runs up to 22km at a time.

His hard work paid off when he was able to return to the same theme park in August and rode all the rides.

He concluded: “Losing the weight was incredibly difficult and it took a lot of commitment, but now I’m a lot healthier.

“I fit in every seat on every ride, which was so satisfying after I had to watch my niece ride alone the year before.

“Losing weight completely changed my life, and I’ll never let myself get that big again.

“Not only am I now so much healthier, but I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I feel like a completely different person.”