A Cardiff man has spoken about how he shed a massive 32 pounds in just three months after "avoiding mirrors as if I did it for a living". Ian Watts, 48, from Canton, Cardiff, achieved the unbelievable weight loss after three takeaways a week saw him pile on the pounds during the pandemic.
A self-confessed lover of cake, ice cream and bread, Ian, originally from Ynysddu, said he found himself becoming increasingly unhappy as his weight continued to go up. "Don’t get me wrong, I celebrate all body shapes and sizes, but my weight gain wasn’t making me completely happy," he said.
"I mean, we all did it didn’t we, ordering three takeaways a week during lockdown to ‘help local businesses’? But I was nudging 20 stone on the scales, avoiding full length mirrors as if I did it for a living, and with a big [50th] birthday on its way it didn’t seem all that clever to carry on down this path."
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Ian, who works as a television producer, said not being able to talk to family and friends during the lockdowns made it harder to voice his concerns at the time. It was through long-time friend Kath Thorne-Thomas, a consultant at Slimming World Penarth, that he eventually decided to tackle his weight head-on. "Kath is our group leader and one of my closest friends for the best part of 30 years," he said. "When she told me that she was embarking on a new career as a Slimming World consultant I felt that this was like some big astrological moment where the planets were aligning and telling me to listen to the universe, and Kath was a blazing comet passing through.
"I’d known for a while that reaching the bottom of a tub of ice cream wasn’t giving me the same pay-off anymore. No guilt, no pleasure – no emotion whatsoever. It really was time to rethink my whole relationship with food and see what Slimming World had to offer."
In June a newly-motivated Ian started following Slimming World's food optimising plan, making simple changes like choosing fat-free yoghurt over plain yogurt, a drizzle of honey and a bowlful of fruit for breakfast. He has since dropped a whopping 32 pounds, or 14.5kg in 12 weeks and said his new diet now gives him "more pleasure than any custard filled doughnut or chocolate brownie - something I’d never thought I’d say".
Ian's transformation has seen him go from 19 stone to 16 stone 9.5lbs. Through preparing meals in advance - he works in London once a week and ensures he has his salad prepared before heading down the M4 - he said he doesn't feel like he's missing out and that he barely recognises himself, even making his own hummus.
"Your life is the same, it’s just found a different perspective that’s changing it for the better," he said, stressing that he still treats himself to things he previously enjoyed, like his mocha and iced coffee. "If I budget, I can have one maybe once a week. This isn’t a plan where you deny yourself - you just need to make good, informed choices."
Despite losing weight before through different means, Ian said he'd never managed to nail the combination of healthy eating and exercising, which he said Slimming World's stage-by-stage activity programme, Body Magic, has given him. "Body Magic is designed to make you do just that bit more exercise than you would normally, so instead of watching Friends re-runs on Comedy Central I go out for walk every day. If you think that won’t do much then let me tell you, most days I come back feeling like I’ve been hit by a ten-tonne truck!"
The only downside to his weight loss? "The only annoyance is that I gave all my 34-inch waist jeans to the charity shop before I began this journey, convinced I’ll never wear them again. I now look like a mid-90s hip hop boyband member with my jeans halfway round my hips, and it’s a little unbecoming in your late forties. Looks like I’ll have to go shopping to buy some more. What a shame!
"I’ve been reluctant in the past to embark on any weight loss journey as part of a group, but you soon realise that this is a safe space with no judgement," Ian said of his experiences at Slimming World Penarth. "Everyone is there for the same reason, and everyone wants you to do well, no more than Kath who speaks from experience about her own weight loss journey and is always there for you always if you ever need advice.
"I’m so glad that Slimming World has been there to let me be vulnerable and honest with how I feel and what I want to achieve. It’s given me the keys to giving me back the confidence and control to live my everyday life. And if you’re thinking about doing the same, then I couldn’t recommend it to you more. The only thing you’ve got to lose is what you want to lose."
Ian attends Slimming World Penarth in Penarth Athletic Club with consultant Kath Thorne-Thomas. The group meets every Wednesday at 3.30pm, 5.30pm and 7pm.
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