Jack Ako, 29, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, weighed 47 stone at his heaviest after eating up to 10,000 calories a day. Over four years, he lost 190kg, dropping from 30 stone to 16.5 stone, and has now launched his own personal training business, Akotrainz. He is preparing to compete in his first bodybuilding competition, the Pure Elites World Championship in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
From 47 stone to bodybuilding stage
Jack's weight gain began early; he was born weighing 13 pounds, nearly double the average newborn weight. He described himself as the "biggest kid in school" and the most overweight on his rugby team. After stopping sports at 18, his eating habits worsened when he worked at a bookies, feasting on Greggs breakfast sandwiches on his way to the office.
His daily diet included toast and two Greggs breakfast muffins, a packed lunch plus a secret fast food meal, and a dinner of lasagne with an additional pizza or KFC. He consumed around 10,000 calories a day with minimal exercise. By age 25, he weighed 46.8 stone, and family and friends became "worried."
Turning point and surgery
Jack said he became "sick" of looking at himself in the mirror and decided to change. He first sought help from the NHS but was told there was a five-year waiting list. In April 2022, he flew to Turkey for a privately fitted gastric band, which shrank his stomach for 18 months. The surgery helped him lose 15 stone, though he still wasn't eating well.
By 2024, when the gastric band's effects ended, Jack weighed 27 stone. He then took his weight loss seriously, researching nutrition and the gym. Now, two years later, he weighs 16 stone, having lost fat and gained muscle simultaneously. He also credits his wife for helping cook meals and offering encouragement, and he has had excess skin removal surgery twice in Turkey.
New career and competition
Jack now runs Akotrainz, a weight loss coaching business, helping others in similar positions. He said: "I was embarrassed by my size, and at times I didn't know how much longer I had to live. But now, after losing all the weight I have, I can't believe how I used to live at that size."
He added: "Sometimes I feel annoyed that I have wasted 10 years of my life being that size. But to get into shape, this isn't a secret exercise or diet - it is about winning each day. It is about being consistent and being there for yourself."
Jack is set to compete in the Pure Elites World Championship bodybuilding show in a few weeks. He said: "It's a transformation category where they put a photo up of you at your worst, and then you come out as you are now. You show the world what you've done, and hopefully you win because you've got the best transformation."
He hopes to share his journey through talks in schools and community groups, saying: "This is about showing people who are sat at home who don't think their lives are worth anything, or don't think that they could achieve such a thing, that anybody can do anything. Because if I, after 47 stone, can compete in a world championship category, then you really can literally do anything."
