‘I was addicted to Double Deckers, then I decided to become a pro-boxer’ | UK | News
Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.
A man who was addicted to Double Deckers lost 12 stone in 12 months to become a pro boxer after he realised he was afraid of dying.
Tobie Vermeire, 31, was a keen sportsman at school before gaining weight after he left.
At his peak, Tobie weighed around 26st (165kg) and would eat around 32 Double Decker chocolate bars a week alongside a diet of fast food and other sugar-filled snacks.
On average, Tobie was consuming around 10,000 calories a day and soon became so large that he was unable to pull up his own socks.
One day it all became too much and he made the decision to stop.
The Mirror reported that Tobie said his fear of death combined with a new attitude to his weight helped drive him forward.
He said: “The reason I lost all this weight is because I was scared of dying. I had to come to terms with the fact I had an addiction to food.
“I had to treat it like a drug addiction. I had to retrain my mind. Little steps had to be taken to achieve a greater goal.”
Tobie’s other motivation was to become a boxer just like his heroes.
Tobie said: “I’ve always loved boxing. When I was overweight I’d be sat there eating my Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and watching the boxing.
“These guys were my heroes. ‘I’m an insurance broker by trade so the fitness plan was like my job. I did it in a way I could understand and which made it possible to achieve.”
Fast forward to 2023 and Tobie is a far cry from where he was in 2020.
After three years of work, he now weighs 14 and a half stone (92kg) and has just been granted his pro-boxing licence.
Tobie said becoming a boxer was the catalyst which made it all possible.
He said: “That was the catalyst and what helped me commit to it. I had to lose all the weight, while also learning one of the toughest sports in the world.
“I had to learn how to box. The levels in amateur boxing are huge. I was boxing GB prospects after just a few fights.”
Tobie now trains three times a day, six days a week. In the ring, he has now won several times, but now wants to move up to a higher level and go as far as his talent will take him.