"Joining WW was the best thing I could have done!"
Start weight: 21st 8lb | Weight loss: 8st 7lb*
Current weight: 13st 1lb
Height: 5' 10" | Age: 33
Studio: Scartho, Grimsby
WW Coach: Debbie Elder
Sitting on the plane as we waited for takeoff on our flight to Kos in the summer of 2016, I reached for my seatbelt. My partner, Jen, and daughter, Adele, were beside me and as I tried to buckle up, the seatbelt wouldn’t reach. I was so embarrassed. Weighing more than 21st, my waist measured around 50 inches and I had to ask the hostess for an extension. It put a real downer on the whole holiday and I knew right then that I needed to tackle my weight problem once and for all.
My weight had never been a problem until I stopped playing football in my 20s and the lack of activity meant I piled on the pounds. I was a big fan of Chinese takeaways, preferring to order one than cook a healthy meal while Jen, who is a midwife, was on a shift. At work in my job as a mechanic, I’d go out and buy ready meals to cook for lunch, believing that something as ‘healthy’ sounding as a tuna bake was good for me. Now I know those ready meals can be as much as 24 SmartPoints per pack, so no wonder I was getting bigger!
Although I’m a pretty confident guy, it was affecting my life. I couldn’t run around after Adele, now 6, and even walking up the stairs to bed would leave me out of breath. The thought that I could develop diabetes like my dad and grandad was a big motivation for losing weight. Now that I have another daughter, Ella, I don’t want either of my children worrying about me or my health.
I tried other diets. One involved drinking lots of shakes and water. I lost 5st but as soon as I finished the diet, I put it all back on again. I needed something that would fit my lifestyle.
Joining WW was the best thing I could have done. My WW Coaches have been so encouraging. Here was a plan where no food was off limits and I could eat what I liked as long as I tracked it. The weight came off really steadily.
WW suits my lifestyle down to the ground. I work for a go-kart racing team, so I go all over the world and spend a lot of time in hotels. The fact that there are so many ZeroPoint™ foods means I can choose a hotel meal like a fish platter and not have to worry about tracking if I don’t have time.
I'm loving ZeroPoint foods: I never used to eat anything like lentils or beans, but now I often use them to bulk out recipes such as Bolognese or chilli.
I use Connect in the WW app all the time and have about 1000 followers who chat to me about the plan. I posted a photo of myself the other day and got around 500 comments, which was mind blowing. The comments I get on Connect really keep me motivated.
*Scott has been following the plan since November 2016.