I ditched a toxic ingredient I had NO idea my body was addicted to and got my life back

The water had long gone cold, but I couldn’t reach over to turn the hot water tap on. In fact, I couldn’t move at all. I was stuck.

Wedged into the bathtub, my skin squeezed into the porcelain, every attempt to move left me breathless as tears of humiliation rolled down my flushed cheeks. I’d have to call one of the kids to ease me out of the tub.

Just how had it come to this?

I was 35, working as a financial planner and tipping the scales at 156kg (344lbs or 24st). I wore size 28 clothes – the largest I could find – but even they were becoming tight. At work, I made sure to use a chair without an arm rest so I wouldn’t get stuck.

My obesity was becoming out of control. At six foot tall, I had previously managed to conceal my body under baggy clothes, but there was no hiding it anymore.

It wasn’t just getting wedged in the bathtub – I also couldn’t wash myself properly or tie my shoelaces up because I could no longer bend down. I was trapped inside my heaving body and daily tasks were…