August 05, 2010

Semi Final

As an update to my recent application for the Scottish Slimmer's Slimmer of the year award in association with the News of the World, I have been selected as a Semi-Finalist and have been invited to an event in Glasgow in a couple of weeks. It is all very exciting and in being selected it has made me consider what it actually means if I was to win anything in this competition, my competitive nature makes me want to win it all.

So what am I being rewarded for, losing weight encouraging and inspiring others to make a change to their lifestyle and improve their health. This is the ethos behind the award and it is all very well, but I look at where I had to be to actually want to make that change. I was sitting at 21 stone or 295lbs in weight I was unhealthy and to perfectly honest disgusted with myself and well done to me for deciding that I needed to make a change, however whose fault was It I was there? Well that would be mine, I am man enough to accept that I was the person that ate and drank myself into the state I was in. So what am I being rewarded for if I win? Well getting myself into a state where I was putting myself at risk and then deciding that I needed to change.

What I have achieved is as surprising to me as it is to anybody else, I have turned my life around this year starting with the changes to my diet and health regime and I applaud myself with everybody else, however what about the people that did not make the mistakes I made to get myself in to the state I was in? I suppose it is human nature that we are in a position in society where we reward those people that make the changes in their lives, even though 9 out of 10 times it is their own fault. I applaud everybody that chooses to change their lifestyle and make a change to their lives for the better however the true winners are the people that do not need to be in a state to make that change and to them with envy I applaud them even more.

July 06, 2010

Final Application for Slimmer of The Year

So there it goes, my final application has now been submitted for the Scottish Slimmers: Slimmer of the Year 2010 award, has now been handed over to my class manager, with my before and after pictures, thought I would post them on here for posteriety.


As you can see I am quite chubby in this picture, it was taken a couple of months before I started trying to lose weight but is pretty much me at my heaviest. Below is a shot I took of myself a few weeks ago it shows the contrast quite well, different angles but you get the idea.



By the way have you ever thought man wish i could find pictures of me looking fat and ugly? try losing weight and then you will wish you had kept them., the joy of digital cameras.

June 29, 2010

Second draft of my application

I have now received some support in completing my application and it is basically the same story but with better structure and more flowery wordings.

Again any comments greatly appreciated.

Slimmer of the Year Application

I have been over weight since I was a teenager, it stems from my first paper-round when I’d buy a bag of chips on the way round and then still go home and have my tea, this habit then developed into a bag of chips on the way home from a night out drinking. I knew I was over weight but being quite tall always convinced myself I ‘carried it well’. I’ve been coming to Scottish Slimmers on and off since my first class at 19 when I chummed my Mum. I don’t remember what I weighed, but I remember losing 9lbs in my first week. The trouble with such a big loss at the start was that the novelty wore off as the weight loss reduced to 2 or 3lbs in a week so over the next 12 years I have been a recurring member – joining, losing about 2 stone, leaving, putting the weight back on…

Having turned 30 in 2008 and following a very difficult year personally in 2009, I woke up on the 2nd of January 2010 hung-over and disgusted with myself. I decided there and then that life is too short and this would be the year I would take action. I went to a Scottish Slimmers class on 11th January run by Morag who I already knew from previous weight loss attempts, I was almost the heaviest I’d ever been at 21 stone 1lb.

I’m fortunate enough to live with my Dad who enjoys cooking and has provided me with exceptional support. We plan our meals together and he prepares most of our meals – trying out different recipes and an approach that really helped was making free soup in large batches for me to take to work for lunch. This has resulted in my Dad losing 2 stone 5.5lbs and reaching his own target weight.

I was an active child and have always enjoyed sports although recently it was more watching than participating. I have used exercise to help me maintain my weight loss, and am now noticing a difference in my performance and have found that my energy levels have really picked up due to the weight loss. I have started playing five a side football weekly and squash fortnightly. I am a grass bowler and losing the inches has allowed me to improve at that - I can bend to pick the bowls up without putting pressure on my lungs. My biggest physical achievement so far has been a sponsored run in June where I ran 1 mile (5 laps) in each of the 12 SPL football grounds. It was physically exhausting but I know that had I attempted this carrying the 4 stone I had lost by then there is no way I could have completed it - in fact I wouldn’t have had the confidence to take part.

I have been posting weekly updates on Twitter and Facebook regarding my weight loss, which has resulted in some really motivational feedback from family and friends. Not only has it kept me focussed, I have inspired other people to take action, which has given me a huge boost and enabled us to develop a network of support.

The biggest change on my life has been due to the increased confidence due to the weight loss which has enabled me to put myself out there more and take more risks without being afraid of the consequences. I had been single for a number of years following a long term relationship and had not really contemplated dating however, in March I met up with an old friend for a drink and, due to my increased confidence this has developed into a relationship.

June 28, 2010

Slimmer of the Year Application

Okay so i don't like my application i hate talking about myself and struggle to blow my own trumpet. Here is my application for the Scottish Slimmer of the year award. I really don't know what to think I want the success and the recognition of my hard work. But if my class manager was not so keen for me to go for it I would never think to apply myself, I need to be reassured that it is worth going for.

So would really appreciate any thoughts anybody has to say on the application. It is not just about losing weight, it is how has the weight loss improved your life, have you become more active and have you inspired anybody else with your success.

This is simply my first draft that I am sending to my class manager tomorrow for her thoughts, it has to be submitted by 9th July, all comments greatly appreciated.


Slimmer of the Year Application

I have been over weight since I was a teenager, I joined my first Scottish Slimmer class when I was 19 when my Mum took me along, I have no idea how heavy I was back then all I remember is that in my first week I lost 9lbs. In the following 12 years I have rejoined and usually lost 2 stone and then given up.

This year I woke up on the 2nd of January hung-over and I looked in the mirror, I was disgusted with what I saw and decided that I was going to try again and lose weight. I rejoined on 11th January with Morag who I have worked with before and had success with. I weighed in at almost my heaviest ever at 21 stone 1lb.

I have stayed on the diet religiously with exceptional support from my Dad, he is helping by organising breakfasts for both of us and he has been making free soup in large batches for me to take as lunches. He has also lost weight and has reached his target weight with a loss of 2 stone 5.5lbs.

My success this year has been fantastic, I have used sport as exercise to help me maintain my weight loss, but have really stepped it up as the weight has come off. I now play five a side football every Monday, I have found that my energy levels have really picked up with the weight loss and that allows me to last the full hour. I am playing Squash a couple of times a month and again as the weight has come off I am lasting the length of the game and have really found my mobility around the court has greatly improved in the last few months. I am a bowler and losing the inches has allowed me to improve at that. Even though it is not an energetic game I am feeling better even through games that are lasting 3 hours, also I can bend to pick the bowls up without putting pressure on my lungs.

My biggest success through the weight loss was a sponsored run over the weekend of 5th and 6th of June where I ran 1 mile in each of the 12 SPL football grounds, we did 5 laps of each pitch. It was physically exhausting but I know that had I attempted this with the 4 stone I had lost by then there is no way I could have completed it, as I just would not have been physically able to keep going.

My life has totally changed since I started losing weight in March at 3 stone off I was asked out for a drink by a girl that was unaware of my weight loss endeavours, without the success I would never have agreed to meet her and now we are very happily together as a couple and things are going really well.

Part of my routine and as a motivation to myself to keep going with the weight loss I have been posting weekly updates on Twitter and Facebook, the comments I have been getting back have been brilliant and they have kept me going. There are many comments that include the fact that people are willing to give it a go based upon my success. At work I have been getting comments and questions about my success this has lead a few people to start trying and to keep going because they are trying to emulate me. This has also resulted in a friend from work now joining Scottish Slimmers after years of being overweight as he has seen my success and would like to try and get some for himself.