A man from Burnley has managed to shed an incredible 10 stone and will be running this year’s London Marathon.
John Durkin, 52, weighed more than 21 stone before joining Slimming World and has since then managed to lose 10 stone 11 pounds.
John attends the Lowerhouse Slimming World group in Burnley, run by consultant Sophie Cowgill.
He said: “I have been overweight for most, if not all, my adult life. The older I got the more the weight increased.
"My eating habits and meal choices were the main reason I was putting on weight, as I would regularly skip meals thinking that would help, or I’d have takeaways and convenience meals thinking they were healthier than they really were.
"I only really identified the true problems these were causing after joining Slimming World and receiving guidance and support from Sophie.
“Being overweight made it harder to do the things I enjoyed, such as cycling, walking, spending time with my kids and grandkids and even socialising.
"I found myself unable to feel comfortable in social situations as I felt judged because of my weight.”
John said he gained a lot of weight in lockdown.
He said: “Lockdown saw mine and my partner’s weights drastically increase as we’d been turning to takeaways for comfort.
"We both knew we couldn’t carry on like this if we wanted to be active grandparents for our two grandkids.
"My partner suggested we try Slimming World and we looked up our nearest group.
“I was extremely nervous walking into a group for the first time but felt at ease knowing I was doing it with my partner.
"Right from the start we were made to feel welcome and included, the complete opposite of what I had expected.
"Our consultant Sophie has supported us continuously and taught us everything we now know about healthy swaps and choices.”
John is now preparing for the London Marathon, on April 21. He will be raising money for Alzheimer’s Research UK.
He said: “I used to walk or cycle to work every day but as the weight piled on, this felt like a chore and not something I ever enjoyed.
"When I heard about Slimming World’s body magic activity programme, I knew I wanted to get involved and get back to looking forward to getting on my bike or going for a walk.
"I never imagined I’d be preparing to run the world-famous London Marathon!
“I’ll be running the London Marathon in aid of Alzheimer’s Research UK, a charity close to my and my partner’s hearts.
"My partner lost her grandfather to this cruel disease, and I would like to show my support to such an amazing charity.”
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