Obese Britain Summer 2015.pdf

PROMOTION
Photograph: iStock
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Earlier this year, Ian Paton, 31,
from St Leonards-on-Sea, weighed
22 stone and had a 42 inch waist.
He suffered from sleep apnoea
– a condition obese people are
particularly prone to, where you stop
breathing as you sleep. The day Ian
was diagnosed was the wake-up call
he needed to lose weight for the sake
of his health and life expectancy.
“I’ve been fat as long as I can recall
and particularly over the last five years
my weight kept going up to the point
I was wearing size 3XL clothing,”
says Ian. He had previously followed
a GP referral programme and tried
gym sessions but they had no lasting
effect. In November 2013, Ian
was diagnosed with sleep apnoea.
“Friends alerted me to this after they
watched and heard me sleep. They
were worried that I stopped breathing
every few minutes – in fact when I was
monitored at hospital, they discovered
I stopped breathing up to 50 times an
hour while asleep!”
Being obese is a major contributing
factor to sleep apnoea and Ian knew
he had to lose weight.
“I was 20 stone when I was
diagnosed and by February this year
I was 22 stone,” admits Ian. “With
the help of a friend I plucked up the
courage to visit Falaise Fitness Centre
in March and thought a new gym and
fresh environment would help.”
“From the minute I walked in, I felt
welcome. The team are very friendly
and never judgemental. I felt selfconscious
initially and kept a low
profile. People were there to help but
they didn’t impose themselves on me.
I started slowly and built up my time on
the cardio machines and increased my
weights bit by bit.”
When Ian started at the gym –
which is operated by Freedom Leisure
in partnership with Hastings Borough
Council - he couldn’t run 20 seconds
on the treadmill: now he can run 5
miles outdoors a few times a week
without stopping.
Ian loses 7 stone with
the help of his local
health & fitness centre,
after being diagnosed
with a life-threatening
sleep disorder
As so often happens, Ian hit a
‘plateau’ and stopped losing weight
in late September. “I sought advice
from Julie, a fitness manager, and
she explained I needed to change
my routine and challenge myself
to kick start more weight loss.”
Ian has just started an
exercise course including abs
and group classes to shift his
workouts up another gear. He
is enjoying indoor cycling
classes and is beginning to
feel and see the difference.
Ian also changed his
diet to aid his weight loss.
Before, he used to skip
breakfast, snack through
the day and then buy
a take away most
evenings after finishing
work late.
“Now I eat breakfast
every day, have a light
midday meal of around
400 calories and then
dinner at 5pm before
my evening workout
at 7pm,” says Ian. “I
don’t eat much after
my workout: a bowl
of cereal at most. Then
I wake feeling hungry
and have a nutritious
breakfast to kickstart
another healthy day.”
Ian’s efforts have paid
off - he is down to 15
stone and is aiming for 13
stone. He has lost 8 inches
around his waist and dropped
three clothes sizes. He feels
energised and confident to try
new things, run further and keep
challenging himself.
“It’s been a privilege to see Ian
progress,” says fitness manager
Julie Cowan. “He’s a great
inspiration to other members here
at Falaise Fitness Centre and we
have no doubt that he will achieve
his target weight in the near future.”
For more information about Falaise Fitness Centre or to speak to one of the
Freedom Leisure team about losing weight, call 01424 457692 or you can
visit www.freedom-leisure.co.uk.
“BEING OBESE
IS A MAJOR
CONTRIBUTING
FACTOR TO SLEEP
APNOEA AND IAN
KNEW HE HAD TO
LOSE WEIGHT“