Super-slimmer sheds a THIRD of his bodyweight and now urges other men to follow suit

A man who lost a THIRD of his bodyweight thanks to dedicated dieting is urging other blokes to do the same.

Les Hutchinson, 58, used to weigh in at a whopping 21st 8lbs when he decided enough was enough.

But despite his resolve, it too genuine courage for him to walk through the doors of his local Slimming World.

Les said it can be hard for men to admit that they need help to lose weight and especially difficult to walk through the doors of a weigh loss club for the first time.

He told the Macclesfield Express: “When men want to lose weight they usually think about exercising more or following a diet on their own, not joining a group like Slimming World, so it was a big step for me but one I’m definitely glad I took.

“When I went to the group for the first time, I was worried that I’d be the only man there and stand out like a sore thumb.

“It didn’t feel like that at all though, everyone was really welcoming and all of the members made an effort to help me feel like part of the group.

“Ultimately it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, younger or older, because everyone in that group is there for the same reason – to lose weight, improve their health and feel better about themselves.”

Les said the support of the group helped him lose an impressive seven stone – a third of his body weight – dropping to 14st 7.5lbs.

He said: “I couldn’t believe how easy I found it to start making changes and how quickly I noticed a difference in myself – from the first week, actually.

“Before I joined Slimming World I didn’t think that eating healthily would ever leave me feeling satisfied and I expected to be hungry all the time while I was losing weight, but I found I could still enjoy all my favourite meals, from a curry with rice to steak, chips and salad, by making them differently.”

Les’s achievement saw him reach the semi-finals of Slimming World’s Man of the Year 2015 contest, where he got to meet soap star and model Gemma Atkinson.

Jayne Burslem, who runs the Poynton group which Les attends, said: “Men often think that slimming clubs like Slimming World are female-only environments.

“Yet with six in 10 men classed as overweight or obese compared to five in 10 women, more men than women need support to slim down and improve their health.

“It’s fantastic to see blokes like Les showing everyone that Slimming World is a man’s world too.”

Super-slimmer sheds a THIRD of his bodyweight and now urges other men to follow suit