I ballooned to 40st after spending £16k a year on takeaways – a free trick helped me lose 25st without jabs or surgery

HENRY Gonzalez feared he would be dead before 30 after his weight soared to almost 40 stone. At his biggest, he struggled to tie his own shoes, wore 7XL shirts and suffered terrifying chest pains that felt like someone was “squeezing” his heart. Henry Gonzalez was wearing 7XL t-shirts at his peak Credit: Jam Press/@healthy__henry Weighing 45 stone he was spending £16,000 a year on takeaways Credit: Jam Press/@healthy__henry But six years later, Henry has shed an incredible 25 stone without weight-loss jabs or surgery after completely overhauling his life. And alongside ditching £45-a-day takeaway binges and hitting the gym, the 34-year-old says a surprisingly simple habit has become part of his transformation: journaling and meditating almost every day. Sign up for the Fabulous newsletter Thank you! Henry, from Vallejo, California, has gone from 40 stone to 15 stone, losing nearly two-thirds of his body weight. His waist has shrunk from more than 60 inches to just 34, while he has swapped 7XL shirts for a large. Incredibly, even his feet have shrunk, with his shoe size dropping from a 12 to a 10. Henry said: “I truly thought I was going to die young. I never thought I’d make it to 30. I figured I’d be dead in my early 20s due to my lifestyle.” For years, that lifestyle revolved around work, eating huge quantities of fast food and drinking heavily on his days off. His waist has shrunk from more than 60 inches to just 34, while he has swapped 7XL shirts for a large. Credit: Jam Press/@healthy__henry Alongside going to the gym he credits his transformation down to journaling Credit: Jam Press/@healthy__henry He completely cut out takeaways as part of his transformation Credit: Jam Press/@healthy__henry He lost two-thirds of my body weight naturally Credit: Jam Press/@healthy__henry Henry estimates he spent around £45 every day on takeaways, often ordering enough food for an entire family in one sitting. Most read in Fabulous A regular trip to McDonald’s could have seen him polish off two McChicken burgers with cheese, large fries, a chicken sandwich meal and 20 chicken nuggets. On other days, he would have six eggs, six sausages and beans for lunch before ordering two large meals from McDonald’s, Jack in the Box or Taco Bell for dinner. Henry said: “For years, I would eat fast food for almost every meal and I would drink alcohol in excess. “That was my routine, just work and on my days off I’d drink until I blacked out and ate whatever I wanted. “I never considered being active. “My daily go-to meals were McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Jack in the Box. Whatever I was feeling that day, I would go and get. “I would order enough food to feed a family of four.” Henry, from Vallejo, California, has gone from 40 stone to 15 stone, losing nearly two-thirds of his body weight Credit: Jam Press/@healthy__henry His 60-plus-inch waist is now 34 inches Credit: Jam Press/@healthy__henry Henry had been “chubby” throughout school, but his weight began to spiral towards the end of his high school years. Eventually, even simple everyday tasks became an ordeal. His waist grew to more than five feet around and he struggled to find jeans that fitted. Standing for any length of time left his legs hurting, while bending down to put on his shoes became so difficult that he either had to leave them tied or ask somebody else to do them up. He said: “It was hard to do pretty much everything at my heaviest. “I struggled putting on shoes and would have to have them tied already or have someone tie them for me. “Jeans were hard to find and even just standing for short periods of time was difficult. “My legs hurt but thank God I had a job in security where I just sat all day.” But it was what was happening inside his body that frightened him most. At his heaviest, Henry was pre-diabetic and had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and fatty liver. He also began suffering frightening pains in his chest. Henry said: “It felt like my heart was being squeezed randomly and more frequently the heavier I got. “It felt like someone was squeezing my heart. “It affected me physically every day. “I felt the weight become heavier and heavier as time passed and I started moving less and less. “I would be tired all the time and have a bad mood. “I was constantly angry with myself for the life I’d created.” The turning point finally came through Henry’s clothing brand, GameTight Clothing, which had originally started as a music label. He had a vision of what he wanted the business to become but began to realise he also needed to change himself if he was going to achieve it. By November 2019, Henry was considering gastric bypass surgery. But before having an operation, he decided he wanted to see whether he could lose the weight without it. Through a friend, he was introduced to personal trainer Ryan at Authentic Fitness and threw himself into a new routine. The enormous takeaway orders went. Instead, Henry began cooking simple meals at home and eating largely the same foods day after day. Breakfast is now two eggs, a cup of egg whites and turkey bacon. For lunch, he typically has 8oz of chicken, salmon or ground turkey with a cup of rice and vegetables. Dinner is another 8oz portion of chicken, fish or turkey with vegetables. He changes the protein from week to week, but deliberately keeps the basic diet consistent. Henry said: “I found my personal trainer Ryan through a friend who lost some weight with him. “I followed his programme from meal plan to workouts and stayed on it for six years. “I still follow the same programme, just more intensely now, but it feels like it’s not. “I’m very proud of myself for following through with this decision. “I’ve learned so much about myself and still I’m continuing to grow. “I almost did the gastric bypass but wanted to give the natural way a real shot before I did that, and I’m glad I did.” But Henry’s transformation has not just been about what he eats. He has built a strict daily routine around looking after himself both physically and mentally. Most mornings begin with lifting weights at the gym. Afterwards, he heads out on a trail and walks between four and six miles, usually listening to audiobooks and podcasts that he says help him “grow mentally”. He also journals and meditates almost every day, habits which have become as much a part of his routine as exercise. Henry said: “My daily routine has been the same for about four years now. “I wake up, go to the gym, hit my lifts then I hit a trail and walk about four to six miles listening to audiobooks and podcasts that help me grow mentally. “I journal and meditate almost every day. “I eat the same meals on rotation, go to work then sleep and do it again. “It took me about a year to get my routine down.” The change has been extraordinary. Henry has lost 25 stone, falling from around 40 stone to 15 stone. His 60-plus-inch waist is now 34 inches and the man who once needed 7XL tops can fit into a large. Even buying shoes has changed after his feet dropped two sizes. But for Henry, the biggest difference is being able to enjoy a life he once feared would be cut dramatically short. He said: “Life has changed completely now, nothing is the same. “I thought the way I was living before was life. “Now, I understand I was just existing at my biggest, not living. “I get to experience the world in a much more beautiful way.” Henry hopes his transformation can encourage others struggling with their weight, although his decision to avoid surgery was a personal one. He said: “I hope someone can see my story and see that natural weight loss is possible at that size, it just takes time and determination. “My weight loss is the result of never quitting on yourself. “In my case, I felt I was young enough and was still able to walk and I didn’t feel right doing the surgery without actually fully trying to do it naturally. “I was lucky to find my trainer Ryan down at Authentic Fitness who knew it was possible for me before I did.” Comment now