Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
LEE’S NEW GOAL
ANYONE who knows of Lee Forsythe is aware he is big into his football.
He’s a big Liverpool fan and a big supporter of the Northern Ireland team, and of course, he is big up for the job of helping Mid-ulster club Ballymacash Rangers realise their ambition of winning their way to Irish League football in the Premier Intermediate League.
Yes, it’s fair to say that Lee is big into everything – especially looking after his own health and wellbeing – something that up until last November he hadn’t been.
However, that all changed after a promise to his mum Peggy sparked a massive change in the East Belfast’s man’s lifestyle that has amazingly seen him lose eight and a half stone in weight.
“Since I was a teenager I’ve always carried weight and, although from time-to-time have made an effort to lose a few pounds, it wasn’t really an issue with me,” said Lee.
“However, back last November I was in my mum’s and when I stood on her scales they just came up ERR.
“I eventually got a reading and I was weighing in at 25 and a half stone and when I told my mum she pleaded with me to do something about it.
NEEDED
“To be fair I knew at this stage that I needed to lose weight as, depending on the brand, I was having to buy XXL or even XXXL clothes to fit me.”
As Lee explained he just decided to cut out the crap he had been eating and started to get a bit of exercise. Out went takeaways, chocolate, sugary drinks and the like to be replaced by a round of toast and two boiled eggs in the mornings and chicken and veg and meat and veg dinners in the evening which were followed by a regular walk.
“With the knock-on effect of Covid-19 restrictions I was working from home and the football had been binned as well so I think that all helped me to focus on myself,” explained Lee.
“I kind of replaced the buzz you get on a Saturday from trying to prove yourself better than the opposition, while working from home allowed me to structure my day in a way I never had.
“For breakfast I now have two boiled eggs and a slice of toast and for dinner my mum makes me either a chicken and veg or a meat and veg dinner.
“I don’t eat any carbs at all now, no potatoes, rice or pasta, nor do I eat any sweet stuff.
“My only treat comes on a Saturday when my mum adds a very tasty sauce to my chicken dinner.”
“In the past I made what was usually a half-hearted attempt to lose weight, eating the standard salads and stuff that weren’t all that pleasant, but I have to say I’m enjoying my current diet.”
As well as sticking to his food plan, Lee does a 10k walk each evening, a lifestyle change that has seen him lose an average of four pounds a week that, when I spoke to him on Wednesday last, had amounted to eight and a half stone.
“From the outset I’ve been posting regular pictures up on social media and have now over 15,000 people following me on Twitter,” said Lee.
“It’s crazy, I’ve had messages from all over the world, some even requested my help thinking I’m some sort of expert.”
Aside from losing a lifechanging amount of weight, Lee has also experienced immediate health benefits.
“I’ve been on a couple of tablets to control high blood pressure for some time and just within the last two weeks the doctor gave me the good news that I no longer needed to take them,” said a delighted Lee.
“Initially he took me off one of