A husband and wife lost an astonishing 27 stone between them after having abuse shouted at them in the street. Kieron Buxton, 50, and Helen, 51, decided to take action when Kieron developed diabetes.
At one point mental health charity worker Kieron tipped the scales at almost 30 stone and was so big he couldn’t even put his own socks and shoes on. The couple, who have been married for 16 years, lived on a diet of fried breakfasts, biscuits, takeaways and beer and wine.
After a leg injury was struggling to heal, Kieron was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. It pushed the couple to join Slimming World - which they did, on February 14, 2020 just weeks before lockdown - and in just two years they shed an incredible 27 stones.
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They have now been named Slimming World's couple of the year 2022. Since losing 19-and-a-half stones Kieron has even reversed his type 2 diabetes. He said: “I’d been overweight for much of my life, to the point where I didn’t really acknowledge it anymore.
"Being inactive, wearing 5XL shirts and asking for seatbelt extenders was just normal life for me. I was even used to the abuse that would get thrown at me in the street. It wasn’t until my doctor told me that an injury to my leg was struggling to heal because I’d developed type 2 diabetes that I decided to make a change.
"I knew that type 2 diabetes was often weight-related, so it was a big wake-up call for me." The couple, from Nottingham, swapped fast-food for fresh fruit and veg and lean meat and poultry. Helen lost eight stone and dropped from a size 26 to a 12 and saw improvements in her rheumatoid arthritis.
She said: “I had struggled with my weight since school and although I’d had the odd weight-loss attempt here and there, I never really had much success. I thought joining Slimming World with Kieron would be a good way to support him and to improve my own health as well.
"The first group we could attend happened to be on Valentine’s Day. We don’t usually celebrate it, but it turned out to be a great night for our marriage. I dread to think where we could have ended up weight-wise.
“The difference in our lives really is amazing – it’s like the whole world has opened up for us. We’re off to Berlin soon and for the first time ever we aren’t worried about being uncomfortable on the flight or asking for a seatbelt extender – we’re just looking forward to spending time together. For us, life really has begun at 50.”
Helen and Kieron’s gentle walks gradually increased until they were doing 10,000 steps a day or more. The couple’s remarkable change in their appearance has left their friends and colleagues stunned – with one even failing to recognise Helen.
Kieron says: “I don’t think we realised quite how different we looked until we started socialising again and some of our closest friends didn’t recognise us. In fact, on one shopping trips she walked straight past Helen, and one of her colleagues of 15 years asked her if she was a new starter.”
Kieron, who is 5ft 7ins, weighed 29st and 12lbs but is now a trim 10st 5lbs and went from a 56ins waist to 32ins. Meanwhile 5ft 4ins Helen weighed 18s 4.5lbs and is now 10st 3.5lbs and has dropped seven dress sizes to go from a 26 to a 12.
Between them, the couple shed 27st 8lbs, which is the equivalent to a baby elephant.
KIERON AND HELEN’S DIET BEFORE
Breakfast: A fried breakfast with sugary tea
Lunch: Packets of biscuits, sandwiches, crisps
Snack: Share bar of chocolate, sweets
Dinner: A takeaway, two bottles of wine and cans of beer
KIERON AND HELEN’S DIET NOW
Breakfast: Overnight oats made with fat-free natural yogurt and fresh fruit
Lunch: A platter of lean meats, fruit, yogurt and vegetable crudités
Dinner: A homemade meal such as cottage pie with lots of vegetables
Snack: Slimming World Hi-Fi bar, gin and slimline tonic
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