A super slimmer who shed five stone in a year believes it has rid him of a serious lung condition.
John Murray from Chapelizod, Dublin turns 80 this month (OCT) and says he feels better than he has in decades.
The former credit controller vowed to get fitter and leaner after getting pneumonia and being diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in 2019.
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John told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “COPD narrows the tube into the lung, you’re not getting enough oxygen.
“I was on oxygen 24 hours a day, when I was discharged I was on oxygen 15 hours a day.
“If I wanted to leave a room I had to strap on an oxygen tank on my back.”
Aged 76, John bit the bullet and joined his local Slimming World group classes.
He said: “I started to only eat healthy meals.
“When I went out I would drink one glass of white wine and a litre of soda water.
“In the first week I lost seven lbs, the second week I lost eight.
“So in two weeks I lost a stone, that encouraged me to keep going.”
Confessing his sweet tooth is his weakness, he added: “I used to love loads of butter on meals and sugary fizzy drinks.
“I loved packets of chocolate digestives - I don’t long for them now.”
As John shed the weight his lung function increased.
He revealed: “Within three months I no longer needed the oxygen tank.
“I phoned the hospital and they took me in for breathing and speed walking tests.
“They told me I was fine now and said my oxygen levels were back up to 86%... they took the oxygen tank away.”
Astounded John added: “The doctors didn’t know why the COPD was gone but I feel it was definitely down to losing the weight.
“Things like walking up and down the stairs and doing some work in the gym is really helping.
“It’s the only explanation, the doctors were a bit surprised... I think they thought it was a bit of a miracle.”
Turning 80 in October he said is “irrelevant”.
He added: “Age is just a number. We use time as saying how we move on in life, but time has never bothered me.
“I can lift weights and I feel so vital and younger now.
“I feel stronger now than when I was 70.”
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