Back  |  Email to a Friend  |  Print  |   Send in Your Comment

31-stone man loses over half bodyweight

31-stone, 29-year-old Matthew Briggs has proven that being camera shy isn’t always a good thing. The picture dodging phone store manager from Strensall, York, was forced to lose half his bodyweight after a rather unflattering picture popped up on Facebook.

A typical pre-weight loss day saw Matthew enjoy a gut busting diet, putting away entire tubs of ice cream in one sitting, bingeing on junk and consuming high levels of sugary foods.

Unsurprisingly, Matthew’s dangerous love affair with ‘bad foods’ led to him to having a 56inch waist, the image of which spurred him to take up a healthy diet and exercise regime.

After slimming pills and a 1,000 calorie-a-day diet failed, Matthew opted for a safe and gradual approach to weight loss by joining a slimming club, swapping junk meals for healthy, home-cooked food and regular exercise.
Standing tall at 6ft 2in, the former heavily overweight Matthew Briggs looks a shadow of his former self, now weighing a healthy 13st 10lb. 

On his transformational weight loss, the 29-year-old said: “When I saw the photo on Facebook I was mortified…I tended to avoid having my picture taken so to see myself looking so big was a real shock. I couldn’t believe it was really me.”

As a result of the endless energy that has come from Matthew’s new lifestyle, he has gained the nickname of ‘Duracell Bunny’ from friends, which has witnessed him climb the UK’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, and cycle 50km for charity in less than two hours.

After being crowned Slimming World’s Greatest Loser 2012, Matthew trained to become a consultant, resulting in him now running his own Slimming World group.

By Farhana Nazir