A Paisley grandad has lost five stone during lockdown after being warned by his doctor he would not survive if he contracted Covid-19.
Paul Woods, who once weighed 30 stone, said the severity of his weight only hit home when a doctor at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley told him bluntly that if he caught coronavirus, he would die.
It was after getting this stark warning that dad-of-two Paul, 49, decided to turn his life around, the Paisley Daily Express reports.
He said: “My wife Wilma was at the hospital getting a covid test. I went to pick her up and a doctor was passing and he said, ‘if you catch this, you’ll die’.
“I went up the road and I thought, I was only 47 years old at the time, I’ve got grandweans and I can’t do this any more.
“I was on Facebook and an advert for Danielle’s Slimming World group came up. I sent her an email and she replied.
“I say to her, if she hadn’t got back to me, it could have been a very different story. She was my lifesaver.”
In April last year, Paul started attending Danielle Menzies’ virtual Slimming World classes and said the impact on his health and lifestyle have been transformative.
His sleep apnoea has gone, his type 2 diabetes is under control and when before he struggled to walk 50 yards and sometimes needed a mobility scooter, he’s now completed several 100 mile walking challenges.
He admits he’s tried several diets over the years but they’ve never stuck because he “likes his grub too much”.
But with the coronavirus pandemic changing people’s lives overnight, the stark warning stuck with him and he’s determined to make it last.
“I put on a bit during the last lockdown,” he said. “But I’m going to keep at it. I know this is me now, I don’t want to go back to how I was.”
Paul, 49, is delighted he can play and run about with his granddaughters, Summer, nine, Olivia, who’s two and a half and one-year-old Mackenzie.
And wife Wilma, who Paul said is his rock, is delighted she’s got her husband back.
Paul doesn’t have a weight goal in mind, he’s happy to keep going till he feels comfortable. But his next challenge is getting below 20 stone so he can take part in a charity parachute jump next year.
Paul’s class leader Danielle Menzies said she’s incredibly proud of Paul and his achievements.
“I call him Mr Motivator,” she said. “Every time I talk to him I end up in tears.
“As much as his weight loss is amazing, it’s the changes to his health and fitness. He messages me saying he’s going for a 5k or a 10k walk, or he’s playing with his grandkids. His all-round lifestyle change is absolutely amazing.
“He’s not the same person who joined.
“This is why I love doing this job, to see someone life change so much.”
