An Ottawa father is claiming his weight is keeping him from regaining custody of his two children.
The father is 38 years old, went from weighing 525 to 360 pounds and has two boys ages five and six. None can be identified under the Child and Family Services Act.
"I'm a passionate man, I love my kids, just want a single chance to be a father that's it," he said.
Both children are in foster care. Their father is in an ongoing custody battle with the Royal Ottawa's family court clinic and says his weight is one reason the court won't give him access to his kids.
He says he dropped 160 pounds on his own and intends to lose more. He does admit to being a "stress eater" but says not having his children is making his life more stressful.
"I have a real hard time sleeping, can lie there for hours just thinking where my children are, what they're doing…what I'm missing," he said.
Representatives of the family court clinic cannot comment on this case but offered the following statement:
"Every case is unique…mental and physical issues are examined as well as any special needs of the children."
"Nothing is compared to my kids, if I lose my kids for good, it's over for me," he said.
The father is expecting a ruling in this custody case to come down as soon as Wednesday. He says if he is not granted custody he will go to Parliament Hill Friday night to start a hunger strike.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Claudia Cautillo
