Follow britishcycling.org.uk on

Inspiration: Gary Brennan's Story

30 year old father of two loses 22 stone through cycling

Posted: 17th November 2010 | Source: Gary Brennan

30 year old Gary Brennan from Manchester has a great story to tell. In 2007 Gary weighed 40 stone, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, Gary was destined for gastric bypass surgery before cycling came to the rescue. Fast forward two years and Gary is a man transformed and has blogged his journey. Gary takes over the story...

A little under 2 years ago I weighed in at just under 40 stone. Due to this I had high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and suffered from sleep apnoea, and due to my poor state of health I was approved for gastric bypass surgery on the NHS, as this was seen as the only option I had left.

Above Left: Gary back in 2007. Right: Gary today at just over 15 stones.

Being a 27 year old married father of 2 children, I decided that I needed to do something whilst waiting for the operation to help make my body stronger for the recovery. For this I decided that cycling would be the best option, and I set about cycling to work, doing just a few miles a day and catching the train for the rest of the journey.

Within 6 months I had lost so much weight that I no longer came under the umbrella of needing any form of weight loss operation, and as such, couldn't have the gastric bypass surgery.

Today I stand here at just 15 stone! (and a few Lbs) Whilst still overweight, I have lost over 22 stone in weight through nothing more than cycling, healthy eating and sheer determination.

There have been a spate of articles in various forms of national press about weight loss and the various ways of achieving goals, and there are people out there who are severely overweight and clearly need some form of help or advice, or perhaps just a little inspiration (I know I needed some myself in the early days) .

I now cycle between 25 to 30 miles per day. Over the last year I have completed four 60+ mile charity events with more to follow over the coming years. I believe that my story could help some way towards the goal of a healthier Britain and show some people what can be done with willpower, dedication and very little financial outlay.

To read more about Gary's amazing journey visit his blog The Amazing 39 Stone Cyclist