A super slimmer who once gorged on eight Big Macs a day has lost nearly 10 stone and transformed his life.
Vic Choules from Rothwell has been named Slimming World’s Greatest Loser after the sensational weight loss. He joined Slimming World and kick started his weight loss journey - and now he is unrecognisable both physically and mentally.
Before joining Slimming World Vic said he'd always been big, but "just got on with it". He said: "I used to play football seven times a week and was a goalkeeper. Even though I was quite big, I never thought, 'I’m too heavy for this' but there came a point when I knew I had to do something.
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"My eating had become pretty out of control. I used to love eating chocolate, crisps, bread – bread was my downfall. If I had one piece of toast, I’d have seven pieces of toast. I’ll be totally honest, I sometimes used to eat eight Big Macs a day.
"When I had sleep apnea, I couldn’t drive, so I caught buses but other passengers would call me every name under the sun. As a result I’d get off the bus and wait for the next one.
"It got to the point where I didn’t even want to walk the dog – I had no get up and go. I would rather sit on the sofa all day and not do anything and now I’d much rather be busy."
Vic was motivated to make the change as he wanted to get back to running with his friends. He said: “I love running, and I love being part of running but weighing in at over 25 stone was having a big impact on my health, and I felt I needed to do something about it.
"I was also on six different tablets a day, including medication for high blood pressure.”
So Vic turned to his Thursday morning Slimming World group in Rothwell. He has battled off the weight using its Food Optimising plan, which he describes as "flexible and generous".
Vic said: "I love the variety of foods I can still enjoy such as steak and homemade chips, chicken curry or a roast dinner. The freedom of the plan means I never have to miss out and nothing is off limits – I can still enjoy a pint of beer!
"I love that I don’t have to worry about weighing and measuring everything I eat or counting calories either. Before I started, I worried eating healthily might limit me but I try more new recipes now than I ever did before and have found Food Optimising fits around my life, rather than the other way around."
As the weight came off, Vic found he had more energy and so he was eager to use it. He continued: “I always thought that physical activity would be the best way to lose weight but when I was at my heaviest, I just wasn’t fit enough to do it and I’ve since realised that I needed to do more than just move more.
“However, combining weight loss with my love of running, which fits nicely into Slimming World’s Body Magic activity programme, has helped me to become more active and by breaking it down into chunks and starting small, I’ve managed to build up my activity gradually. I’m now training for the Rob Burrow Marathon in Leeds."
During his weight loss journey, Vic tragically lost his wife Sarah. However, his heartbreak has only spurred him on further to make her proud. He said: “I could have easily gone backwards but I knew if I did, I’d struggle to get out of it again.
"The Slimming World and running community have been brilliant for me. My wife loved sunflowers, so we organised a sunflower walk one evening – 200 people turned up.
"This year, I’m hosting a running club relay in her memory. Sarah would have been really proud. She knew how much I struggled with food and how much I love running.
"I can actually live now. Before, I could barely breathe when walking, but the health benefits speak for themselves. I'm on no medication at all now and have reduced my waist from 66 inches to 38 inches. I also have a lot more self-confidence as well.”
Caroline, who runs the Thursday morning Slimming World group in Rothwell says she’s incredibly proud of Vic.
“He has done brilliantly and we’re all in awe of his transformation," she said. "He’s achieved what he set out to do – to become healthier and happier.
"And while so much has changed over the last year, his determination and motivation has never faded – he’s a real inspiration to the whole group. I couldn’t be prouder of everything he’s achieved.”
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