Date Started with The Slimming Clinic: 07/01/2021
Starting Weight: 27st 6lbs
Target Weight: 17st
Over the coming months, we are going to be telling you Ryan’s story.
Ryan started with The Slimming Clinic in January 2021 in a bid to lose 10stone with us. His touching story will sound incredibly familiar to lots of you – his long-standing troubles with being overweight, his previous ‘gimmick’ weight loss attempts that resulted in gaining back the lost weight and more and his hope for a better, healthier future.
In this first part of his story, Ryan tells us more about himself and how he knows he now has to accept that weight loss is tough, but he is more than ready for the challenge.
Why did you make the decision to lose weight?
I have struggled with obesity for a good portion of my teenage and adult life. I was never really into sports or the gym and my diet was horrendous. I would go out on the weekends drinking with friends, eating takeaway and generally not caring about my health and fitness.
It was only because one of my friends encouraged me to weight train with him that I discovered my love for powerlifting. Because of this, I was able to lose weight and get down to about 17stone at one point.
As life changes for me with full-time working in sit-down jobs, dealing with hardships and losses in my family and briefly battling my own inner demons. I have, over the course of a few years, ballooned back up to the heaviest I have ever been.
I’m now in a great place, living with my girlfriend, in a job I really enjoy and now I feel it is the time to really work hard and get back all the progress that I have lost over the past few years.
Someday I would like to be a dad and to be able to run around and play with children without being so out of shape that I have to stop every minute.
I want to take control of my weight so that I can be better for that future.
How did you hear about The Slimming Clinic and why did you choose to lose weight with us?
I heard about The Slimming Clinic as I am currently employed by them!
I am a Patient Support Partner, with the majority of my role being to look after patients and book them in for appointments.
I began speaking with my manager about a number of things in a catch-up session and mentioned that I was interested in losing weight after being inspired by some of our amazing patients.
I was offered to document my journey and the start of this is where you find yourself right now!
Tell us about any previous attempts to lose weight?
I’ve tried so many things over the years, I don’t know where to start!
I’ve tried a lot of basic diets, attempting not to eat after 6pm, better eating and various exercise plans and gimmicks.
As a bit of a ‘gamer’, I even tried WiiFit back in the day with no real concrete success. I’ve tried most off-the-shelf weight loss remedies and supplements and any protein bar or snack you can think of!
I have avoided the simple truth of weight loss being a commitment and continued to try gimmicks.
The only time I have really lost weight is with hard work. On the advice of a friend of mine, I was introduced to powerlifting and it just worked!
It really resonated with me. I went down from my then-heaviest weight of 24stone to about 17stone! I could deadlift 260kg and I was training for competitions.
However, somewhere along the line, life changed, I changed, and slowly, I gained all of my weight back and then some.
What would you like to achieve from being on i-Change?
The biggest thing I want to see on the i-Change programme is progress and consistency. Food is my biggest weakness and my appetite, at times, can be untameable. I can easily go through takeaways, entire multipacks of crisps etc in one sitting.
If I am able to get the support to get control and have the ability to combat and manage my cravings, I think I will finally see a permanent change in my weight this time.
Having access to speak to a professional doctor for advice is a blessing, as well. I am able to relay my successes and struggles to them and they can offer the proper advice to guide me as I move forward.
Is there anything you would like to be able to do, once you have lost the weight?
As mentioned before, I want to lose weight permanently, so that I can get back full control of my life.
I want to be an active dad in the future, who is able to play with his children and run around.
I want to be able to get back into weight lifting and build up my strength again.
I am even hoping to compete in a Tough Mudder race eventually, to prove to myself that I can do it – and it would be a final challenge for me to say to myself that I have ‘made’ it!
Join us again to catch up with Ryan and see his first month’s progress over the coming weeks!
If you want to start your own weight loss journey, just like Ryan, contact us today to find out how our weight loss programmes will get you to goal.