Trucker Leigh had two heart attacks in one week in 2017. Now he’s in the driving seat after losing 3st in 6 months with Slimming World

“In February 2017 I was out on the road all week driving.  After settling down to get some sleep in a lorry park, I started getting sharp pains in my jaw and felt as if I’d got indigestion. I had pins and needles in my left arm too. I managed to get back to sleep but over the next couple of days I noticed I was out of breath and felt easily exhausted. When I got home that weekend, I had another sharp pain in my chest and down my left arm. I googled my symptoms and saw they could be related to a cardio problem, so I decided to call 999. The ambulance arrived within 5 minutes. They performed an ECG and confirmed I was having a heart attack and it was likely it’d been my second heart attack that week. Before I knew it, I was in the ambulance with the blue light flashing on the way to the hospital. I had three stents fitted over five days,” says Leigh.

“I just felt miserable. I kept beating myself up and although I did think about what I was eating, because my cardiologist said I needed to change my diet, I was still getting takeaways. I knew deep down something had to change then in January 2019, my sister Rachael said she was joining her local Slimming World group and would I like to join her to support her. Going into the group, I was nervous but as soon as I got inside, I realised everyone was supportive and friendly and I thought I’ll give it a go. I’m so glad I did.

“In fact, I went on to lose 3st in 6 months and I wished I’d joined years earlier! I lost 7.5lbs the first week and felt the changes almost immediately. Joining Slimming World has taught me new ways of looking at food and generally how to have a healthier lifestyle.  Once I’d listened to my Consultant explain all about the plan, I knew I wasn’t on my own and I felt motivated to do well. At first, I was so surprised at the variety of food I could eat, I never feel hungry or as if I’m missing out. I learnt so much about myself as a slimmer too.  Being aware of my danger zones and trigger points has been crucial in helping me to lose weight.  I’ve found the support from the other members is so powerful too and if you have a tough week, group is the best place for advice and support.

“When I think about my diet before I joined Slimming World, I can’t believe it.  Being on the road you’re spoilt for choice with all the fast-food options available but of course they tend to be very unhealthy and full of fat. Now I batch cook at the weekends and make full use of my fridge freezer and microwave on the lorry instead of having junk food all day. I used to rely on takeaways and now I make Slimming World’s Fakeaways.  For me it’s about bringing things back to basics, cutting out the oil and cooking from scratch. When I make a Bolognaise now, instead of using a jar of sauce I make my own with tinned tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and tomato puree and it’s delicious. I love making curries, chillis and stir frys too.

“After the first lockdown ended, my wife and I divorced so I moved house to be closer to my family.  I asked my twin brother Sean if he would come along with me to his local Slimming World group for support and we joined together.  I know Sean was extremely sceptical until it started working and then he lost weight too!”

“Since losing weight I have so much more energy and I’m much more active. I never did any exercise before as I was always too tired. Sometimes I would even drive 300 yards to the shop and never walk anywhere. Now I’m passionate about being active and I love hill walking in the Peak District or the Shropshire Hills.”