Reach My Ideal Weight

The internet is flooded with fake "before and after pictures" with a huge man in speedo's on one side and then a skinny kid on the other, obviously not the same person, but promoting some amazing new drug or miracle remedy.  Believe me, this story is true, and the pictures are real.  There is no miracle drug, there is no fantastic new fruit, there is just your own mental attitude and if you want to do something about it you can, if you are determined and focused on your goal then it is achievable.

The only person you can blame for not getting there is yourself.

Here is the true before and after pictures:

The Bolton News ran a story on my weight loss on 22/12/2014: Please read the details here

My Story: The ease of weight gain and the pain of weight loss

As a kid, I was always active, my main sport was swimming.  My dad was up at 5am Monday to Friday for most of my school age taking me to early morning training sessions with Bolton Metro Swimming Squad.  I was never a slender kid, but I was definitely fit.  I was swimming 13 or 14 times a week and also doing karate, cycling, and playing out in the street.  In fact, I was barely home.

Skip forward a few years to when I became a pub landlord, working in the pub trade as an Assistant Manager/Manager/Relief Manager meant that I was living in the pubs 24/7 with meals and drinks included.  Try living a healthy lifestyle with that on offer!  Slowly and surely the weight crept on to me and there it stayed.  My activity levels dropped, my cholesterol went up and with it so did the belt sizes.

I realised how big I had actually become when looking back at photos and videos from our family trip to Florida in 2007.  One video of me coming down a water slide like a huge whale, this was not a good look.  I was roughly about 24 stone (152kg) at this point, 24 stone and seriously unhealthy.  I remember walking around Disney with serious pains in my feet almost having to avoid going to the parks on some days as I could not walk.  I also had real trouble sleeping, but the result of this would become evident later.

I knew I was overweight, but did not know how to tackle this problem.

I was working at Spring when I was challenged to cycle from Manchester to Blackpool, a whopping 62 mile journey.  This was the inspiration I needed, but I also needed a bike!  With a little training I donned the shorts and mounted my mountain bike.  The journey took me 9 hours, but I made it.  I was starting to lose weight, although not much.  My eating habits were all wrong and the beer was a big part of my life still.




The pictures from my 30th birthday in Vegas show that I had not lost much at all, and had really just given up on losing weight, I was the happy go-lucky guy that everyone liked and the size of me meant there was more to cuddle.

Not long after this trip I met Clare,  she always says she saw past the grey, hulking mass in front of her and saw through to my heart, my good heart, my caring side, that is what she fell in love with. Within our first month together, Clare had signed up to join Weight Watchers to help with weight loss, and I was taking her in the car, sitting outside with a bag of crisps and then driving her back home lighter and lighter each week.  This is when I thought I would bite the bullet and sign up myself.  My first weigh in I was over 21 stone, not as bad as I had expected, but still not the healthy person I should be.

Within my first year of Fat Club I was down to 14 stone and even tipped the scales one week hitting 13 stone 13.5lbs, but generally in the 14 stone bracket.  Fitness started to come back a little as well, and another cycle ride to Liverpool with my close friend Beewell, although I was still fairly round, I was feeling fitter.

Clothes fit, I had binned so many dark black clothes and I had been tested for sleep apnoea which at the start of my weight loss campaign I was sleeping for 37 seconds and then waking as I was not breathing, this process continued for the full night, no wonder I was not sleeping well and grey skinned.  The sleep apnoea had now ceased and I was getting a good nights sleep

During this weight loss phase I started doing Triathlon's with my brother and cousin James, and on our first outing in 2011 I was the fastest cousin, something that I think surprised everybody there, including me.  We also re-attempted the Manchester to Blackpool Cycle and completed it in under 4 hours.  My little niece and nephew also asked who was the man on the photo's in Florida as they didn't recognise me, this was a great feeling but also a scary thought.





In 2013, we lost our son Spud at 20 weeks of pregnancy.  This was devastating to the family and both Clare and I felt as though we could not really continue with the happy lifestyle we once had.  Most of 2013 and 2014 feels like a blur, we could not really focus on much, waiting for results, another two miscarriages and more devastation, life was being cruel.



In September 2014, Clare and I decided that we need to focus on ourselves again and get healthy.   My first weigh in at Slimming World was 15 stone 2, again, not as bad as I had been anticipating, but still not where I should be.

With another cycle ride planned, this time with Daavv and from Manchester to Blackpool again, I needed to up the training and get out on the bike.  This led to a 5lbs loss in my third week of SW. Cycling for 3 hours and 45 minutes at 1am was a definite way to help shed the pounds, and I cannot forget to mention the Manchester Survival of the Fittest 10k Rat Race, this year with the best cousins and friends you could ask for.  I certainly felt a lot lighter climbing over the obstacles and the run felt easier than ever.


My 12 week program with Slimming World looked like this:
Initial Weigh In: 15st 2.5lbs
Week 1: Loss 3lbs (Total 3lbs)
Week 2: Loss 5 lbs (Total 8lbs) Slimmer of the Week Award
Week 3: Loss 3lbs (Total 11lbs) Slimmer of the Week Award
Week 4: Loss 2.5lbs (Total 13.5lbs)
Week 5: Loss 1lb (Total 1st 0.5lbs)
Week 6: Loss 5lbs (Total 1st 5.5lbs) Slimmer of the Week Award
Week 7: Loss 1lb (Total 1st 6.5lbs)
Week 8: Loss 3.5lbs (Total 1st 10lbs) Slimmer of the Week Award/10% Loss Award
Week 9: Loss 2.5lbs (Total 1st 12.5lbs)
Week 10: Loss 2.5lbs (Total 2st 1lb)
Week 11: Loss 3lbs (Total 2st 4lbs)
Final Weigh In: 12st 12.5lbs

I am now the lightest I have been in over 15 years, fitter and healthier than ever.  I cannot thank Clare enough for giving me the incentive to push myself to lose the blubber.

Oh and here is the video I mentioned earlier .....

This video was recorded in January 2007 at Blizzard Beach in Florida.  I was roughly 22-24 stone at this point and seriously unhealthy