By Ella Nunn

A chef who struggled to control himself around food lost 15 stone in 16 months by eating just one meal a day.

Simon Parnell from St Margaret’s at Cliffe, between Dover and Deal, tipped the scales at 35 stone at his heaviest and struggled to squeeze into a size 8XL.

The 42-year-old used to gorge on crisps, pastries and fizzy drinks but decided to make a change when he realised he could not get through a work shift without his legs swelling up - often spending the next day in extreme pain.

He thought he would only be able to shed the weight by getting gastric band surgery but after realising there was a two-year wait he decided to give it a go naturally.

"My weight had got worse and worse,” he said.

"I'd got really big over time and found it hard to do everything, from putting on my socks to going out to work.

"My car would just be filled with at least half a black sack worth of wrappers each week. I’d just end up in a complete hole.

"At the end of the day, I just couldn't move - my body was in shut down."

After deciding he wanted to make a change in January 2023, he joined his friend Ben Turner on a three kilometres walk one morning which he says left him feeling “knackered".

But, the pair then made a pact to meet at 6am each day to walk together – regardless of the weather or any other factors.

After becoming completely dedicated to walking and finding he would gradually be able to walk further and faster, Mr Parnell started fasting solidly for three to four months.

His one meal at 5pm each day would include 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 fell off him and is now a 19st 11lbs, size 2XL, and "feels a million dollars". He says his 14-year-old daughter, Hatty is "so so proud" of her dad.

"Now I feel something so unimaginable, so happy, so healthy, this is what I've wanted all my life,” the chef said.

“It was a complete mindset shift and a real struggle at first but I feel I really trained my brain over time.

"Before I started fasting, when I had breakfast each morning, it just set me off and I wanted to eat all the time. I have so much more control now.

"I've dreamed and pictured this and I'm living my best life. I've waited a lifetime to get where I am, even though I haven't finished.

"My daughter thought I wouldn't get as far as I have done - she is so so proud of me and has talked about it so many times.”

Mr Parnell, who works as a chef at MK Catering in Dover, still follows this routine but has been able to incorporate more foods into his diet as 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 summoned the courage to give it a try.

"As a fat person it's your worst nightmare to go in the gym as you think everyone is watching you and talking but really they are not," Mr Parnell said.

"It’s amazing how quickly your mind changes from not wanting to go in, being your worst nightmare, to actually you can’t wait to get in there and be the most confident person there."

Now, he walks an average of 25,000 steps a day. He has a goal weight of 15st.

Mr Parnell hopes his documentation of his weight loss journey on his TikTok account will inspire others who are in the same position he was.

"I want to help people who are in a similar position I was in,” he said.

"Sometimes it means more when you hear from someone who used to be big - who understands the struggles and knows how it feels.”

Once he reaches his goal weight, Mr Parnell wants to challenge himself further and swim the channel and start mountain climbing.