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Manchester Evening News

Dianne Bourne

Couple addicted to '£50 a night' takeaways lost 7 stone together in stunning transformation that 'saved their marriage'

Sarah Smith UP (Organization) McDonalds Adam Greggs

Husband and wife Mark and Sarah Smith were stuck in a rut with their lifestyle and their relationship - and tucking in to takeaways and bottles of wine almost every night had seen them pile on the pounds. But when Mark, 39, had a health scare with his heart, it became the wake up call that the Salford couple both needed to change their unhealthy habits.

After seeing Instagram videos of celebrities working out with the 'tough' trainers at Manchester's Ultimate Performance gym, Sarah decided to take the plunge and contact the gym. Both Mark and Sarah decided to sign up for UP's total body transformation programme in October last year, determined to change their unhealthy ways.

It was exactly the kick the couple needed. Mark has gone on to lose four stone and turned his 'beer belly' into a rippling six pack.

Meanwhile Sarah, 44, has lost three stone and is in the best shape of her life, discovering muscles and energy she never knew she had. They have now made exercise and eating whole foods part of their everyday life.

Mark, 39, and Sarah, 44 are seven stone down after their diet and fitness overhaul (UP Fitness)

Mark and Sarah live together in Winton, Eccles, and also both work for the same financial company in Manchester city centre. While before they would nip out to their local Greggs to grab snacks at lunch times, they now make time for hour-long gym sessions instead.

And, working with Ultimate Performance trainers and diet experts in Manchester they agreed to ditch the nightly takeaways AND the bottles of booze.

Fully committing to the plan has changed their lives and their 18-year relationship, the couple say. Mark says: "I'd been really unfit for quite a long time, and a couple of years ago I had a vascular issue where the blood flow was restricted to the left hand side of my body and my eye dropped on one side.

"I did make some changes to my diet at that time, but quickly slipped back into old habits of eating takeaways and drinking wine every night. I was generally living an unhealthy life. We both put quite a bit of weight on and we were both unhappy.

"We were arguing all the time, we weren't active. It got to the point that Sarah said 'right, we need to do something about this'."

Mark pictured before and after his four stone weight loss (UP Fitness)

Sarah adds: "It was a combination of everything, I was not coping with my grief after I lost my dad, and my emotions were all over the place. I was worried about Mark's health and really unhappy at home - we were both miserable, grouchy and we'd take everything out on each other.

"We were just existing. We were in this constant cycle of get up, go to work, get home, have a drink and feel alright for a while but then waking up and feeling sad."

The couple had got into the bad habit of getting home exhausted from work and, instead of making a meal, ordering takeaways on delivery apps. They would crack open a bottle of wine while waiting for it to arrive and get through maybe two or three bottles of wine between them.

Looking back they've been shocked to see that they were spending around £50 to £60 a NIGHT on their takeaway and wine habit - ordering fast food on delivery Apps and then nipping to the local shop to buy £10 bottles of their favourite wine. They've now used the money they used to spend on pizzas, kebabs and booze to pay for their gym sessions instead.

Sarah and Mark show off the results of their diet and fitness regime at Ultimate Performance gym in Manchester (UP Fitness)

Mark says: "If I gave you access to my Deliveroo account from that time you'd be shocked. I've now deleted the App off my phone as it was just so easy to order a takeaway every night without hardly thinking about it when it already has your card details stored.

"The neighbours joked about the amount of takeaways we used to have - you know it's bad when even the neighbours are commenting. We'd have a takeaway at 7pm, then sometimes be ordering a McDonalds takeaway with desserts at 11pm."

Sarah adds: "I'd hardly eat in the day, and the first thing I'd sometimes be having was wine at night when we got in - then the food later on. We very very rarely cooked at home."

Sarah had seen the work of UP Fitness on Instagram, with the trainer nicknamed 'Evil Steve' putting Strictly star Gemma Atkinson through her paces. She knew it was just the "tough love" that she and husband Mark needed.

They signed up last October, initially to two workouts a week, but soon extended it to three. Sarah says: "I knew they'd be tough and put you out of your comfort zone, they do push you and that's how you achieve personal best. But they look after you at the same time."

Mark worked with personal trainer Adam while Sarah was with Joe - and the first thing they needed to address was their takeaway habit. They were encouraged to focus on whole foods and home cooking instead.

Sarah says: "I was actually glad when they said that the takeaways and the wine needed to stop - I needed someone else to say it and now I have that accountability. I can control it now."

Mark adds: "Adam was pretty clear at the outset that changes needed to be made, if you don't listen and don't be honest they can't help. I knew going into that what I needed to change but I just needed help to do it.

"I went in with an open mind but listened to what they said. You've got to be open to change."

Mark is feeling on top of the world after the health transformation (UP Fitness)

Mark, who is 5' 10", had a starting weight of 15 stone 8lbs, but is now a healthy 11 stone 7lbs. It took him just six months to drop the 30kg and he has gone from struggling to fit into 38" waist trousers to a 32".

Sarah, who is 5' 7" was keen to tone up and has gone from her top weight of 11 stone down to 8 stone - and has toned up her whole body in the process. She has gone from wearing a size 12/14 to a size 8.

Mark says: "We both feel absolutely incredible, the change in everything that this has made is absolutely ridiculous. I'm fitter, I look better, I feel better - all that sort of stuff it's been a complete transformation.

"It has completely changed our lives and our relationship. It's rescued it to a certain degree."

The couple are feeling and looking amazing (UP Fitness)

Sarah said: "I'm so much more confident. In the past I would always get Mark to come with me to things, but now I do things on my own.

"I never used to drive, but now I've started driving more and I've even had a tattoo. We cook together now, it's like another hobby we've got together."

The couple even took part in a professional photoshoot with the gym and can't believe how much their bodies have changed.

Sarah says: "Before when we've tried to lose weight, it's almost like you're frightened of food and think you can't eat. But with this it was actually the complete opposite - we weren't putting the right food in, we were having takeaways constantly. Now we have the tools to fuel our bodies."

The couple are loving their active lifestyle after ditching takeaways and booze (UP Fitness)

Mark adds: "For me, before I was living off 3,5000 calories of junk food and low energy, now I'm on 3,500 calories of whole foods - and obviously I'm now healthy and maintaining."

The couple's family and friends have applauded their transformation. Mark says: "The response has been mega, my family are so proud of me for making these changes for my health.

Sarah adds: "At first friends thought there was no way we could go without a drink but we've proved them wrong. Now we still enjoy an occasional drink when we go out."

Mark says: "We don't touch alcohol in the week at all, if we have a drink at the weekend it's just a glass with a meal if we feel like it. We've completely changed the mindset of 'if you're opening a bottle, you might as well drink the whole bottle'."