Rob loses 10 stone in 6 months

A super slimmer from Carbury has scooped the title of Slimming World Edenderry’s Man of the Year 2018 after losing an incredible 10 stone in just 28 weeks.

Since June 7, Rob Moore has gone from 26 stone to 16 stone, proving that Slimming World works just as well for men as women.

He decided to try Slimming World after an eye-opening appointment with his doctor who was deeply concerned with his weight gain and offered to refer him for gastric band surgery. Rob did not wish to go down that road and turned to Slimming World instead.

After walking through the doors of the first meeting, Rob was pleasantly surprised to find that the support provided by the Slimming World group was practical and the camaraderie and sense of competition appealed to him.

He also enjoyed following Slimming World’s Food Optimising eating plan, which is based on the science of satiety and energy density, enabling him to enjoy generous portions of healthy food to satisfy his appetite so he didn’t have to go hungry.

“Deep down I’d been unhappy with my weight for some time but it took me years to face up to it. I struggled with depression and anxiety and turned to food as a way to numb the negative feelings that came with it and when I finally admitted to myself that I wanted more from life and to live, not just exist.

“I realised that the key to it all was to look after myself, to lose weight and to completely overhaul my relationship with food. Slimming World was the answer,” Rob said.

“I’ve realised now though that far from being weak, asking for help takes strength of character and getting support to make positive changes has given me a sense of confidence that is benefitting every aspect of my life.

“I was addicted to food and bad food at that. Like any addiction, you have to hit rock bottom before there’s any hope of things getting better. “I made a smart choice when I turned to Slimming World and my only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner,” he continued, adding that he is planning to write a book on the subject in the future.

Rob said it was nerve-wracking walking through those doors for the first time but he wasn’t the only man there and everyone was so supportive.

"I’ve made some wonderful friends there and it also provides an opportunity to help other people with their weight loss goals by sharing experiences. Over the past few months I’ve learned that very few people are happy with their weight and while some people may just want to lose a few pounds, other like me have far more to lose. The beauty of it is, what you lose in fat, you gain in energy, health, self-confidence and positive life changes,” Rob added.

"I lost 21lbs in my first week and while I felt that I would definitely be down in weight, to lose a stone and a half in 7 days was staggering. Over the past 6 months my weight loss has averaged 5lbs a week. In June, my BMI was 49.3 almost double what it should be for an adult male and now it’s just under 30 and still dropping.”

As the weight came off, Rob found he had more energy and so he was eager to use it. “As a man I always thought that physical activity would be the best way to lose weight, but when I was at my heaviest, I just wasn’t fit enough to do it. I was a walking heart attack and it was a real struggle at the start. I had my mind made up though so I started walking, further and further each day, then tried jogging a few laps of my back garden.

“Pretty soon the time I spent jogging outweighed the time spent walking and then when I hit my initial target of 7 stone I started horse riding lessons, something I wanted to do since I was a child.

“Now I go horse riding twice a week and have joined a gym too. Exercise, or ‘Body Magic’ as we call it in Slimming World is a part of my daily life now and on rare days when I’m too busy with work or out and about and can’t find the time to exercise, I really miss it.”

He added:“Slimming World helped me to break it down into chunks and by starting small I’ve managed to build up my activity gradually.

I lost 8 years of my life to fat and I can honestly say I feel like a different man since dropping 10 stone. And I’m not done yet".

Helen Butler who runs the Edenderry Slimming World group said she’s incredibly proud of Rob Moore.

“He has done brilliantly and we’re all amazed by his transformation. He’s a real inspiration to the group. We know that many men assume slimming clubs won’t be right for them, but Rob shows that once they come through the doors they do brilliantly. Like Rob, I would advise anyone who would like to lose weight to find the courage to take that first step.”

*The Edenderry Slimming World group is held every Thursday at Edenderry GAA Hall at 9:30am, 11:30am, 5:30pm and 7:30pm. Anyone interested in joining the group can pop along or call Helen Butler on 087 7427846.