At his heaviest, semi-retired Network Rail crossing keeper Steve Pexton tipped the scales at a staggering 28 stone and recorded a BMI of over 50, “severely obese” as per the NHS

A man who was severely obese and couldn’t walk to his post box has shed more than half of his body weight in just three years after losing 15 stone without working out.

Steve Pexton, 62, from Leeds, said a short saunter made him feel “horrible” and left him red-faced.

At his heaviest, the semi-retired Network Rail crossing keeper tipped the scales at a staggering 28 stone and recorded a BMI of over 50, Leeds Live reported.

The NHS states that anything over 40 is considered “severely obese.”

But Steve swapped his XXXXXL trousers for a snug size M just three years after joining Slimming World and said he feels fitter than he ever did even as a teenager.

Steve now weighs just 12 stone 10 lbs and said he feels like he’s been handed a new lease of life at the age of 62.

Steve, who now lives in Knaresborough, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, said: “I’m quite proud of myself for what I’ve done.

“I feel 100 percent fitter than I ever have before, I don’t remember ever being this weight it must have been about 40 years ago.

“There are so many things I can do now that I never could. I can walk, I can get into my car without trouble.

“I feel so much more confident to speak to people, and people greet me all of the time which never used to happen.”

“It feels like I’ve found a completely new and different life at 60.”

Steve said he struggled to walk to his own post box just outside his home, but he now enjoys his daily five-mile walks around the stunning North Yorkshire countryside.

He added: “Three years ago I never walked anywhere, I used to have trouble getting to my postbox from my house without stopping from oxygen.

“Now I’m walking about five miles a day and I’ve been doing that since the lockdown.

“I spent years where I couldn’t even dream of walking anywhere.”

One downside of Steve’s incredible weight transformation is that he has been forced to get rid of all of his clothes.

He said he can now finally go into any shop and pick anything he wants – which he was never able to do before.

“I used to wear XXXXXL but now I fit into mediums. It was very difficult to get clothes, I needed to get them from specialised places.

“Now I can walk into any clothes shop and pick whatever I like which is brilliant,” he said.

Steve said he couldn’t pinpoint the moment he started to see his weight balloon, but said he would often scoff down three takeaways a week.

But after joining Slimming World in October 2018, he managed to lose 7lbs in his first week and he quickly began to lose more.

Steve has now amassed 30 awards which are given for every half stone lost and he is encouraging others in the same boat to “keep at it.”

Then (5,000 calories)

Breakfast

Bowl of muesli

A couple of slices of toast with marmalade

Coffee

Lunch

Cheese and onion sandwiches

Chocolate bars

Large bag of crisps

Full fat Coke

Dinner

Large pizza

Garlic bread

Chips

Full fat Coke

Burger

Now (1,500 calories)

Breakfast

Weetabix

Lunch

Pasta pots

Skinny Whip bars

Diet Coke

Dinner

Slimming World ready meals (Lasagna)

Diet Coke