'I looked massive': Man loses 91kg after 'hiding behind weight' for years

A South Australian man has revealed how he took control of his health and successfully shed half his body weight — a whopping 91kgs — after tipping the scales at 181kgs.

Matthew, 32, attributed his ballooning waistline to his workaholic lifestyle and a ‘shocking sweet tooth’.

“I worked a lot. I was still pretty active in my job but I made bad food choices, especially with sweet food,” he tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

A production manager in the concrete industry, Matthew was also a smoker who drank three litres of iced coffee a day.

Shy and self-conscious of his size, Matthew says he would ‘hide behind his weight’ - until he reached a tipping point that jolted him into making a healthy change.

“I was in a friend’s wedding and when the photos were shared after the wedding I looked massive. I couldn't believe how big I had let myself be,” he explains.

How he dropped 91kgs

After that, Matthew cut out the iced coffee and overhauled his diet with the help of food delivery program Lite n’ Easy; his favourite dish at the moment is steak and mushroom sauce.

He also threw himself into a fitness regime — “I strapped myself to an exercise bike!” he jokes — and, two years later, he’s down to a healthy 90kgs and reaping the rewards.

“With a healthier eating plan and lifestyle, I have more energy to do things and spend time with my family and friends,” he says.

He’s also risen through the ranks at work with a leadership role, something he never contemplated a few years ago.

Matthew’s love of all types of biking — mountain, road and stationary — continues to this day, although he also likes to mix his exercise up with gym sessions and swimming.

Matthew tells Yahoo Lifestyle that his friends and family have been ‘really supportive’ along his weight loss journey and even hold him accountable for his choices.

“My girlfriend and I have a pretty active lifestyle too, regularly going out on bike rides and challenging ourselves with different types of fitness activities,” he says.

With that excess 91kgs hanging around, Matthew reckons his life would look a lot different from what it does now.

“I know that if I continued in my unhealthy lifestyle that my health would take a downward turn making my quality of life poor,” he says.

Sign up to our daily newsletter here to get all the latest news and hacks. Or get in touch at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com.