Published: December 7, 2012
Burnham-On-Sea man loses 10 stone in five months to win award

A Burnham-On-Sea man who was nicknamed 'Mitch' for his resemblance to the Michelin Man has shed more than 10 stone to win a top slimming award.

Rob 'Mitch' Jones, 37, is celebrating an incredible turnaround after being named Cambridge Weight Plan’s Slimmer of the Year 2012.

Rob, who claims his wife left him for being "fat", was this week presented with the award after losing more than 10 stone in just five months.

He said: "When my ex-wife left me, I was devastated. We’d been together 13 years but only married for two when she said she thought we were having problems and left me."

"After that day nothing else mattered - it didn’t matter if I was 22 stone or dead. I had nothing."

Over the next few months Rob went on a binge-eating marathon and piled on weight, reaching 22 stone 4lb.

But he was determined to shift his extra bulk and ditched his daily diet of fatty foods and cider in June in favour of healthier soups and shakes and within five months he shed an incredible 10st 4lb, taking him down to 12 stone.

"At the time I didn’t realise how much my weight affected my life," said Rob, who is lead singer in local band The Communicators.

"But people who knew me walked past me in the street because they didn’t recognise me. One fan told me after a gig that he thought our band had a new singer when we got on stage. The transformation in such a short time has been incredible."

He also says that after giving up his dream of playing professional football because of a collapsed lung, he is now fit enough to play again and is looking forward to getting started.

Rob is also hoping to help others lose weight and is setting up his own slimming agency. He can be contacted on 07814 523682.