A 52-year-old Englishman named Adrian Scarlett shared that he'd always struggled with his weight. In fact, at his heaviest, the dad-of-three weighed 420 pounds.
"I've had a binge-eating disorder throughout my adult life. Any time I have been under stress, food has been the comfort," the teacher shared with the BBC.
Thankfully, he received what he described as a "wake-up call" when he married and had kids. On marrying his wife he promised to lose weight for her, even though she fully accepted him for who he was. But as dad to a six- and a three-year-old as well as a toddler of 20 months, he said, "If I don't get healthy now, what are the chances I will be there to support them as they grow up? I had to do something."
So the teacher embarked on a health kick -- or more of a health dance -- that started with healthy shakes to replace his meals, and then a pretty unusual exercise routine that involved some nifty dance moves at every possible occasion, being mobile as often as possible, and even using his children as weights for the perfect gym workout.
Using the TikTok profile @Bye_Bye_Fatman he reported very candidly about his weight loss journey, and amassed thousands of followers and millions of likes along the way. And along with his family, these followers have also proved a motivating source:
"As the audiences increase, I am now held accountable by more and more people and it is impossible to fail because I have people watching me," he added, "I've not set myself a target because I feel that adds extra pressure so I chip away a couple of pounds each week."
While we often hear of successful weight loss stories, there's something particularly heart-warming about Scarlett's journey. Not only is love his main inspiration, but he's drawing strength from his online community. And looking at his posts, there's nothing flashy here, just a family man who wants to be healthy, keep loving his family, and inspire others along the way.
