Most adoptive parents would do anything in order to adopt. They're aching to have children.
The first thing this couple did was not ask why, how, what they could or what support they might get to help (some local councils have been known to help potential adopters who need to loose weight by paying for gym memberships or slimming clubs) - the first thing they did was pick up the phone and call the local paper.
The man is 25 stone and is being asked to loose one or two stone in order to demonstrate he is prepared to live healthily and isn't going to continue putting weight on forever.
He's being asked to be the parent of a demanding, traumatised, chaotic child who has been abandoned by their natural family.
I don't think it's too much to ask.
Just one more thing to mention: there isn't a large amount of children sat waiting for parents, that's a common misconception. There are many disabled children who are sadly struggling to find adoptive parents, as there are many black and asian children who are also struggling to find families that match their cultural upbringing.
But, aside from that, there are too many adoptive parents in this country. That being the case, if you were the social worker, wouldn't you want the very best parent for the traumatised child you were caring for? Wouldn't you want the parent who really wanted children, was prepared to change and adjust to have children and was prepared to live healthily to have children?
I know I would. And a parent with a BMI of 42 who wasn't prepared to loose weight or even attempt to loose weight - who is likely to continue to gain weight and, who knows, might end up with a BMI of 50 within a few years... and who rings the papers as soon as a concern is raised... wouldn't be at the top of my list.