Yahoo News NHS worker loses two stone after going along to weight loss classes to support wife with MS
A Newcastle man has lost around two stone in under a year after being inspired to lose weight to support his wife who has Multiple Sclerosis.
Muhammad Chughtai, 37, said he had never believed in weight loss, but that, as his wife's health worsened and she put on weight too, growing more dependent on him, he was persuaded to accompany her to a Slimming World class in Gosforth. That was last September.
Not only did Muhammad keep going, but he's lost weight, dropped clothing sizes and is even feeling confident about a potential return to playing football with his mates. The dad-of-two said that he had put on a lot of weight since Covid-19 - and that he felt "horrible" about himself, even being told his face looked "swollen".
He said: "It was my wife who started it all. She joined Slimming World back in May 2014 but due to lack of support from myself she eventually gave up - as I never really believed in losing weight.
"As the years went by she developed Multiple Sclerosis and her situation got worse and she got more dependent on me. She approached me back end of September [and suggested trying again]."
Muhammad, who works as an NHS appointments administrator, said he had given her his full support and that they would do it together. He added: "Before joining Slimming World I used to play a lot of football with friends and were in a league but after Covid I had put on a lot of weight and felt really horrible about myself.
"A lot of people were saying to me how I had put on so much weight that my face looked swollen - so that’s one of the things I felt I wanted to change that for my own good."
He said before joining, he and his wife had eaten too many takeaways, chocolate and desserts like cheesecakes - he said they "never even knew what we were doing to ourselves". He added: "This was during the Covid time where we put on a lot of weight, and we just haven’t been able to get back to the lives we once had. Now though, we are committed and strong enough to say that this is something we want back."
Muhammad said he had planned just to go along for a few weeks to support his wife, but he has continued - and said Slimming World had "completely turned my life around". He was full of praise for his consultant at the group, too, saying that she was "truly amazing" and helpful without being judgemental.
He added his group had been welcoming and kind and he was now looking to become a consultant, too. He said that the group had helped him to replace bad habit foods like chocolate and crisps with fruit and low fat yoghurts - while low calorie sprays had been a game-changer for making meals.
Muhammad said now he felt "so much better" about himself, even if he still had a long way to go to reach his weight loss target. He added: "Joining Slimming World has completed changed my life and my family's life - so we can enjoy meals together without worrying about putting too much weight on."
He said that everyone's journey was different, and he had had some "mighty challenges thrown" at him, but added: "I am hoping this story will inspire a lot of people. I want to get back on that football pitch and score some goals, have a kick-around with my friends and hopefully re-join a league on a later stage."
