Slimmer reaches his half century after losing half his body weight

A financial analyst from Wellingborough has lost almost half of his bodyweight to be named Slimming World’s Greatest Loser 2023.

Adam Henley, 49, struggled with his weight since childhood and found himself comfort eating after the death of his father when he was just 22. Adam says: “I would eat relatively healthily for breakfast and lunch but then my evenings would be full of high calorie snacks like crisps, biscuits and chocolate.

“My weight meant I developed cellulitis after getting a blister on my foot – the pain was a constant reminder of the damage I was doing to my health. I was also involved in a car accident which damaged my shoulder. I needed an MRI scan, yet I was too big for the machine, so I had to live with the pain for a number of years.

“Outside of work, I am a regional level field athletics official and I know that there were conversations about my ability to do the physical part of the role. I noticed I was starting to be given ‘gentle duties’. I knew then I had to make a change.”

Adam decided to join his local Slimming World group and soon got to grips with Slimming World’s Food Optimising eating plan, changing his diet of convenience food and takeaways for home-made cooking. After building up his confidence by cooking simple Slimming World recipes, he soon discovered he could enjoy all of his favourite meals like chicken biryani by preparing them from scratch, and still lose weight.

Adam says: “The eating plan really changed the way I thought about food. Instead of snacking all evening I was filling up on three balanced meals a day. Understanding my triggers around food helped me to feel more in control – I associated certain foods with bingeing, so I shopped more savvily and avoided those foods that could so easily take me off track. Understanding myself as a slimmer was really key.”

The group support Adam discovered was also invaluable. He says: “At first, I felt a little daunted by the idea of joining a group. I did worry that I might be the only chap there or that I’d be judged for being the biggest in the room. At 38st I even wondered if the scales would be able to weigh me – the last time I’d gone to weigh myself at my local pharmacy the scales couldn’t take my weight.

“I soon realised I was exactly where I needed to be, though. My group was so welcoming and although it was a shock to see my weight, I really felt like I could take control of it this time. I had previously been a member of Slimming World, but for whatever reason I just couldn’t get my head in the game. When I joined the Oakway group, it was as though something just clicked. The support of other people who were on the same journey as me was invaluable and I soon made lots of new friends. I loved that the plan meant I didn’t have to go hungry – I don’t think an extreme diet where I had to cut out lots of foods would have worked for me – and this was nothing like that.”

In time, Adam also felt ready to become more active thanks to Slimming World’s physical activity support programme, Body Magic.

“I had always been quite active, the downside being that my size meant I would often pay the price afterwards and end up in a lot of pain. Listening to the other members in group talk about the activity they did, and the structure of Slimming World’s activity programme, helped me to feel less overwhelmed by the idea of regular gentle exercise and I broke down increasing my activity levels into small steps.

“I found I enjoyed swimming because it didn’t take its toll on my joints, and I took it at my own pace and built up my distance gradually.  I now swim 120 lengths six days per week and love the feeling of accomplishment afterwards, it’s a great way to start the day.

“As my confidence grew, I started using the Couch to 5K app. It had always been a goal of mine to run a 5K race. Eventually I worked my way through the app and have since ran 10 ParkRun events. I started out walking with a time of 56 minutes 6 seconds in 2021 and now my personal best is 39 minutes 15 seconds. It’s a world away from the life I used to lead. I’ve even entered a 10K race for this summer.

“And that’s not all. My friends and family no longer worry about my future, although I do have a new problem – they often don’t recognise me! I’ve had a few people walk past me in the street because I look so different now that I’m more than 18st lighter.”

Now that Adam has halved his bodyweight, he has a new ambition to fulfil… his first ever birthday party! He says: “My family lived in London when I was young and as a summer baby it was always hard to get everyone together. Then as I grew older there was nothing I wanted less than a big fuss, so I never had a traditional birthday party. Now I’m ready to celebrate my 50^th birthday half the size I used to be! The theme of the party is ‘half the century, for half the man’.

“I still have a little more weight to lose until I reach my target weight, although I already feel so much better and more positive about the future. My mindset has changed completely. For the first time in a while, I’m looking forward to the next chapter in my life. now that I will comfortably fit into a plane seat I have plans to travel abroad and the world is my oyster!”

VITAL STATS:

Name: Adam Henley

Age: 49

Height: 6ft 2ins/188cm

Starting weight: 38st 1lb/242kg/533lbs

Current weight: 19st 7lbs/124kg/273lbs

Weight loss: 18st 8lbs/118kg/260lbs

Waist size before: 70ins/178cm

Waist size now: 49ins/124cm

Date joined Slimming World: April 2016

Group: Adam attends the Oakway Slimming World group in Wellingborough run by Consultant Sue Shone.

Before menu

Breakfast: Bacon sandwich

Lunch: A homemade chicken salad sandwich

Dinner: A takeaway from the fish and chip shop

Snacks: Crisps, doughnuts, chocolate, cake, biscuits

After menu

Breakfast: Chocolate Weetabix with milk and a banana

Mid-morning: Fresh fruit such as an apple, banana, melon or grapes

Lunch: A meal from the Slimming World range available at Iceland

Dinner: Homemade fake-away such as chicken biriyani

Evening: Fresh fruit or a Slimming World Hi-Fi bar