Obese man who put on 15 stone in a year and shed half his body weight speaks out after suicide bid
'If my story can touch one life then it has done its job'
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Your support makes all the difference.A man who lost over half of his body weight in 18 months has spoken out about his struggle with binge-eating and mental illness that lead him to attempt suicide, in a bid to inspire others.
After losing a loved one, Noah Kingery, 29, from California, spiralled into a circle of depression and bingeing on fast-food and alcohol to gain 210lbs (15stone) in a year.
“I was in such a deep dark place that I could not see life worth living,” Noah told the Mail.
“The loss of love lead to depression and I walked away from my passions, just giving up on life.”
Reaching rock-bottom, Noah attempted suicide in his flat in Los Angeles but was interrupted by a phone call.
Waking the next day and believing that his life had been spared, he decided to transform his lifestyle.
By giving up fatty foods, alcohol and dedicating himself to the gym, Noah conquered his addictions and lost 190lbs (13.5 stone) in 18 months. He went from an obese 350lbs (25 stone) to 160lbs (11 stone).
“Facing all adversity with addiction to poor lifestyle habits was the hardest thing to break,” said Noah. He added that he now believes "nothing is impossible."
Sharing side-by-side images of his transformation on Facebook, Noah hopes to inspire those who are currently struggling with mental illness.
Noah now owns his own fitness training firm called Lifting2Uplift, and documents his journey to a health lifestyle on Facebook.
Marking the day that he quit alcohol on 7 January, he wrote: "3 years ago today I took my last sip from the bottle. 3 years ago today was the last time I chose to escape my problems momentarily to only return to the same problems even bigger.
"This journey has been far from easy but the moment #purpose kicked in, I chose to face life head on and have not turned back sense."
In a separate post he wrote: "if my story can touch one life then it has done its job. The journey continues."
If you are having suicidal thoughts, you can call Samaritans on 116 123.
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