{"id":1947,"date":"2020-07-22T14:38:02","date_gmt":"2020-07-22T13:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/slimmingworld.wpenginepowered.com\/blog\/?p=1947"},"modified":"2026-03-09T13:54:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T13:54:41","slug":"the-moments-that-helped-me-lose-over-21st","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/the-moments-that-helped-me-lose-over-21st\/","title":{"rendered":"“The moments that helped me lose over 21st”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our weight loss journeys are made up of moments that show us how far we\u2019ve come and remind us of the reasons we wanted to slim down in the first place. Here, our Greatest Loser 2020, Phil Kayes<\/a>, shares the milestones that inspired him to lose an incredible 21st \u00bdlb and reveals how he battled against suspected COVID-19.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The moment I\u2026 reached my breaking point<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While everyone else stood at the bar chatting away to each other, I sat and watched from the corner of the pub. I\u2019d gone to the birthday party to have a good time with my mates \u2013 but instead it just reminded me how my life was slipping away. It was the first time in weeks that I\u2019d left the house for a reason other than to go to work but, feeling too self-conscious about my size to talk to anyone, I already wished I was back at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My weight problems started when I was a university student. I lived off takeaways and sugary snacks, and that habit continued after I left education. Now, I was a size 8XL and I had no idea what I weighed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few months after my miserable party experience, my mum was diagnosed with cancer for the fourth time. As she became increasingly ill, I started to reflect on my own health. As well as being diagnosed with sleep apnoea and experiencing regular spells of heartburn, I was taking anti-inflammatory pills to manage the crippling pain in my left knee. It dawned on me that if I didn\u2019t lose weight, I could end up in a similar position to Mum.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Phil<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The moment I\u2026 took control<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d heard about Slimming World from a friend who had been losing weight, but there was no way I was going to a group on my own. I knew I\u2019d likely be the biggest person there and I hated the idea of having a roomful of strangers staring at me. When I told my friend, Laura, about my worries, she had a bright idea. \u201cI\u2019d like to lose some weight, too,\u201d she said. \u201cLet\u2019s join together.\u201d It was just what I needed to hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After nervously walking into group, Laura and I listened to the new-member talk as the Consultant, Lyndsey, explained how Food Optimising<\/a> worked. Afterwards, when group began, I listened to the members talking about what meals they\u2019d tried or what changes they were going to make next week, I was surprised by how supportive the rest of the group was towards them \u2013 there was no judgement. I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would, and I went away from that first session determined to give it my best shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I couldn\u2019t cook for the life of me, Laura helped me get started by sharing extra portions of her own meals. That week, I ate Slimming World versions of lentil and bacon soup and chilli con carne \u2013 and I loved them all. I asked Laura for the recipes and gradually started building up my confidence in the kitchen, and week after week the weight came off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, I wouldn\u2019t be human if I didn\u2019t have setbacks. When I did maintain or put on a few pounds, I always shared my disappointment with the group. They helped me to understand that it was the journey that was important and not each individual week. That gave me confidence that I could lose those few pounds by getting straight back on plan.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Phil<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The moment I\u2026 found my stride<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After a few months, I\u2019d lost 5st and my energy levels were through the roof. I wanted to start some Body Magic<\/a>, so each night after work, I tried to walk the block around my house. At first, I could only manage one lap, then two… but gradually, I found myself walking faster and further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the following winter, I felt brave enough to attempt a bike ride. I hadn\u2019t cycled since I was a student! It was only a five-minute ride from the train station to my work, but I was shattered in no time. I didn\u2019t give up, though, and before I knew it I was cycling up and down the path on my lunch breaks, and even taking longer trips into the city centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon afterwards, I joined an outdoor yoga class to improve my flexibility and I really enjoyed it. After years of feeling restricted by my body, it felt great to be saying \u2018yes\u2019 to every opportunity without worrying about the worst-case scenario.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Phil<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The moment I\u2026 got my confidence back<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By November 2018, I was ready to broaden my horizons. I\u2019d always wanted to travel to Las Vegas and take a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, but at my biggest I knew I was well over the maximum weight limit. Now I weighed 22st, there was nothing stopping me and I booked the holiday with a few friends from my poker club. It was an incredible trip. I walked for miles every day, visiting every attraction, and capped it all off by flying over the Grand Canyon with my mates. It was like nothing I\u2019d ever seen before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trip gave me the confidence to really put myself out there. I\u2019d been chatting to a woman I\u2019d matched with online for a few weeks, and as soon as I got home I took the plunge and arranged to meet her for a drink. Nicole and I met at a bar near the train station (I joked that she had an easy escape route if she didn\u2019t like the look of me!) and we hit it off immediately. When I told her I\u2019d lost 16st, she didn\u2019t bat an eye; in fact, she was incredibly supportive.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Phil<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The moment I\u2026 realised how far I\u2019d come<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I reached my target of 15st 7lbs in March this year. Sadly, Mum didn\u2019t live to see me get there \u2013 she passed away in October 2017 after I\u2019d lost 5st \u2013 but I knew she\u2019d have been so proud of me. Not only was I full of confidence, I\u2019d come off all the medication for my knee pain, reversed the symptoms of sleep apnoea and I hadn\u2019t suffered from heartburn in months. Just a few weeks later, I had all the more reason to appreciate turning my health around…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the world in the grip of the Coronavirus pandemic, I began to suffer symptoms \u2013 I lost my sense of smell, felt so lethargic and had aching limbs \u2013 so I decided to self-isolate. It flattened me and I spent the next couple of weeks in bed as my body battled to fight it off. Thankfully, I made a full recovery and, as the links between obesity and the severity of Covid-19 became more clear, I realised that I could have been in a much worse position if I hadn\u2019t lost the weight. Instead, I\u2019m looking forward to a happy, healthy future with Nicole. There are lots of adventures we\u2019d like to start crossing off the list and I can\u2019t wait to get started!<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Phil<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Phil has experienced some serious highs and lows during his life and it\u2019s really inspiring to hear how he has totally turned things around. Many of our male slimmers<\/a> felt like Phil and weren\u2019t sure about joining Slimming World \u2013 then quickly realised they had absolutely nothing to worry about. Male or female, we\u2019re determined to help our members transform their health and lifestyles with unbeatable support in groups<\/a> or at Slimming World Online<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phil attends Roberta Crawford\u2019s Slimming World group in Bangor, Belfast, previously run by Lyndsey Hanna. You can find your local Consultant here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you\u2019re at target or currently on your weight loss journey, we\u2019d love to share your milestone moments on the blog<\/a> or on social using #theSlimmingWorldblog.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Phil Kayes shares the highs and lows that led him to lose over half his body weight and helped him survive suspected Coronavirus<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":1935,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[25,23],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1947"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1947"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1947\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15895,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1947\/revisions\/15895"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}