He drank eight pints a day and had butter with every meal

A morbidly obese man who was told he'd be dead within a year has shared how he turned his life around after struggling to even cross the road without becoming breathless. At his heaviest, John Harris tipped the scales at 30st 2lbs, with his weight ballooning due to an unhealthy lifestyle.

John's severely overweight size saw him receive a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in 2010 as well as suffering several heart attacks. The 76-year-old said he would smoke heavily, drink eight pints a day, and add butter or oil to almost every meal.

How John was living caused him to have a number of health scares. In 1983, John suffered a serious heart attack at the age of 35 and was given some devastating news from his doctor.

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He was told he had less than 12 months left to live if he didn’t change his habits urgently. Scared for his life and his family, John decided to quit smoking, but still suffered two further heart attacks in 2005 and 2013.

John told the MEN: "I felt very self conscious about my weight. I was in so much discomfort and unable to do many normal activities such as swimming and short walks" In 2010, John was admitted to Manchester Royal Infirmary for angioplasty, a procedure to widen narrowed or blocked arteries or veins frequently caused by obesity.

He tried a number of fad diets in a bid to slim down, including only eating low-calorie weight loss shakes and cabbage while severely restricting his calorie intake. John managed to lose five stone, but the diets were unsustainable and he found he struggled to maintain his weight loss. He added: "I was absolutely miserable and I was starving most of the time."

But everything changed in 2015 when John decided to take the plunge and join a Slimming World group in Stockport. John said: "I could still eat my favourite foods but this time I swapped out the oil and filled my plate with protein and veggies."

John has lost more than 10 stone and currently weighs 15 stone 3lbs, an eye-watering 15 stone less than when he suffered his first heart attack in 1983. He says he initially had reservations about joining the group as he was the only man but added that his wife Carole Harris, 74, has been a crucial support throughout his weight loss journey.

He said: “Without Carole this wouldn’t have been possible. Everything I’ve done has been for her, she thinks that I’ve done brilliantly.” Carole, who only joined to support her husband, has now lost over 3.5 stone and has gone from wearing size 18 to size 10 clothes.

In late 2023, John was also told that he had reversed his type 2 diabetes, with his drastic lifestyle changes and weight loss helping his blood sugar levels to be put into remission. He feels “proud and incredibly pleased” with his weight loss transformation. John said: “If you have the right mindset, you can also do it. I’m over the moon."