Mick turns his life around after losing four and a half stone

Mick Smith’s world was turned upside down last May when he suffered a heart attack.

At the time 54-year-old Killucan father of three was significantly overweight, tipping the scales at 18 stones 6lbs. Like a growing number of Irish men, Mick did little or no exercise and ate all the wrong foods – and plenty of them. He couldn’t walk for more than five minutes without needing to stop to catch his breath.

Following his heart attack, Mick’s doctor told him that his obesity and sedentary lifestyle were the primary causes of his health problems. He knew that he had two options: lose weight or continue as he was going and most likely die prematurely.

Mick didn’t want to be another statistic. He took the bull by the horns and joined Slimming World in Kinnegad.

On joining the group, Mick found the amount of food allowed a big challenge.

“Mentally, I couldn’t understand how I could eat all this food and still lose weight, so I didn’t follow the plan 100% and after a couple of losses initially, I soon gave up.

“Thankfully I rejoined at the beginning of January this year and this time began believing and following Slimming World’s Food Optimising eating plan.”
The eating plan is a big hit with men because slimmers can eat hearty meals without worrying about portion sizes and still lose weight. “It’s about healthy eating, and man-sized, satisfying helpings of healthy food – not fads and gimmicks.”

Mick enjoys his favourite chicken stew, spaghetti Bolognaise and eats lots of fresh fish, which he loves to catch himself. Mick, who has now lost 4 stone 7lb and counting, says that he couldn’t have turned around his life with the support from his wife Anne and his daughter Sharon, both of whom have also attended Slimming World.

As the pounds started to drop off, Mick found he had more energy.
Slimming World encourages members to boost weight loss and fitness by becoming more active, but they can start as big or as small as they like. “I started to walk the recommended daily distance advised by my doctor, and I really enjoy it every day now,” says Mick

Michelle Bray, who runs the Kinnegad Slimming World group that Mick attends, says she’s “incredibly proud of him”.

“Mick is proof that men can benefit from getting support to eat more healthily and become more active, just as much as women. He’s a real inspiration and was also recently named Kinnegad’s 'Man of the Year’.

“I was quite emotional that night presenting Mick with his award, as I can remember being so delighted to see him return and he has really turned it around this time. The change in him is amazing and I know how much it means to his family to make such a change to his life. My own Dad suffered a heart attack earlier this year and it is such a scary time for everyone.

“At Slimming World we’ve been seeing more and more men joining our groups, and even though slimming is traditionally seen as more of a women’s thing, men are actually giving them a run for their money. Once men decide to lose weight they tend to be very focused and see the weight come off quite quickly. Their weekly weight losses motivate them to carry on and inspires others in the group with their weight loss too,” says Michelle.

Currently feeling healthier and fitter than he has in years, Mick paid tribute to the positive impact that Slimming World has had on his life.

“By attending my Slimming World group every week, I received great support and guidance from Michelle and also the encouragement and tips from all the other members helped me to keep going from one week to the next.

“For anyone in the same position as I was in – don’t be afraid to go to a Slimming World group, especially the men out there, it’s such a welcoming environment and it truly is life-changing.”