A diabetic man from Glasgow has lost over five stone after receiving a scare during his annual visit to his GP. Derek Gray, 47, was told he could lose a limb by the time he was fifty if he didn't take control of his blood sugar and weight.
He struggled to do everyday things like tying his shoe laces and other physical activities. His visit to the doctors gave him the push he needed to get his life back on track.
Derek, from Lenzie, first declined to take part in the NHS' Weight Watchers health referral plan and lost 1st 1lb by himself. But he knew he needed more help if he wanted to see a significant drop in his weight.
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He started his weight loss journey in May 2019 and went from 20st 5lbs to a phenomenal 14st 9lbs and he is now reaping the rewards of his hard work and dedication.
Derek has gone from a 44-inch waist to a 32-inch and his shirt size has dropped significantly from a 5XL to an XL.
He said: "I hated trying to buy clothes as I was limited to what and where I could buy things from and being a size 5 XL made the job difficult. I always had to look for shops online that sold big sizes and only certain shops would stock clothes so big.
"So, although I felt ok, when I think about my everyday life, there was quite a lot of struggles to being overweight.
"My wife and sister-in-law encouraged me to join, and my sister-in-law also said she would go with me as she too was already a WW member. I had nothing to be embarrassed about, and the support from my family has been amazing.
"I had set a goal weight with the WW coach and that was the first steps of my journey with WW and getting me where I needed to be, I managed to reach my goal weigh by the November 2019 with the help of WW and its plan, so with this and determination I done what I had set out to do and in the process I managed to reverse my diabetes, and reduce my medication tablets from 10 to just one.
"My lifestyle has changed as I feel more active and better within myself, I don’t struggle to do more physical things as much as I did before my journey started."
Derek would often indulge in fatty junk foods and had takeaway meals for dinner at least five days a week. He wouldn't think twice about eating sweets, crisps and cakes.
His diet has changed dramatically and he has not had a domino's pizza - which he ate often - in over three years.
He added: "Now I eat low fat yogurt with a few healthy ingredients added to bulk it up slightly for breakfast almost everyday lunch can be the same thing as breakfast or a can of soup and a packet of lower fat healthier option crisps, dinners are home cooked and smaller portions with healthier choices and even more salad on a regular basis.
"I now enjoy shopping for new clothes and seeing a difference in what and where I can shop without difficulty, I feel I can walk and do more activity now and I also don’t feel as lethargic as I did.
"I’m going to Cyprus in August and have to say I’m so excited about going abroad, with my new body, mind, and confidence. My activity level was never great and still isn’t, but I do feel I big difference when I do need to do more, I walk more than I used to and further than I could without need to rest so I’d say all in all it has made a big difference to my health and activity.
"My tips would be to point, track and stick to your plan. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get a result every week, just stick in and keep going. WW works so just believe in yourself and you will achieve what you want.2
"A big thank you to the NHS and Weight Watchers for giving me my life back."
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