A 31-stone accountant has lost almost 10 stone for charity.

Chris Penny, who is 6ft, has raised £2,300 for Children with Cancer UK and changed his life.

The 34-year-old, who works at NWN Blue Squared Limited, in Woodford Avenue, Woodford Green, started the challenge in June after his friend Amanda Conway lost her nine-year-old daughter Louise to leukaemia.

He said: “I always knew my size was a health issue so this was a chance to change my diet to improve my health.

"This has made an enormous difference to my life, I am not regularly out of breath like I used to be and it is much easier to walk around.

"I am not craving takeaways anymore and I am even looking to get back into martial arts which I gave up when I was 15.

 

"Don’t get me wrong it hasn’t been easy, but I did think I would struggle more than I have done.

 

"I liked my beer and was a big drinker but I have always been big, a lack of exercise contributed too. Cutting down beer and leading a more active lifestyle has made a massive difference."

Mr Penny, of Quebec Road, Ilford, joined Slimming World at St John’s Church and swapped snacks of crisps and chocolate for fruit, while cutting down on the regular pints of beer.

A typical daily diet has been scrambled eggs for breakfast, salad for lunch and a homemade curry for dinner.

He said: “The diet was not too bad and I have been able to cope with it. I did not expect to be saying that when I started out.

“I lost over a stone in the first week and it is just about sensible eating really. One big thing was to have breakfast every day, which meant I was less hungry at lunch.

“My target for fundraising was £2,000 so I have smashed that already, getting to £5,000 could be a possibility."

A fundraising event at the Monkhams pub in Buckhurst Hill will take place on Friday, where Mr Penny will have his hair and beard shaved off, while there will also be a raffle with a range of prizes.