Weighing 117 kilos, man sheds 82 kgs to become Slimming World's Man of the Year - Read

(Representational image)

New Delhi: In 2015, a 58-year-old self-employed gardener was on a flight to Ireland when he was told that he was 'too big' to fit in his seat on the plane.

Mortified beyond imagination, Tony Westaway, weighing a 117 kilos at the time, decided to change that.

With immense dedication, hard work and perseverance, Westaway lost 82 kilos and has been crowned with a prestigious slimming prize.

After his embarrassing, albeit life-changing flight experience, Westaway joined a gym and also started regular swimming and cycling, along with making drastic changes in his diet.

Tony has now been honoured with Slimming World's Man of the Year after taking on their Food Optimising eating plan, which he started after he failed to lose weight with the help of dieticians, the Deccan Chronicle reported.

Tony says losing weight 'saved' him as his doctor believes he's added an extra 20 years to his life, the report concluded.