'My Girlfriend Thought I Was Trying To Go The Gym To Talk To Other Women'

You don’t realise how out of shape you are until you look back at old pictures of yourself and see just how much weight you’ve gained…

- Loic Perusset

My lack of confidence hit all-time low when my dad took one look at me and said, “you actually look quite fat”. To say I was unhappy with the way I looked was an understatement. I’d been fit in the past but being stuck in a poisonous, controlling relationship coupled with the stress of being in the last year of university, led to terrible eating habits which saw my weight spiral out of control.

The relationship was full of so much jealously and bitterness. She was envious if I spent time with friends or turned my attention towards trying to train and thought I was trying to go to the gym to talk to other women. She manipulated me to not take any action by threatening suicide. Tensions worsened culminating in her taking a load of pills, it was crazy!

After two years of being in the harmful relationship alongside crappy eating and next-to-no exercise, my weight peaked at a mortifying 107kg.

I knew I had to leave this toxic relationship, but I also understood how hard she would make it for me to leave. I decided one evening in 2016 to simply pack up and leave, cutting all contact. It was the only way I could get out without it dragging on-and-on and taking a brutal hit on my wellbeing.

I broke off the relationship and escaped the hell that had become my normality. I started exercising more regularly and I joined a great gym in Sheffield. As a result, I started to notice changes in my body.