My name is Garry Holden, I?m 41 years old and not so long ago I weighed more than 120kgs. I was always known as a jolly chap, you know, one of those bubbly ?round? people, but truth be known being overweight was making my life just miserable; I was simply hiding behind a jolly fa?ade.

I had been obese for most of my adult life and had resigned myself to the fact that it was just going to be that way, I was supposed to be fat.

Until recently I was a DJ, mostly working weddings but also corporate and charity events and private parties. I loved my work and while it was great fun to work in such a party environment, the lifestyle only added to my ever increasing waistline (and I use the term ?waist? very loosely indeed!). In fact my career prior to being a DJ was as a family entertainer known as Mr Jelly Belly, the name says it all. I just liked to make people happy despite being the butt of many a joke myself.

When I was in my twenties and partying with the guys, I was always the one who went home alone. I could never compete with the ?normal? lads and the girls looked on me like a brother. I was by no means boyfriend material, no one wanted to get down with the fat lad.

I always put on a brave face and laughed it off but deep down it was a very lonely and distressing place.

The pain and embarrassment didn?t stop there either; I vividly remember an experience at a fairground when the ride attendant ordered me off the ride because I was too fat. He couldn?t secure the safety bar over my huge belly; it had even left me with big welts across my middle where he had tried to force the bar down. So I had to do the ?walk of shame? and poked fun at myself for being too fat before anyone else could.

I had always found food a great source of comfort. It was the one thing that never let me down or disappointed me. It wasn?t so much what I was eating but the amount I was eating. I would easily eat enough for 2 or 3 people every day. Bread was a major weakness together with my love of beer.

Whilst I didn?t drink every day, perhaps only once or twice a week, I would drink vast amounts of beer, as if a drought was imminent, and would often be several bottles ahead of my buddies. But oh the bread! I would make rounds of toast to tide me over while I made more for my breakfast.

Ten slices in one sitting would be commonplace for me. Takeaways and fast food were another big problem area for me, always over ordering but somehow managing to polish it off. When I went to McDonalds or Burger King I would order a meal for myself and pretend to call a ?friend? to confirm his order when really I was shamefully ordering two meals for myself but was just too embarrassed to admit it.

In the past I made many attempts at losing weight and if I?m being really honest most of them were half-hearted. Like many serial dieters I have lost count of the number of diets I have tried over the years. Of course they all start out well but in no time at all that first hurdle would loom and that was that, back came any weight loss together with some interest free poundage! Hardly an inspiration to keep going but as I said - a serial dieter!

Some months ago I had an amazing life changing experience when I was chosen to be a contestant on the premier season of The Biggest Loser Asia. I lost 14kgs on the show and then with the expertise, dedication and amazing focus of my personal trainer, Khun Joe at the RPM?s health club, I lost a further 26kgs making a total of 40kgs weight loss. I achieved my goal weight of 80kgs and have turned my life around...

Get the next issue to find out how different Garry?s life is now...