A FATHER-of-three who was "too fat" to get a job has spoken about his massive slimming feat to shed 16 stone in a year.
Paul Palmer's weight spiralled out of control after he was made redundant from his job as a bailiff three years ago.
He completed around 1,000 job applications in a bid to find work.
What ensued was a battle to lose weight and an equally difficult challenge to find work because of his obesity.
When depression set in, the 37-year-old turned to food for comfort, eventually leading him to balloon from 25st to a huge 35st 11lbs.
After having applied for more than 700 jobs Paul, from Tiverton, received the reality check he needed when he went for an interview to become a bus driver with Stagecoach in Exeter, but was turned down because he was too heavy for the driver's seat.
He decided to join the Tiverton Slimming World group in February 2012, which was integral to helping him shed almost half his body weight in a year.
Paul has since become a consultant for the organisation and his own group launches in Sidmouth this month. He is urging other's whose lives are blighted by weight problems to seek help and advice.
"I lost everything – my job, a company car, being able to provide for my family – overnight," he said.
"I lost my self-worth and started to feel really down. I knew something wasn't right as there were times when I'd just burst into tears, so I went to my doctors who put me on anti-depressants.
"I turned to food for comfort and I started piling on the weight, putting on 10 stone in a year. It was ridiculous."
Paul said his search for another job started immediately, and for several months he was applying for between five and 10 jobs a day.
In total, since his redundancy, Paul has applied for almost 1,000 jobs and out of those only received around 20 replies.
"I applied for everything from office and sales jobs to driving jobs." he said. "About 18 months into my search my weight had ballooned.
"I was invited for interview with Stagecoach and was told I was perfect for the job, but due to their health and safety regulations drivers needed to be 17 stone or under," he added.
"So I was invited back once I'd lost the weight. I was devastated – it absolutely killed me.
"I don't hold it against them for having their own regulations, but I remember driving home and thinking how bad things had become if I couldn't get a job because I was too fat."
Paul said before joining the Slimming World group he had tried a few "faddy diets", none of which worked.
He also contacted his doctor to get a gastric band fitted but was told he needed to join a weight loss group and achieve a 10 per cent weight loss in six months to qualify.
"I went along to Slimming World very tentatively and lost that 10 per cent within seven weeks," he said.
"I rang the doctor and said I didn't need to bother about the gastric band anymore."
"Since losing the weight, all my health issues have disappeared, my blood pressure is normal, my back problems are a thing of the past and I am finally able to enjoy life with my family."
Six months into the weight loss programme Paul decided to train as a consultant and is hoping to increase the number of groups in East Devon in the coming months.
His first group starts in Sidmouth on Thursday, June 13, where new members will be given details of the programme and can take part in group support sessions.
A Stagecoach spokesperson, said: "Everyone who applies to become a bus driver must pass a pre-employment medical to ensure they are safely able to carry out the role. One element of this is a weight check which establishes if they are within the safe load limit for the driver's seats.
"Unfortunately if they do not pass this medical we cannot proceed with an offer of employment."
