TIPPING the scales at more than 27st, Tomas Marks felt too fat and insecure to go on dates.
The 25-year-old was too big to fit in restaurant booths, he was “constantly out of breath”, and he was battling crippling anxiety due to his size.
But after years of shame, the airport security officer has completely transformed his life – without the use of weight loss jabs like Ozempic and Mounjaro.
Tomas, who shed a whopping 9st 4lbs thanks to a handful of simple lifestyle tweaks, has found a “truly wonderful” woman, who makes him feel like himself again.
“I’ve had too many embarrassing moments in my past to list them,” he tells Sun Health.
“The main ones happened when I was out in public and I was too big to do an activity, or when out in a bar or a restaurant and I didn’t fit in the chairs or struggled to get into booths.
“That really embarrassed me and made me feel terrible about myself.”
Tomas, from Christchurch, Dorset, says his figure affected every part of his life, from his mobility to his mental health.
“I felt terrible both physically and emotionally,” he says.
“I really stood out when out in public, which caused me to have really bad anxiety due to the fear that everyone was looking at me and judging me for my size.”
Tomas admits his eating habits had spiralled out of control, with a typical day involving not just three large meals but constant snacking in between.
“I’d have three meals plus around 10 snacks throughout the day, which, looking back, is wildly unnecessary,” he says.
“A full day of eating back then was easily 3,500 to 4,000-plus calories.
“My snacking was truly out of control. I would regularly find myself in bed at 11pm and just suddenly feel the need to go and raid the cupboards in the kitchen.
“It was like a quick trip to a drive-thru or a whole bag of Doritos and a whole pot of dip.
“My worst snacking was always really late at night, which is something I heavily avoid these days.
“I’d go out for a meal with friends and after dropping them all home I’d get myself something from McDonald’s on the way home.
“Eating was sort of a coping mechanism for me and it was a short-term fix to make me feel slightly better.”
Dating really demoralised me and made me feel hopeless. Now I’ve found a truly wonderful partner
Tomas Marks
After years of feeling “hopeless,” a friend suggested Tomas try MAN v FAT – a programme for men that combines weekly football matches with support to help players lose weight.
The decision marked the beginning of a major transformation – one that led to him to lose an incredible 9st 4lbs in just under two years.
Tomas credits the club, which he joined in November 2022, and intermittent fasting (an eating pattern that involves long periods of not eating) for his weight loss success.
He says: “I rekindled my love for the sport and for playing in goal, which was something I hadn’t done since my time playing youth football.
“I also adopted an intermittent fasting routine between the hours of 8pm and 11am. That’s something I would highly recommend.”
Tomas says cutting out alcohol and learning to meal prep also massively contributed to his weight loss success.
“I still focus on portion control and making sure the meals all have balanced macros,” he adds.
“I did meal prep a lot at the height of my diet so I knew exactly what I was eating and how many calories were in things.”
And as the weight came off, Tomas says his self-worth grew.
“The first sign that it was working was when I no longer felt tired after doing tasks that would’ve had me exhausted before,” he says.
“Friends and people I worked with then noticed and asked if I’d lost weight, which was a really big boost to my confidence.
“I had always struggled with clothes and bought the majority of my wardrobe from online shops that specialised in bigger men, but the biggest change for me was being able to buy normal clothes in any shop.
“I remember a specific moment when I was trying on jeans in a changing room. I put them on and realised that they now fitted me.
“I couldn’t help but get a bit emotional and felt an immense wave of pride.”
How intermittent fasting can help you lose weight
By Eliza Loukou, Health Reporter
THOUGH many diets focus on the foods you’re eating, intermittent fasting is all about when you eat.
Put simply, it involves fasting – going without food – and only eating within a certain time window.
The idea is that it gives your body a break from digesting food, potentially leading to consuming fewer calories than if you were eating more regularly, according to Bupa.
Eating less may also have positive effects on your blood sugar levels, which can be useful if you have pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, it adds.
Some experts believe intermittent fasting triggers a process called autophagy, where your body works to remove damaged cells from your body.
And a study conducted by National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases even showed that following the eating regime may help reduce people’s “addiction” to food by rewiring the brain.
Your body does this when it doesn’t have to focus on digesting food.
There are a few different forms of intermittent fasting, which is loved by Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Aniston and Kourtney Kardashian.
Popular examples include:
- The 16/8 method: A fasting window of sixteen hours and an eating window of eight hours – you can drink water, milk, tea and coffee while fasting.
- The 5:2 method: You pick two days a week where you consume about 500 to 600 calories, while following a normal, balanced diet on the remaining five.
- The 24 hour fast: Not eating for a 24-hour period, either monthly or weekly.
- Alternate day fasting: Fasting every other day, which Bupa says can be difficult to maintain in the long-term.
There are a number of ways to shorten your eating window – and chances are, you’ve already done it by accident.
It can include:
- Having a later breakfast
- Skipping breakfast altogether
- Having an early dinner
But the diet is certainly not suitable for everyone. Bupa notes that you shouldn’t try it if you:
- Are pregnant
- Have type 1 diabetes
- Have a history of disordered eating
- Have anxiety or depression
One of the biggest wins for Tomas was finding a partner.
After years of unsuccessful dating attempts, Tomas says he’s finally found happiness in a relationship.
“I had tried dating on and off over the years but due to my size and lack of confidence, I had little to no success,” he says.
“It really demoralised me and made me feel hopeless about myself.
“I’ve only just recently had some success and I’ve managed to find myself a truly wonderful person, Faye, who I just clicked with.
“I feel comfortable, even with my anxiety issues.
“Dating was a big change for me. Gradually over the course of my weight loss I slowly built up my confidence to the point where I was comfortable with being able to go out and meet new people.”
But Tomas says the number one change has been in his mindset.
“When I look in the mirror, I see a completely different person to who I was before,” he says.
“Before when I looked at myself, I hated myself and the way I looked. Now I’m happy and I’m more confident in myself.”
Tomas' 4 top weight loss tips
- Joining a football team
- Intermittent fasting
- Meal prep
- Quitting alcohol
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