I was a ‘secret eater’ of the 27th, I would hide and binge – now I’ve flunked the 12th
A FORMER secret eater celebrated his 12 stone weight loss with a CARDBOARD CUT-OUT showing off his former XXXXL frame.
Martin Bryan, 36, was just six when he started scavenging snacks in his bedroom every day to cope with bullying.
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He started preparing takeaways for him work lunch and handing out sweet treats to deal with his grief after losing his mother when he was 20.
By the time he turned 29, he weighed 27kg, was a size XXXXL and had a waist size of 180cm – and started fainting randomly episodes.
Martin was told he was pre-diabetic and enrolled in a local weight-loss group.
In 10 months he had lost 11 stone – and then lost another stone after having excess skin removal surgery.
Four years later, he has maintained his new figure – 15 kg – and is now even a weight-loss coach to help others.
He celebrates with a cardboard cutout of his old self show how far he has come.
Martin, from Glasgow, Scotland, said: “My weight problems started when I was very young – I was a secret eater, I would steal food and eat it in my bedroom.
“It got worse when I was bullied at school and visits to the dietitian didn’t help.
“Then I lost my mother and I just ate my emotions to numb the pain.
“At 29 I was already over 27 stone – I could barely get out of bed and had to buy two seats on the train because of my height.
“When I was told I was pre-diabetic, I realized what I was doing with my life and knew I had to change things.
“Once I started, the more weight I lost, the more energy I had, the better I slept and the better I felt.
“I achieved my goal and I have maintained it ever since. I could never go back.
“I cut out a life-size piece of cardboard of how big I was in the beginning and people can’t believe I looked like that.
Martin’s before and after diets
FOR:
- BREAKFAST Starbucks coffee and pastries
- LUNCH Tesco meal deal or takeaway such as McDonalds or KFC
- DINNER healthy meal cooked by dad. Meat and vegetables
- SNACKS chocolate, chips, cakes, family bags of sweets
- DRINKS full-fat carbonated juice or energy drinks
AFTER
- BREAKFASTTomelet or overnight oats
- LUNCH M&S high protein meal or chicken, tuna salads, wrap with protein and salad
- DINNER roast chicken, home-made chicken curry and rice, steak and home-made fries
- SNACKS fruits, yogurt, chocolate in small quantities, nuts, cakes, but not often
- BEVERAGES water, tea, coffee and diet drinks
“It reminds me of where I started and how far I’ve come.”
Martin said food was always his comfort and he was one of the bigger kids at school.
He was then bullied for being ‘different’, because he was gay but had not yet come out.
He said: “I was always bullied because people noticed: I used to hang out with the girls.”
To cope with the bullying, he would steal chocolates, cakes and chips and secretly mock them in his room after dinner.
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His parents took him to a dietitian and he started a weight-loss plan, but he was still secretly snacking and his weight continued to rise.
At 19, he was 20 years old and the situation worsened after he lost his mother, Margaret McMaster, 43, to a brain tumor at the age of 20.
Martin’s overeating became worse “to numb the pain” of the loss.
He said: ‘I would have sugary coffee and donuts for breakfast, and lunch would be McDonalds, KFC or kebab.
‘I also got chips and chocolates from the work machines.
“I would consume over 4,000 calories of pure garbage per day.
“I got so fat that I was sweating constantly and I could barely get out of bed on my own.”
“I would consume more than 4,000 calories of pure garbage per day.”
In December 2018, he went to the doctors after experiencing fainting spells and being told he was pre-diabetic.
After a ‘candid conversation’ with the doctor, he realized how important it was to change his lifestyle.
In February 2019 he started with a coach using The 1:1 Diet from Cambridge Weight Plan – and lost a stone in a WEEK.
By his third month he was five stone lighter – and by December 2019 he had lost 11st and reached his target weight of 16lbs and size L.
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Martin never returned to his old lifestyle and even became a 1:1 Diet Coach himself in 2020.
“I want to be part of changing their lives by being able to do that cheer appoint someone and show their support,” he said.
In 2023, he underwent a male breast reduction and tummy tuck to remove his excess skin, which cost £20,000 – which he paid for with the money he had saved by not buying takeaways and snacks.
This year he had £13,500 veneers to cover up the sugar damage to his teeth.
‘I’m never going back’
Now unrecognizable from his former self, Martin still sticks to a healthy meal plan and works out six times a week to maintain his slim figure.
He said: “I’m so proud of myself when I look back, without my journey I wouldn’t be where I am today.
‘That cardboard cutout is a reminder of someone I once was, and someone I don’t want to go back to.
“I wear my surgical scars with pride – I call them my battle scars.
“I will never go back.”
