Super slimmer lost seven stone in less than two years

Man who passed out at the cinema because he was struggling to breathe at 26st reveals his transformation after realising that slimming clubs aren’t ‘just for women’

• John Clark, 43, from Ayr, struggled with his  lose weight for most of his adult life
• Retail manager decided to join WW when he became worried about his health 
• He lost 7st 5lb in twenty months thanks to healthy diet and now planning 5k runs

John Clark, 43, lost more than seven stone in 20 months with Weight Watchers. The retail manager from Ayr had struggled with his weight for most of his adult life, and joined after becoming worried about his health. 

He says: ‘There’s no doubt about it — I was killing myself slowly with food.

‘At my heaviest, well before joining WW, I weighed 26st and had tried and failed at every diet going — low carb, shakes and even weight-loss pills from my GP.

‘The final straw came when I passed out at the cinema, struggling to breathe. Luckily, nothing worse happened and I quickly regained consciousness, but I was hugely overweight and every day struggled even to get out of bed. It was exhausting carrying around all that bulk.

John Clark, 43, pictured before this diet, lost 7 st 5lbs in twenty months thank to WW. At 21st 9lb, John was worried about his health and was ready for a lifestyle change. He now has shrunk to 14st 5lb

‘I knew my health was suffering badly. It was time to do something about it.

‘I’d struggled with my weight from my teens. When I tried to diet, I’d end up piling the weight back on again — and more — as I never changed my habits.

‘Many of my food choices were terrible — I was king of the fried breakfast and loved fish and chips, not to mention popcorn, crisps and chocolate bars . . .

‘I had raised cholesterol levels and knew it would not be long before I developed a weight-related illness, such as type 2 diabetes, a heart problem, stroke or cancer.

‘I had a 48 in waist and had to buy clothes online, as they never had my size in store. Although I’m quite outgoing, I found myself becoming more introverted and going out less.

‘As a man, I was scared of going to WW meetings, thinking they’d be full of women. But I found the courage in March last year — and how wrong I was.

Now 14st 5lbs, John feels better about himself and is planning to take part in 5K runs this year (pictured after the weight loss)

‘There were quite a few men there, and I was impressed that WW was based on the latest science, with a brilliant app to track all your food.

‘I got a very experienced coach and met people who just wanted to support each other. The food I could eat was a revelation, too. I couldn’t believe how many ZeroPoint foods I’d never really eaten. It turned out I loved blueberries, pineapple and tuna!

I followed myWW Blue plan, which allowed a daily minimum of 23 SmartPoints and more than 200 ZeroPoint foods for my meals. This worked brilliantly, as I don’t like weighing and measuring food. But there’s still a generous SmartPoints Budget to enjoy on treats like popcorn or crisps if I’m watching Strictly!

Kale and Lemon popcorn 

Delicious healthy popcorn with kale and lemon, ready in just 20 minutes (pictured

 Serves 4. Prep time 5 minutes. Cook times: 15 minutes. 

● 4 handfuls kale, chopped

● Calorie-controlled cooking spray

● ½ tsp salt

● 2 tsp grated lemon zest

● 80g popcorn kernels

Spread the kale on a baking tray, mist with cooking spray and sprinkle over the salt. Bake at 160c/fan 140c/gas 3 for 10 minutes, until crispy.

Transfer the kale, with the lemon zest, to a blender and blitz. Meanwhile, place the popcorn kernels in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with a vented lid. 

Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, until there are about 5 seconds between pops. Sprinkle the topping over the popcorn and serve.

‘Within three months, I was down to 19st and took up cycling again. I set out for my first ride in 26 years one summer’s day and found I was enjoying myself so much I ended up doing 16km.

‘From then on, I was on the bike all the time.

‘My little pug, Lyle, has benefited, too — at first, I wasn’t keen on walking him, but now we take long walks.

‘I’m regularly in the gym, too, and I’m planning some charity 5K runs next year.

‘Now, I’m nearly at my goal weight of 14st, which is a loss of 46 per cent of my heaviest weight — and to say I’m proud of myself is an understatement.’

Meal plans in your pocket  

Meal plans in your pocket thanks to the WW app (pictured) which helps you track your progress 

With a built-in barcode scanner, more than 1,000 recipes at your fingertips and easy-to-use tracking tools, WW’s 4.8 star-rated app will become your new best friend. Here’s how to use this pocket-sized digital powerhouse.

1. Profile Use your profile to store a reminder of your goals, your motivation and track your weight. You can use it to see your progress and to build your online community.

2. Barcode scanner You can use this to scan the barcode label of almost any packaged food and the app will automatically give you a SmartPoints value. Invaluable for keeping track of your SmartPoints Budget when you’re out and about.

3. Daily Used This helps you keep track of your Budget and plan ahead.

4. Rollovers You can save these up for a special meal or event.

5. Search Type in a food or activity to track it.

6. Weekly SmartPoints You get a fresh batch of these each week, for extra flexibility, and they can be used for nights out or special occasions.

7. Daily SmartPoints You receive a personalised SmartPoints Budget when you join WW, based on your age, height, weight, sex and which colour plan you are following.

8. Daily Meals Pre-plan meals. This makes it easy to track the SmartPoints you will have spare.

Tracking your food, weight and activity helps you to be more mindful of what you eat, encourages healthy habits and is a great way to view progress. Simply enter what you had for breakfast, for instance, and the app does the calculating for you.

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