WHEN Jason Taylor stepped on the scales in Boots one lunchtime and discovered he was 25 stone, he decided to take action.

That was January 2020, and the start of Jason's lockdown weight loss journey. While most people complain of putting weight on during lockdown, Jason, of Laisterdyke, has bucked the trend and lost a fifth of his body weight so far.

"The catalyst was when I went to Boots and got on the scales - I was shocked when it showed I was 25 stone, yes 25 stone," said Jason. "This was the heaviest I'd ever been, I knew I had to do something. I've always been a big bloke and just used to laugh off the nicknames I amassed over the years: 'Big Jay, 'Porkpie and 'Tubby' to name a few. When I saw those scales I thought: 'Enough is enough, I can’t go on like this'.

"Looking back at holiday pictures from my trips in 2019 to Toronto and Turkey - where I was given the nickname 'Big English Rambo' by hotel staff - I thought 'Come on Jason, it’s time to look after number one!'"

Initially Jason tried to lose weight on his own. "I took it seriously but realised I couldn’t do it alone. I'd seen a friend’s journey on Slimming World and the fantastic results she gained," he said. Jason joined the Wibsey group online last year. "Since lockdown stopped group meetings, the Zoom catch-ups and support has been brilliant," he said. "A lot of men are put off joining a slimming group as you feel it's not the most masculine thing to do, but I can honestly say it's great. The food optimising tips and support is really appreciated. No one enjoys standing on scales in front of strangers, but these strangers become friends and give help and encouragement week in week out."

So far Jason has lost nearly five stone and is the Wibsey group's 'Man of the Year'. He said: "I want to be healthier and do more stuff without being out of breath, like walking upstairs or kicking a football with my nephew or my friends' little ones in the garden. Before Slimming World I'd snack on crisps and chocolate and at weekends I'd have a few pints. Now I can still have a few things I like, in a more controlled way, which is liberating. I still love a good curry but now I follow the recipe and cook it from scratch. My fitness levels have increased since losing weight. I joined a gym and whilst it was shut in lockdown I decided to start walking. In January I set myself a mini target to walk 50km which I managed, then in February I upped it to a 100km target and actually finished doing 150km.

"Getting compliments from the updates I put on Facebook gives me a massive boost. One of my friends jokingly said: 'We can’t call you Porkpie now, it will have to be sausage roll'."