A dad has spoken of how he lost half of his body weight without stepping foot in a gym. It was a health scare that gave Andy Lawrence the kick he needed to make a change - and he's since lost 14 stone.
In 2019 Andy was rushed to hospital with severely high blood pressure. Andy, 42, said it was the wake-up call he needed.
He decided it was time to get into shape and he set himself a huge goal - to get down to 14 stone, half of what he was. And, this week, he hit that goal after four years.
It wasn't down to hard work in the gym, but discipline of another kind., reports BirminghamLive. Now weighing 13 stone and 10lbs, Andy, from Dudley, said the secret to his success was joining his local Slimming World group. He followed the group's tips by eating low-calorie meals - but said he didn't restrict himself too much.
He said: "My top tips for anyone trying to lose weight is to be honest with yourself. Enjoy the journey and embrace change the way I have.
"I still eat all my favourite meals and certainly don't feel like I miss out on anything. Regarding exercise, I haven't stepped foot inside a gym. The only exercise I do is walking."
Andy said his family and friends "can't quite believe" he was the same person. "Neither can I to be honest," he added.
"I feel proud of myself because I want to set a good example to my children. It was all done by joining my local Slimming World group and following their plan. I had set myself the goal of losing half of my body weight and now I have achieved that."
Andy said he had lots of "nice comments" since losing the weight. "I saw my old neighbour and she said I looked like someone that used to live next door to her, before the penny dropped and she realised it was me!"
