My Story

When I was in my late teens & early 20’s I was heavily into Martial Arts, training 4 times a week. I was healthy & had a super level of fitness. Everything was going great, until one day at work I fell off a ladder. It was only 2 rungs up and I didn’t really hurt myself but when I tried to get out of bed the next morning, I screamed in pain. I went to see a doctor, had some tests and they confirmed that I had 2 compressed vertebrae in my lower spine. No more working on building sites for me! I had 3 weeks in traction, loads of Cortisone injections in my spine but nothing worked. I retrained as a computer technician, that meant sitting in a chair all day looking at a PC screen. This is when the weight started to build up. It happened so slowly I just didn’t realise it. Anyway! Fast forward a few years and suddenly I had ballooned up to 32 Stones. I did go on a Slimming World diet back then and managed to lose 9 stones. I was doing really well, then I had a strangulated hernia, and had to have an emergency, lifesaving operation. The surgeon told my family that he didn’t expect me to survive it. However, after 3 months in hospital, I did get through it but had lost 22” of my lower intestine and had to have an Ileostomy bag, permanently. This left me very inactive, I lost my focus and the weight started to pile back on. In June 2025 it was our 50th Wedding anniversary and we planned a massive party, had 3 bands booked, a mountain of food, hall all decorated. Invited more than 200 people. Then disaster struck…. On the afternoon of the party, I was rushed into Papworth Hospital to undergo Open Heart surgery to replace a heart valve. We decided to let the party go ahead without us. All the arrangements had been made, the food prepared etc. Another 3 months in Papworth hospital getting over the surgery & complications meant I missed my mother’s funeral. When I was fully recovered from my ordeal I made the decision that at 74yrs old and weighing 21stones was far too dangerous for me. So I decided that it was time to change my life around and to get the weight off. Slimming World worked before so I know it can be done. When I started to read up on it I learned that the old Red & Green days were a thing of the past and it now looked so much easier. I was right! I started with the new system and BINGO! I lost 6lbs in the first week. Now! I know that I cannot expect to keep losing at that rate but over the next few weeks I’ve lost over 2 stones with minimal effort. The best thing is I am only using the normal everyday food that I usually eat, no fancy (Expensive) stuff. Before starting, I sat down and made a list of, what I thought were the 5 items that were doing the most damage. In my case it was Bread, Cheese, Crisps, Chocolate & Sweets. I would eat loads of Bread & Cheese every day. I dumped these items from my diet completely, then it was easy. A strange thing is happening to me at the moment… I feel different inside, Not only the weight loss but different. Not really Good or Bad, just different. I am guessing this is a result of flushing all the toxins out of my system. Anyway I am posting all my stuff online as it helps to keep me honest and if it helps others on the way that’s great Good Luck in your Journey…..  ** Oh yes before I forget.. ** The pic of all that lovelly food on the home page is NOT mine, it’s just a photo I found online to use as an illustration to make the page look pretty.