An American who moved to the UK claims the decision ‘saved’ his life after he lost over nine stone – through eating British food.
Russell Valentin is well-known for his takes on English culture; especially our sweet treats and traditional delicacies.
He shares his reviews with his 151,000 followers on TikTok (@redbusruss ) which receives mixed reactions.
READ MORE: Mum-of-five suffers extreme allergic reaction after cutting down toxic plants in own garden
- Advertisement -
But sparking debate isn’t the only thing Russell has achieved since moving here from the Windy City in January 2025.
As the 32-year-old has lost an impressive nine stone in just over a year.
And it’s all down to one thing; good ol’ British food.
“I was dying when living in the US,” the content creator told What’s The Jam.
“I used to be quickly out of breath or winded when walking up and down stairs.
- Advertisement -
“And I used to have low energy, as well as sleep apnea, on a daily basis.
“But despite eating a lot when moving here, and food that isn’t necessarily considered healthy, I was shedding the pounds.
“It’s something I had really struggled to do before – so I was very surprised.”
- Advertisement -
Russell used to be “trapped” in his body and felt like it didn’t belong to him – and the real one was hiding underneath the weight.
At his heaviest, he was 21st 6lbs.
He said: “I felt embarrassed to have pictures taken of me and going out in general.
“I used to get derogatory comments, particularly when doing food reviews.
“People would tell me to go to the gym instead of recording myself eating.
“Or tell me that I was ‘spilling’ out of my clothes or ‘built like a deep breath’.
“I had tried restrictive diets and long difficult workouts before; but they never worked for me.
“I thought attacking my calorie intake and workouts with intensity would increase my weight loss results.
“But all that did was make the process miserable and unmanageable for me.”
That was until he moved to the UK.
Russell said: “I started noticing my weight naturally declining when I moved here.
“I used to put in a conscious effort to lose weight; but, now, my weight just suddenly went down.”
Before, in the US, he’d have waffles, eggs, bacon and coffee for breakfast.
At lunch, it’d be a sandwich with fruit and crisps, with meat and vegetables for dinner.
As a snack, he’d pick up a pack of crisps or a bag of sweets.
Now, though, he has toast or a crumpet for brekkie and although lunch and dinner hasn’t changed, he opts for light picky bits as an extra treat.
It’s not the food options that he believes have helped him achieve his weight loss goal, though.
He said: “Everyday British food contains far fewer chemical preservatives and substances engineered to keep you eating more.
“Less high-fructose corn syrup and added sugar also plays a big role.
“There’s more straightforward labelling here and smaller portions – not American ones.”
He also sold his car before moving to London, ‘forcing’ himself to walk everywhere; which quickly racked up his step count to well over 12,000 per day.
Now, he weighs a trim 12st 5lbs.
Russell added: “I feel far more confident and I’m no longer afraid to go out in public or have pictures taken of me.
“I finally look like my true self.
“Moving here has absolutely saved my life.
“If I knew that the better food and walking everywhere would lead to this, I would’ve made the move much sooner.
“My advice is to start with very small, achievable changes in your life that you can repeat everyday without too much struggle.
“If looking to move here from overseas, make full use of quality British food ingredients.
“It makes a huge difference.”
READ MORE: Harvard-trained doctor reveals the cheap foods that slow down ageing
