Disabled Fat Nation: Will's Big Challenge

Will has had Coeliac disease since 1990. This means that he can't eat food with gluten in it. As gluten is found in wheat, barley and rye - that means it's in breads, cakes and biscuits, not to mention bagels, naan bread and pasta - going gluten-free is a tricky thing when sharing a table with three other people, not to say a bit of a problem when planning a meal out. "People choose to be a vegetarian. I've never chosen to be a Coeliac. It's been thrust upon me," says Will.

As a Coeliac, Will has to live by a different diet to other people, which means that dietary advice that applies to other people is of no use to him.

"People are always saying that I should eat granary bread. But there's only one type of bread I can eat - a funny type of bread - gluten-free."

Eating with other people can sometimes be difficult for Will, even when it's something as simple as a family meal. "There's almost two lots of cooking at home. When I first started on a gluten-free diet, the kids would say things like: 'Is this gluten-free? We'll give this a try'. But it soon wore off. They soon went back to normal stuff and I continued to eat gluten-free."

Going out for a meal is also a problem for Will. "People think you're just being choosy. They don't always understand that it's a dietary requirement. Rather than explaining that I am a Coeliac I can't say that I don't like it and ask for something else."

"Sometimes people just think that you're a faddy eater. Or they say things like: 'Oh yes, I've tried a wheat-free diet, but it doesn't work, does it?' It's just not worth going down that road."

Weight has also been an issue for Will; he admits to having 'middle-aged spread'. After being diagnosed with Coeliac in 1990, Will changed his diet radically - something which resulted in him putting on a lot of weight. "I binged on a lot of sweet things when I was first diagnosed, and I ate a lot of things like potatoes - which I'm allowed to eat."

Since he's started on Fat Nation: the Big Challenge, Will Ward has lost nearly a stone in weight. He's given up chocolate and raspberry ripple ice cream, and replaced them with fruit. And to cap it all, he says that he feels much better for it.