The weight is over for four fatboys slim

Published on Friday 27 November 2009 08:40

BETWEEN them they tipped the scales at a whopping 89 stones, with each weighing in at around the same as a newborn baby elephant.

Greasy takeaways, too many pints and general lack of exercise had piled on the pounds, putting the pressure on their trouser belts – and affecting their health.

But this gang of four have become "Fatboys slim", after shedding a mammoth 24 stones plus at city slimming classes.

Graeme Short, John Fraser, Phil McCall and Leo Grande are runners-up in the Scottish Slimmers' Male Slimmer of the Year contest.

They are among a growing number of city men muscling in on the largely female territory of slimming clubs.

More than 5,000 men have joined Scottish Slimmers across the country this year – double the number a decade ago, partially thanks to its corporate class, Scottish Slimmers Works, and a "Man Plan" catering for male appetites.

Marketing director Alexandra Howie says: "With the corporate classes we go into the workplace. A lot of men who attend say they may never have gone looking for a class but because it was so handy, it worked."

Leader Susan Shaw, who guided the lads through their dramatic weight loss, says she's becoming used to seeing more men.

"Slimming classes are traditionally seen as a 'girl' thing, but more and more guys are coming along," she says.

GRAHAM SHORT

Graham's weight had crept up over the years – but it was only when he registered at a new doctor's surgery and underwent assessment that he realised how seriously he was damaging his health.

"The tests showed my cholesterol was really high," explains Graham. "I was sent to a specialist at the Western General who took out a book of pictures and showed me exactly what high cholesterol did to people's hearts.

"It was really shocking and it made me realise where I was heading if I didn't do something."

Graham arrived at Susan's Scottish Slimmer's class in Davidson's Mains more nervous about what the scales would tell him than about the fact he was the only man in a room of women.

He got into a routine of keeping a food diary and planning his meals. And as he upped the exercise levels, the weight started to melt away.

"The weight went on gradually, just normal stuff like drinking and eating food after a night out, not moving around enough," he says. "It piles on.

"Now I feel so much more confident – enough for me to apply for a new job at work, which I wouldn't have done before – and I'm enjoying being able to go into shops and find clothes I like in my size."

Having lost 5 stones 8lb, Graham is nearing his target weight. "I love my new job, and my cholesterol has returned to normal. I've even come off the medication."

JOHN FRASER

It was May 2008 when it finally struck home to John that he simply could not continue life in his severely overweight frame: "One day I thought, 'something has to change' as I was getting severe pains at the bottom of my back," he explains.

"My GP had told me that if I didn't lose weight, my back would crumble – I would end up in a wheelchair."

John's weight had grown over the years to more than 23 stones and for the sake of his health and his wife and family, he knew he had to change.

"I bit the bullet and joined Scottish Slimmers in May 2008, and also joined my local health club.

"I was serious about a new lifestyle."

Part of joining the gym involved an assessment which showed John was obese – a shock, but also a motivation.

Now, more than a year later, John is almost seven stones lighter with an exercise regime which involves swimming 25 lengths every day and regular workouts at the gym.

"A lot of people don't recognise me when they see me now – they just walk right past me," he says. "I can't explain in words how much my life has changed. I was facing life in a wheelchair, and now I am a regular at the gym."

LEO GRANDE

Leo battled with the bulge for years before finally walking through the doors of his local slimming club last year.

Since then he's lost a third of his body weight – and gained a fiancee.

"Losing the weight really has changed my life completely," he says. "The difference is indescribable. The main thing is that I'm getting married next year and that's really down to having joined the club."

Leo was fat and fed up when he took the plunge and joined a female work colleague at a lunchtime Scottish Slimmers class.

"I was eating lots of junk – I'd have a cup of coffee, a few Jaffa cakes, some shortbread – before I knew it I'd have eaten as many calories as a main meal just as a snack.

"I'd hide behind my computer and not speak to anyone." Then he met one of Scottish Slimmers' success stories – a young woman who had lost ten stones through classes.

"I thought, if she can do it, so can I," he says. "I lost a bit and got a new picture taken – the first that I was actually quite happy with – so I put it on my Facebook page."

It was through the networking site that he started chatting online with a young woman in America.

"I saw her picture and thought she was gorgeous. Before losing a bit of weight I'd never had the bottle to tell her, but I was feeling okay about myself, so I e-mailed her."

He later met Roberta Edler at her home in Chicago, Illinois, and then proposed in June in the grounds of Dunvegan Castle.

They will marry in May, with Leo's Scottish Slimmers' leader, Susan Shaw – a licensed registrar – performing the ceremony.

Leo, who has lost six inches from his chest size and swapped his 48ins trousers for 38ins ones, says none of it would have happened if he hadn't taken the plunge to go to the slimming club.

"I'd still be shovelling back the junk food," he grins.

"I was apprehensive when I first started at the class – I was the only bloke there – and it did feel weird because I'm so tall and was so big that I seemed to tower over all the women. But it soon became clear that we were all there for the same thing – and that we all had something in common."

PHIL McCALL

Phil started to pile on the pounds as a teenager, due to burgers, pizza kebabs – and beer.

"I tried a couple of fad diets but nothing lasted," he says. "Everything seemed designed for women."

The turning point for Phil was a family holiday last year.

"We had a lovely villa with a pool and gorgeous weather. But unlike everyone else, I couldn't join in and have fun. I never felt comfortable enough to take my shirt off. The holiday was ruined."

Phil realised that as years had gone by, there were fewer and fewer pictures of him – he was hiding from the camera. Something had to be done, so he bit the bullet and joined Scottish Slimmers in February.

"Now, I'm now getting towards my target and I can't wait to get there," he says. "It's a great buzz to have friends who are shocked at my new look."

"Since I've started losing weight it's been amazing. I've so much energy at home and work."

For more information on Scottish Slimmers Works or to find a class near you, call 0800 362 636 or log on to www.scottishslimmers.com

Additional reporting by Laura Cummings