'I gained so much weight after my mum died my flatmate feared he'd find me dead'

25 October 2023 , 09:24

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Mark Stafford piled on the weight after his mum died (Image: Mark Stafford)

A man turned his life around in a few months after his flatmate expressed fears about his ballooning weight following his mum's death.

Mark Stafford, from Liverpool, shed five stone in just half a year after taking on board his friends' worries about his size. The 53-year-old admitted that, like many others, he gained a bit of weight during the pandemic and never managed to shift it. However, when his mum passed away 18 months ago, Mark began comfort eating to deal with his grief.

He said: "I had a sweet tooth, I was having four sugars in coffee and loads of cheese and loads of bread." At his heaviest, Mark tipped the scales at 21 stone. This weight gain, combined with his COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), severely affected his health. He revealed: "My breathing was getting worse... it took me five minutes just to walk upstairs."

Mark has worked hard to shed five stone in six months (Mark Stafford)

These health issues made living alone difficult, so Mark moved in with his friend Peter Mackie. It was Peter's concerns that gave Mark the wake-up call he needed. Speaking to the Liverpool Echo: "Peter told me 'it's scary coming downstairs expecting you to be dead'."

Peter nudged Mark to join Slimming World after seeing another friend's success with the programme. Mark found motivation from both Peter, who accompanied him to meetings, and other group members. He said: "The group was lovely and Dave who leads the group was really helpful. His advice just meant the weight falls off."

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Mark couldn't exercise due to his COPD, so he focused on changing his diet. He explained: "Slimming World call it food optimising where you eat loads of vegetables and you're only allowed so much sugar a day. They teach you to cook a lot more healthier."

Mark's friend was worried about his health (Mark Stafford)

These small yet significant lifestyle changes had an immediate effect on Mark's weight loss journey. He continued: "I lost nine and a half pounds in my first week." With plenty of encouragement from friends like Peter, Mark continued to lose weight and now weighs just under 16 stone.

Mark has noticed clear improvements in his health since starting his weight loss journey. He said: "I can breathe a lot better now and when I first started going to Slimming World I use to struggle to get up the stairs to the meeting but now I run up dead fast." For those seeking motivation to start their own weight loss journey, Mark advises: "Just go to Slimming World and see what it's like, give it a try for a week. They give you so much encouragement it's really worth it."

Mark has set his sights on reaching a target weight of 14 stone. He's also excited about the prospect of regaining his independence and moving into his own place.

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Ed Holt