A football fan who was shocked into slimming after being involved with a road accident won Slimming World's Greatest Loser 2014 award, for losing greater than 22?st captured.

Name: Stuart Eggleshaw
Age: 43
Height: 6'/1.83m
Weight reduction: 22st 9lbs/317lbs/144kg
Starting weight: 37st/518lbs/235kg
Current weight: 14st 5lbs/201lbs/91kg
Starting waist zi xiu tang bee pollen capsules measurement: 70"/177.8cm
Current waist measurement: 36"/91.5cm
Date joined Slimming World: 12/09/2012

Group: Stuart attends the Sutton-in-Ashfield Slimming World group operated by Annette Towle

Before menu:

Breakfast: 3 rashers of fried bacon, 3 fried sausages, 2 fried eggs, 2 slices of toast or perhaps a large cob (bread roll)
Lunch: 2 large cobs with coronation chicken, a sizable bag of crisps and various chocolate bars
Dinner: 2 chicken tikka slices (pasty full of chicken tikka), 2 - 3 packets of ready-made sandwiches, a share bag of crisps
Snacks: Various chocolate bars during the day.

After menu:

Breakfast: 35g cereal with raspberries and blueberries
Mid-morning: 2 bananas
Lunch: Jacket potato and baked beans with a lot of fresh salad
Mid-afternoon: Tubs of prepared fresh fruit, for example mango, melon and pineapple
Dinner: Grilled chicken breast, boiled rice, carrots, peas, broccoli and cauliflower
Snacks: A little treat, 3 Babybel light cheese, pickled onions

At 37st Stuart Eggleshaw regularly experienced embarrassment as he couldn't fit through turnstiles because he followed his beloved Mansfield Town around the country, however it was a minor car crash that finally forced him to stand up to his size. It motivated him to lose 22st 9lbs and now he's been named Slimming World Greatest Loser 2014.

The 43-year-old, from Kirkby-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, says: "Luckily the incident wasn't serious however the paramedics had to be called. It was then I realised that if the accident have been more serious and I'd been injured they would have discovered me very difficult to treat. I began asking myself, 'would they've been capable of getting me from the car?', 'would they've been in a position to lift me into the ambulance?', 'would they have needed specialist equipment?' and a lot of other questions like that. I realised that any or all of these things could have prevented them from getting me to hospital over time and, ultimately, from saving my entire life. Which was really my wake-up call and I joined Slimming World soon afterwards."

Stuart, who's single, struggled with his weight from the early age but remembers his size increasing rapidly around eight years ago: "I was always referred to as 'big-boned', but when I hit 35 it appears as though I was always having to buy larger and larger clothes. I attempted visiting the gym to lose weight however it never appeared to shift since i wasn't changing my eating habits, and ultimately I stopped going."

After his accident in August 2012, Stuart's sister and stepmother recommended Slimming World and - with a few trepidation - he joined a nearby group in Sutton-in-Ashfield the following month. He states: "I was very apprehensive about entering the group on that first night when i knew there'd apt to be women and not very many men, but everybody was friendly and that i had a warm welcome. I can't speak highly enough of the whole experience and I've had so much support from my Consultant Annette and the rest of the group. I'm always encouraging other men to participate now and something of my male colleagues has lost 3st."

Civil servant Stuart, who works for HM Revenue & Customs, started following the club's Food Optimising healthy eating plan. Instead of tucking into convenience foods, he started planning his meals and making time for you to cook on your own. He states he's rediscovered his passion of cooking: "I was amazed when Annette explained the plan. I had been amazed at the variety of foods that I could eat without needing to restrict my portions and it was delighted that I could still enjoy all my favourite meals just by making changes to the way I prepared and cooked them. Currently the best meal is really a Malaysian chicken curry from one of Slimming World's recipe books."

Because the weight came off Stuart decided to start being more active and today loves running, cycling and playing football. He states: "Before I joined Slimming World I'd park the vehicle as close to wherever I had been going as humanly possible because I found walking just short distances very difficult. Now I cycle around 40 miles a week, run around 15 miles a week and play five-a-side football twice a week - and that i like it. I hope to do a half marathon the coming year and would like to enter a triathlon too. I have two nephews who I'm much closer to now because I can play with them and do more adventurous things like visit amusement parks and bring them on vacation."

This January, just 16 months after joining Slimming World, Stuart hit his target weight of 14st 5lbs. He's dropped 34" from his waist, going from 70" to 36", and lost 14" from his collar measurement too. Today he's been recognised for his incredible achievement by being named Slimming World Greatest Loser 2014, an award which is provided to the Slimming World member from across the UK and Ireland who loses probably the most weight.

Stuart, who works the scoreboard at Mansfield Town's One Call Stadium, says: "I used to find it difficult to fit through the turnstiles but now I am going through all of them with ease - and a big smile on my face. In fact there are 2 day diet original plenty of things I can perform which i couldn't have attempted after i was bigger - playing football with my nephews, buying clothes on the high street, flying on the plane without having to request a seatbelt extension and much more. Life is immeasurably better and that i enjoy every moment. Now i am ready for the next chapter of my life that will hopefully involve finding someone to share all of this with and starting a household."