‘My family are so PROUD OF ME’
When doctors warned Paul he was on the verge of developing diabetes, the drummer says he found a new lease of life after shedding 4st 4lbs with Slimming World
Height: 5ft 11in Weight before: 17st 6.5lbs Weight after: 13st 2.5lbs WEIGHT LOSS: 4st 4lbs Paul, 73 is a target member and lost weight at Angela Andrews’ Slimming World group in Strattonon-the-fosse, Somerset
‘‘Each year my band, the Sneakers, would play a rock ’n’ roll weekend at a hotel in Devon. It was the highlight of our year, but it was a nine-hour musical marathon, especially for me on the drums. As I wearily made my way off stage to the applause of the audience my wife, Mary, was waiting in the wings. ‘Are you OK?’ she asked me, the concern written all over her face. ‘Me? Couldn’t be better,’ I lied. ‘I could do it all again.’ But I realised the toll the gig had taken on my body. Although I would never have admitted it, deep down I knew Mary was justified in feeling so worried about me. I’d reached 18st, and I’d already put her and our three kids through an extremely anxious time five years earlier. On New Year’s Eve 2011, during rehearsals for that night’s show, I developed a strange feeling in my hand. After playing for two or three songs, I took myself off to the chemist’s and explained my symptoms: an odd feeling spreading down one side. Before I knew it, I was on my way to hospital where, after a raft of tests, I saw in the start of 2012 by finding out I’d just had a stroke. Over the next two months I was readmitted 10 times as problems were identified with my heart. I had three heart ablations – a relatively minor operation to try to restore its rhythm – all of which failed, before a pacemaker was fitted. Within eight months of my stroke, I was back behind the kit doing show after show, on top of my day job as a salesman for a home improvements company. I thought I was fine now I was ‘running on batteries’ – my little joke that the family struggled to laugh at. As far as I was concerned, I’d made a full recovery. Then, at one of my regular check-ups at our local GP practice, I saw a new doctor. She wanted me to undergo another series of tests ‘You are one step away from developing type 2 diabetes,’ she said. ‘What I’m going to do is give you a referral to a weight-loss group. It means you won’t have to pay for three months.’ I could be a stubborn old goat with my wife, but when the doc started laying down the law, I thought it was best to listen. I decided to join my local Slimming World group in February 2016. I definitely had a few nerves and even grumbled to Mary about ‘being the only man in there’. As I walked through the door, I could see people turning their heads to look at me, including another man. Many years of gigging might have failed to make me a household name, but in this part of Somerset I was quite well known. I felt like leaving, and it was only the enthusiastic welcome I received from my Consultant, Angie, that settled me down and made me realise that no one would judge me for being there. I got stuck into the Slimming World plan. I started swapping my usual ready-made sandwiches, crisps and fizzy drink for a more filling jacket potato with low-fat cheese spread, baked beans and salad. I snacked on lots of fruit, and we started cooking roast dinners of lean beef or pork with the fat removed, baby new potatoes and lots of vegetables. I lost 5lbs in my first week, then continued to have steady and consistent weight losses. As the weeks turned to months, my appearance changed and just under two years after joining Slimming World, I’d lost over 4st and reached my 13st 5lb target. I felt great and was determined to maintain my weight loss for good by keeping up all the new healthy habits I’d developed – including making use of the unfailing support of my Slimming World group. My friends of 30 years * were suddenly walking by me on the street without clocking me at all! As a band we played our last gig in 2019, but I’ve carried on playing as a session musician with other bands, feeling fitter and with more stamina than I’ve had since I was in my 30s. My kids and our seven grandchildren are all so proud of the new me. My only sadness is that Angie, the Consultant who did so much for me, isn’t here anymore as she lost her fight with cancer. I’m so glad I got the chance to thank her for the priceless support and guidance she gave me, that’s left me a changed man.
This story originally featured in Slimming World Magazine. The latest issue is available to purchase on newsstands and in Slimming World groups.