- When he was at his heaviest, Jason Brown, 45, was a size XXXXXXXXL
- He now weighs 239lbs and has slimmed down to a size XL
- Doctors told him to ‘get on a treadmill’ when he said he was depressed
- Jason features in People Magazine’s annual ‘Half Their Size’ issue
A man who shed half of his body weight after being diagnosed with a severe food addiction was at risk of eating himself ‘to death’ before his mother staged an intervention to try and tackle his eating issues.
When he was at his heaviest in September 2011, Jason Brown, 45, from Los Angeles, weighed more than 530 pounds but has since managed to lose almost half of that thanks to an intensive rehabilitation program and subsequent diet and fitness regime.
‘I have been battling food addiction since the day I was born I think,’ Jason, who features in this month’s ‘Half Their Size’ special issue of People Magazine, told MailOnline.
‘But my weight loss journey started in September 2011, when I was at my heaviest. I weighed just over 530 pounds at that point.
‘Things in my life were bad, both professionally and personally, and when I was stressed I would just eat.
‘I was eating myself to death basically.’
But when Jason, who previously wore shirt size XXXXXXXXL, first sought help from his doctors, the only advice he received was to ‘get on a treadmill’.
‘I felt awful and I knew that I had some serious issues with my eating,’ he explained. ‘But a lot of people don’t understand food addiction.
‘Doctors just told me to get on a treadmill for 30 minutes a day, like that would solve all of my problems. I was asking for antidepressants and that’s all they could say to me.’
Jason admits that he quickly spiraled into a dangerous cycle of isolated binge eating, shutting himself off from the world completely and hiding away from people.
‘I was completely isolated for 14 hours a day,’ he said. ‘I kept myself away from everyone.’
It was only when his mother stepped in that Jason really began receiving the help that he needed – in the form of interventionist Brad Lamm.
‘My mother contacted Brad, who runs a group of Life Healing Centers and has a program to treat food addiction and binge eating,’ Jason revealed.
‘He was the key man who basically saved my life. He helped me get into rehab and then afterward I went and stayed at one of his Breathe Life Healing Centers, where I kept on working on my diet and my fitness routine.
‘Without him, I would be dead.’
Now, Jason works alongside Brad helping other food addiction sufferers to work towards overcoming their illness, a struggle which Jason continues to face every day.
‘I share my experience with people because I want to give them hope,’ he explained. ‘I think that if they can see what I have been through and what I have achieved, then they will know that they can do it too.
‘The big thing in addiction is that you can’t face it alone. You need people there to help you and support you along the way.
‘There were days when I felt like saying ‘f*** it’, but I never gave up. I was so regimented in my plan and in what I was doing.
‘I wake up at 5.30am and work out, six days a week. Working out helps me to stay clean and stay focused.’
And while Jason is now ‘incredibly happy’ with his life, he is still determined to lose a few more pounds – although he refuses to focus on his weight as a number, choosing instead to concentrate on what makes him feel healthy and happy.
‘I still want to lose more weight, but the number isn’t something that I want to focus on,’ he added.
‘But I am so happy now. I’m social, I have friends, I go out. My life has completely changed for the better.’
By CHARLIE LANKSTON FOR MAILONLINE
To read more visit: Daily Mail
