A man has revealed how it took six firefighters to lift him into an ambulance due to his size but he’s now lost 23 stone.
Kashif Jeremiah Rodney, 36, had been piling on the pounds his entire life.
At his heaviest, he weighed 40st.
The turning point came, however, after he fell while doing laundry.
And it took six firefighters to hoist him into an ambulance.
Now, he’s lost over 23st in a bid to extend his life, improve the quality of his wellbeing – and find love.
“Lying in that hospital bed, in pain, unable to move comfortably, I realised something had to change,” the former truck driver told Need To Know.
“I couldn’t continue living like that.
“That moment became my wake-up call.
“My dating life felt non-existent.
“I was always the funny guy; always the friend.
“Never the one chosen.”
Kashif, who lives between Pennsylvania, US and Trinidad and Tobago, used to “hate” how he looked.
From a young age, he was self-conscious, constantly out of breath and exhausted by the simplest tasks, such as walking up the stairs.
He also endured an onslaught of harsh comments, including from his own family members.
Kashif claims his own grandfather said: ‘You have breasts like a woman’.
Another time, he broke a toilet seat at his dad’s house and his step-mum ‘lost it’ – and said he wasn’t to use anything in their house again as he would likely break it.
And people would laugh when he walked by, along with avoiding sitting near him.
When it came to clothes, it was hard to find anything in his size; and so he only had minimal in his wardrobe.
It would leave him ripping the skin between his legs due to the friction, which caused bleeding and increased sweat, that was difficult to get out when washing.
He was eventually labelled the “stinky kid”.
When the ordeal happened in November 2016, his typical diet consisted of up to three pizzas a day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
He’d also eat large portions of fried chicken and bags of gummy bears as a snack.
As he wasn’t able to do any exercise, he sought out gastric sleeve surgery in November 2017.
It cost him nothing, as it was funded through his insurance.
Despite being a success, the weight wasn’t shifting and so Kashif began working out using 20lb dumbbells for up to an hour per day.
For the first time in his life, he saw progress.
Now, he has egg whites, turkey bacon and freshly squeezed juice for breakfast.
At lunch and dinner, he’ll have lean proteins and nutrient-dense foods.
But Kashif varies his diet often based on what works best for him at that time; alternating between the Mediterranean diet and Keto.
For exercise, he focuses on building endurance, burning calories and strengthening his body.
This includes stationary cycling, upper body strength circuits, resistance band workouts, core conditioning, and swimming.
In 2018, he then met his wife, Julia, 30.
He said: “For the first time in my life, it felt like I was being chosen.
“When I met her, it was only a couple of months after my surgery.
“She didn’t know me during the years when my weight was at its highest – but she took the time to understand my story and the struggles I had faced.
“She saw me for who I truly was.
“In fact, she is the person who created the identity that people now know me as.
“She sees the work I put in when nobody else is watching.
“My wife is my biggest supporter.
“She believed in me before anyone else did.”
Now, he finally likes the reflection he sees in the mirror.
But it’s not come without its challenges, including being left with excess skin on his stomach, chest, arms and legs.
Kashif hopes to get surgery to remove this soon, though it comes at an eye-watering $30,000 (USD) (£22,400) cost.
To help raise funds, he’s started a GoFundMe, where he’s achieved £73 out of £4,400 so far.
For now, though, he’s hoping to share his journey as inspiration.
He added: “I was on the verge of being diabetic and had high blood pressure.
“I was heading down a dangerous path.
“Now, I see the version of myself I always imagined.
“I feel strong, confident and proud.
“Walking into a room no longer feels like I’m being judged for my size.
“I carry myself differently because I earned this transformation.
“My energy is higher, my confidence has grown, my marriage is stronger and overall, my quality of life has improved.
“Most people from my past cannot believe i’m the same person.
“Since my fall, I’ve had six more surgeries on my knee which has left me with ongoing chronic pain.
“Yet, despite these obstacles, I keep going.
“This journey doesn’t stop.
“If I can change my life, anyone can.
“Surgery didn’t save me; consistency did.
“Believing I deserved better got me through.”
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