A terrifying brush with death was the wake-up call that Greg Maskalick needed to change his life and shed seven stone.
The music teacher was getting ready to go to work in October 2019 when he became out of breath.
The 63-year-old says: “I remember thinking to myself, ‘Wow, I must get back in shape, this is terrible’.
“I arrived at school and my breathing was worse.
“It got so bad that an ambulance was called and at the hospital I was told I’d had minor heart failure.
“The doctors made no secret that being overweight was one of the major contributing factors.”
While 25st 5lb Greg was in hospital his wife Gail said: “This is it now, you’re losing weight.”
She quickly found a nearby Slimming World group that they could join together which led to Greg shedding almost a third of his body weight.
He says: “I would eat for comfort and typically have two or three greasy burgers for lunch, with cakes and biscuits for pudding.
“The idea of depriving myself was what had always put me off trying to lose weight before. With Slimming World I can eat the foods I love and I’m never hungry.”
Six-foot Greg, from Derbyshire, has also rediscovered his love of cycling, one of his former passions.
He says: “Six years ago, I bought myself an expensive bike, but I couldn’t ride it because I was so overweight the tyres went flat when I got on it.
“But I decided to get back into cycling.
“I loved it, but my first journey of just over two miles was too far at that time. A little red-faced I had to get Gail to come and pick me up.
“I’ve realised the importance of taking things at my own pace and gradually I’ve built up my energy levels.“
Last year, Greg – who has two grown-up daughters – achieved his goal of cycling the 151-mile Hadrian’s Wall Coast to Coast route.
He now he aims to complete the 180-mile Castle to Castle route from Newcastle to Edinburgh.
Greg says: “It’s incredible to think that only four years ago I used to get out of breath walking down the garden.”
