'Kebab addict' who weighed 36 stone shows off insane weight loss after going on Mounjaro for just two months
A man who ate two kebabs for breakfast and consumed 640 litres of gravy in three years has undergone an incredible body transformation – and he did most of the work himself.
Reece May, 26, was bullied for his size growing up. Cruelly being called 'Fatty May', it got so bad that he refused to go to school for six months.
In his isolation, he looked for comfort in food but that just worsened his problems.
When his dad died at 18 and his mum three years later, his mental health was left in pieces. He stopped caring about his health altogether and spiralled into self-destructive weight gain.
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Reece, from Hebburn, Tyne and Wear, developed a 'kebab addiction' and would spend £600-a-month on junk food.
"One time, I had two kebabs for dinner, and was still hungry, so I went and had a third. I could never feel full because my stomach was so big," Reece said.
"I used to go to bed with heart palpitations, I could hear my heartbeat as I fell asleep.
"I truly believed this would end my life. Sometimes, I hoped for it."
Reece would consume 15,000 calories a day in kebabs, burgers, pizzas, crisps, chocolates, garlic sauce, mixed grills and fizzy pop, until he eventually hit a weight of 35st and 12lbs and a shirt size of XXXXXXL.
The moment Reece realised things needed to change
Reece's turning point came by complete chance.
Late in 2024, he visited a gym to pick up a mobile he was buying from a member of staff, when he was unexpectedly forced to finally confront his weight.
"Someone in the gym saw me and said 'f***ing hell, you're not long for this world, are you?'", Reece said.
The harsh words hit home.
"I just broke down in the gym, and the trainer and I had a heart-to-heart," he continued.
"He told me, if I truly wanted to change, he'd look after me and help me. He told me to get on the scales, and when I did, I was like 'holy s**t'."
Instead of returning to his old comforts, Reece accepted the help. A personal trainer at the gym got him set up on a diet and training plan.
He also got his first dose of Mounjaro. Despite paying for the weight-loss medication and £300-a-month for his PT, that cost paled in comparison to his outlay on food.
Reece only just Mounjaro for two months
Reece spent two months on the jabs which he believes changed his 'brain chemistry' and helped him develop healthy habits, which saw him drop his first 2st in that time.
It was at that stage he made the brave decision to come off Mounjaro and continue his weight-loss journey on his own.
The risk paid off.
"I felt I could do it on my own. My trainer suggested I come off it, and I never looked back," Reece said.
Sticking to healthy foods like chicken and rice and pasta and exercising five times a week, the weight soon started to fall off Reece, even losing 3st in a single month.
The journey had its challenges, though.
"The amount of times I wanted to give up, my trainer once chased me and brought me back when I tried to leave the gym," Reece said.
Truly happy for the first time in 26 years.
A year on since first taking the jabs, Reece had shed an incredible 15st and 7lbs, bringing his weight down to 20st 7lbs and his shirt size to XL.
At the nadir of his health, Reece was too overweight to work and claimed PIP, as he says he couldn't stand on his feet for too long and couldn't fit in an office chair.
But now he has changed his life and is holding down a full-time job for the first time, running his own tech repair business.
"As soon as the Mounjaro pens kicked in, I have never looked back. Now, I could use my old T-shirts as a duvet cover!" he said.
"I tell my trainers now, 'thank you for saving my life' and I mean it.
"I have a better view on life, and no regrets at all. I'm a lot more confident, and you've no idea how happy I am.
"Never write yourself off, it's never too late to change your life.
"I feel on top of the world. I've had ups and downs and relapses, but for the first time in my life, I'm truly happy."
Topics: Health, Mounjaro, Food And Drink
Daniel Murphy