RALEIGH, N.C. -- After struggling with an addiction to food, a Raleigh man sheds more than 200 pounds, thanks to words of encouragement from loved ones and Weight Watchers.

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Web Extra: David Ridout talks about struggling with an addiction to food

 

Shedding 224 pounds wasn’t something that happened overnight. For 38-year old David Ridout, it represents five years of hard work. 

 

As Ridout and his mother Karen packed boxes of oversized clothes to give away, he couldn’t help but marvel at some of the sizes. 

 

“This, by the way, is a size 60 and I’m down to a 36 now,” he said.

 

Ridout’s weight loss journey began with an invitation from his mom. She offered to pay for his membership in Weight Watchers if he would go with her to meetings. 

 

“When he asked if the offer to join Weight Watchers was still good,” said Karen Ridout. “I would have done anything to get him to lose weight.”

 

Now that he’s reached his target weight, his regular weigh-ins leave him with a smile on his face and he says, more confidence.   But it didn’t happen overnight. 

 

A self-proclaimed food addict, Ridout had to learn to cut back on portion sizes and make healthier food choices.   And he had to get over his longtime aversion to exercise.

 

At 413 pounds, he hardly had enough energy to get off the sofa, but after some encouragement from his doctor, he decided to give it a try.

 

“Once I started seeing how much good it was doing,” he said. “I was much more motivated to exercise.”

 

Ridout’s problems with lower back pain and sleep apnea began to disappear along with the pounds.    

 

“I can see a difference in patients when they grasp the diet,” said Dr. Richard Forsyth of Capital Family Medicine. “They don’t have to lose a lot of weight before they feel better. I think with David it wasn’t something that happened overnight. Just all of a sudden, we didn’t see David much any more.”

 

Ridout says his struggle with food continues, so he attends Weight Watchers meetings regularly. But he’s able to encourage other people to lose weight, because as he says, he’s been there.

 

“It’s something I have to fight every day,” he said. “It’s gotten easier as I’ve had more success and I’ve gotten more used to it over time, but it’s still there.”