By Ella Nunn
A chef who tried to control his food lost 15 stone in 16 months by eating just one meal a day.
Simon Parnell, from St Margaret’s, between Dover and Deal, tipped the scales at 35 stone at his heaviest, trying to squeeze into a size 8XL.
The 42-year-old had grown accustomed to chips, pastries and fizzy drinks, but decided to make the switch when he realized he couldn’t go through a work shift without his feet swelling up – often spending the next day in extreme pain.
He thought the only way he could lose weight was to have gastric band surgery, but when he realized he had to wait two years, he decided to try it naturally.
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“My weight was getting worse and worse,” he said.
“Over time I got really big and it was difficult for me to do everything from putting on socks to going to work.
“My car would fill up with at least half a black bag of packaging every week. I’d end up in a complete hole.”
“At the end of the day, I just couldn’t move – my body was shutting down.”
After deciding he wanted to make a change in January 2023, he joined his friend Ben Turner for a three-kilometre walk one morning, which he says left him feeling “angry”.
But then the pair agreed to meet every day at 6 a.m. and walk together—regardless of the weather or other factors.
After Mr. Parnell devoted himself entirely to walking, and found that he would gradually be able to walk farther and faster, he began to starve for three or four months.
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His one meal at 5pm each day consisted of mixed nuts, some form of protein – usually chicken or fish – lentils, a mountain of vegetables or salad and then some berries and yoghurt for dessert.
He was amazed when the weight came off and he is now 19st 11lbs, a size 2XL and “feels like a million dollars”. He says his 14-year-old daughter Hatty is “so proud” of her father.
“Now I feel something so unimaginable, so happy, so healthy, this is what I wanted all my life,” said the chef.
“It was a complete change of mindset and it was a real struggle at first, but I feel like I’ve really trained my brain over time.”
“Before I started fasting, eating breakfast every morning just made me want to eat all the time. I’m much more in control now.
“I dreamed and imagined and I’m living my best life. I’ve waited my whole life to get to where I am, even though I’m not done.
“My daughter thought I wouldn’t get as far as I did – she’s so proud of me and has talked about it so many times.
Mr Parnell still follows this routine but has been able to incorporate more foods into his diet because he knows he now has the mental strength to stay on track.
For a while he says he felt too self-conscious to go to the gym – but eight months into his weight loss journey, he plucked up the courage to give it a try.
“As a fat person, your worst nightmare is going to the gym because you think everyone is watching you and talking, but they’re not,” Mr Parnell said.
“It’s amazing how quickly your mind goes from not wanting to go in, to it being your worst nightmare, to just looking forward to getting in there and being your most confident self.”
He now walks an average of 25,000 steps a day. It has a target weight of 15 cents.
Mr Parnell hopes his documentation of his weight loss journey on his TikTok account will inspire others in the same position as him.
“I want to help people who are in a similar position to me,” he said.
“Sometimes it means more when you hear from someone who used to be great – who understands the issues and knows what it’s like.”
Once he reaches his target weight, Mr Parnell wants to step up and swim across the channel and start climbing mountains.