I was so fat I got stuck in football turnstiles - now I've lost 17 stone

A man who weighed almost 30 stone and was so fat he got stuck going through football turnstiles has lost a staggering 17 stone - by walking.

Steven Duffield, 45, tipped the scales at 28.1st (178.7kg), and could only wear 5XL American football shirts and massive jogging bottoms.

Single Steven piled on the pounds after a decade gorging on takeaways, snacks and downing between 12 and 14 pints of beer a night.

He decided to take drastic action in 2022 after he took his nephews to a Boxing Day football match but got wedged in the turnstiles.

Steven had also previously been told he was too heavy for the scales at his GP practice and his BMI (Body Mass Index) was a whopping 59.2.

He started walking every day, beginning with a short stroll to the end of the road but steadily built up to cover more than 25 miles a day.

Steven also swapped fatty foods for healthy dishes like chicken and rice with vegetables and tried intermittent fasting.

He also gave up alcohol and explored different eating options including the keto diet which is popular with celebrities.

In just one year Steven lost a 13st (83kg) and has shed a further 4st (25.4kg) to now weigh a trim 11st.

Steven, from Kidderminster, Worcs., said: "I had suffered a mental breakdown and lost both my parents a few years apart and I was in a bad place.

"I was also put on an antipsychotic drug which I later found out slowed my metabolism while also increasing my hunger and thirst.

"Because I was lonely I would wake up hungover and go straight to the pub and would drink and eat from lunchtime until closing.

"I would be drinking between 12 and 14 pints and then order an Indian takeaway.

"I'd go to bed and then wake up and just repeat the whole cycle again."

Steven, who runs a social media consultation agency, says several incidents in 2022 spurred him to "take control" of his life.

He added: "My weight was becoming an issue. I felt that I was becoming known as a fat drinker.

"I was being shunned by people and once I was walking by a canal and a load of teenagers shouted abuse at me.

"I also went for a check-up at my GP surgery but I was told I was too heavy for the scales so had to go to the hospital, it was humiliating.

"My doctor told me I had between 10 to 15 years left to live if I carried on the way I was going.

"Then on Boxing Day I took my young nephews to watch Port Vale play but I got stuck in the turnstiles.

"I just remember my belly fat spilling over the metal turnstiles and it took three of the staff to prise me free.

"The look on the faces of my nephews was awful and I just felt so embarrassed.

"I went home that night and knew I had to make a change and only I could do it so I made a plan and simply started walking.

"At first I walked to the end of the road and back but I logged it on a fitness app and I just built up the miles from there.

"Because I was so heavy, the weight actually came off quite quickly to start with.

"While I walked I listened to podcasts about losing weight and how to stay healthy. I started experimenting with diets and fasting.

"It wasn't as simple as move more, eat less. It was about understanding what your body needs and just keeping things simple and go day by day."

Despite losing over half his body weight, Steven has been left with pounds of saggy skin which he is hoping to have surgically removed.

He added: "I am delighted to be where I am but my belly looks like it's melted.

"The NHS have initially refused to operate on my saggy skin saying it's aesthetic but it's actually physical.

"I have tried playing football again but when I run my skin slaps against me and I can feel it pulling me.

"It's like running around with a large ball in my midrift. I do wear it as a badge of honour but I would like to have it gone.

"I have lost all this weight without any surgery and without any jabs. I'm in a good place now and I want to inspire others to do the same."

Steven is now aiming to walk the equivalent of the Sahara Desert for charity.

He has set himself the challenge of clocking up 1,880 miles by October in aid of Acorns Children's Hospice.

The charity cares for his 11-year-old niece Meggie who suffers from Trisomy 9 mosaic syndrome, a rare and life-limiting chromosome disorder.

To donate to the fundraiser visit www.justgiving.com/page/saharayomp4acorns