I weighed 38 stone and was too fat to drive my Vauxhall Astra - now I've lost 19 stone

A man who was too fat to get into his own Vauxhall Astra has shed 19 stone in a radical weight loss transformation. James Baker, 38, had reached almost 40 stone after digesting a staggering 6,000 calories every day.

The motorist was forced to swap cars with his partner after being unable to fit into the tight cabin which he claims was a "catalyst" for change. However, he swapped his junk food and high-calorie diet for healthy, high-protein meals and lost a staggering 19st 7lbs in a little over a year. James now weighs a much lighter 18st 7lbs, is now training to be a triathlete and has even reclaimed his old Astra.

He explained: "I've always been a bit bigger than my peers. "As I got into adult life it spiralled a little bit. At the end of 2022, I got up to being 38st. I had to swap cars with my partner. For me, really the whole car thing, not being able to get in the car, I thought if this carries on I'm not going to be around for my children much longer.

"That was the real big catalyst realising I couldn't get into the car without having to breathe in and tuck myself in the steering wheel."

After reaching out for help, James was placed into a year-long weight management clinic before he could qualify for weight loss surgery. However, he went out to Egypt for gastric sleeve surgery in May 2023 - paying £5,000 for the procedure.

He added: "Before I would eat things like McDonald's and Burger King quite often. I would wake up and think 'I'll have a Burger King today'. I'd find a way of having it, even if it might mean driving out of my way so I could have it.

"I'd then get home and eat a second dinner with my family. I'd constantly be reaching for snacks and comfort foods before bed like crisps, chocolate bars and cakes.

"There would be times when we'd be watching the TV and if we didn't have anything in, I'd drive to the shops for a chocolate bar. But it wouldn't be a normal size one, it would be a share size.

"Now if I'm training first thing in the morning, I'll go for a run or a training session. Breakfast is something along the lines of granola and yoghurt."