A man who couldn’t walk down the street without needing to sit down can now cycle over 30km a day without getting out of breath.
William Kearns, 59, said it was “small steps, one thing at a time” that resulted in him losing 11 stone.
He added: “I was 30 stone and 6.5lbs when I started this and now I am 19 stone 6.5lbs.
“I could not walk or do any great exercise for the first year and after I started to lose weight.
“Then I started walking and I walked until my knee gave in and I had to stop.
“I got a bike and I go out for a spin and cover 20 to 25 miles now. I do it every day.
“Before that, if I was walking down a street I would be looking for a seat half way down. Then I’’d be looking for the next seat.”
William lost the weight in the last two-and-a-half years after joining Unislim in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.
He said he did not stop eating anything in particular but reduced portion sizes.
But he does avoid pre-packed sandwiches. William added: “I realised you will pick up a packet of sandwiches and think, ‘Oh that’s a healthy option’.
“But some of them are more than 400 calories and that is a dinner.”
William also said to be wary of foods labelled as “low fat”, adding : “If they take out the fat, then they have to replace it with something else.
“If they take out the sugar, you can find yourself craving sugar and you go for something sugary to eat later.”
He goes to Unislim every week with his wife Mary and he is encouraging other men to consider taking action too. William said: “If I could do it, anyone could do it.”
William has suffered from depression and struggled to stay motivated. He added: “Take small steps. You can’t do it all at once so change little things week by week or month by month and slowly get into the habit.”
Unislim group leader Geraldine O’Brien said: “He is such a lovely gentleman. Very honest and determined. It was a pleasure to support his fantastic weight loss journey.”
