A man whose weight reached a peak of almost 500 lbs. following the death of his parents has revealed how he turned his life around in under two years.Reece May, 26, appeared on U.K. morning show Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, Aug. 4, to discuss his weight loss. He explained that, though he’d always struggled with his diet, things took a sharp turn eight years ago.

“It really started getting worse when my dad died in 2018,” May, from the town of Hebburn in England, about 280 miles north of London, told hosts Charlotte Hawkins and Richard Madeley.“When my mom died in 2021, it just sent me into a massive spiral,” he added.
Reece May before his weight loss.SWNS
May would eat two kebabs for breakfast, two kebabs or a pizza for lunch and three grill combos for dinner, snacking on candy, potato chips and sodas between meals.

Each day he consumed around 15,000 calories — over five times the average recommended daily intake for men, per the Cleveland Clinic — and weighed almost 500 lbs. at his heaviest.
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“I used to feel really bad,” he said of his old diet. “I used to go to bed praying that I would wake up the next day.”

He explained that the turning point came when he visited a local gym, “One of the staff behind the counter said, ‘You’re not long for this world.’ ”

Reece May as a child.SWNS
“I broke down on the chairs,” May added.

But a personal trainer offered to help him, and May told Good Morning Britain he’s been “training five days a week ever since.”

Reece May after his weight loss.SWNS
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May also used the GLP-1 Mounjaro for a couple of months, explaining that his appetite had “completely gone” after two or three weeks on the weight loss drug.

However, he said he didn’t want to keep using it, because he “felt like I could do it on my own.”

Since he began losing weight less than two years ago, May has lost more than 210 lbs. — almost halving his heaviest weight.

Reece May after his weight loss.SWNS
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When co-host Hawkins asked him if he had any advice for other people who might be in a similar position, he said, “Staying in that deep, dark depressive state is not strength. Admitting you need help is strength.”

“Once you admit you need help, you’re on the first step to recovery — if I can do it, anyone can,” he added.

Sources: https://people.com/man-who-turned-to-food-after-death-of-parents-has-now-lost-over-210-lbs-12034405