I shed the weight of a baby killer whale!
TIPPING the scales at a mammoth 39stone, Oliver Bales was so fat he could not fit in the seats at university lectures and was bullied over his size.
Gorging on a diet of chips, burgers, doner kebab meat, ice cream and fizzy drinks, he had to wear size 6XL clothes, had a 64in waist – and suffered the embarrassment of cracking the family bath when he stood in it to shower.
But yesterday the 24-year- old told how he now feels ‘normal’ for the first time in his life after shedding 25stone – the equivalent of a newborn killer whale – as he was named Slimming World’s Greatest Loser 2016.
Mr Bales, who followed one of the diet club’s healthy eating plans and attended classes near his home in Portsmouth, said: ‘Everyone tells me I look amazing, which is a great feeling.
‘As I’ve shrunk, my confidence levels have soared and I’m so much happier and much more ambitious. I used to be so shy and quiet but that’s com-
‘I feel normal for the first time in my life’
pletely vanished now. Being overweight has affected by entire life.
‘I finally know what it’s like not to feel like an outcast, to be able to walk down the street without people laughing, to not take up two seats on a train, to not be in constant pain. I feel normal for the first time in my life.’
Mr Bales, who is 5ft 10in tall, used to weigh 38st 13lb 8oz. Now he is 13st 13lb and has a 34in waist. At his heaviest, he would spend most days lying in bed, eating and watching TV.
Having been overweight since school, he finally started on his healthy lifestyle two years ago after becoming depressed because of his size. As well as being bullied, he was unable to stand for long periods and had dangerously high blood pressure.
Mr Bales, who is half Filipino, went to Portsmouth University to study business studies, but during his final year he was forced to take time out because of depression.
‘ I’d assumed university would be a mature environment and I’d be safe from bullies, but things were worse than in my hometown,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t fit in the seats in some lecture halls so I’d have to sit at a separate table, which was mortifying. I felt so ashamed and broke down.’
Later, he re-started the final year and graduated with a 2:1. He recently started a job as a train buffet assistant.
‘It is a challenge working with food, especially when you have biscuits and chocolate bars staring you in the face, but it helps my willpower to see those sort of things every day and not be tempted,’ he said.