A Cockermouth restaurant boss owner says he owes his life to a diet regime in which he lost nearly a quarter of his bodyweight.
Gary Quigley weighed more than 22 stones when he went to the doctors complaining of knee problems earlier this year.
They immediately put him on a 12-week diet, with a warning that he risked potentially fatal consequences if he didn’t cut out the snacks and junk food.
Now the 53-year-old says he’s amazed even himself by losing over five stones through healthy eating.
“It’s been a complete change in lifestyle for me,” said Gary, who ran the popular Loft nightclub in Keswick for 20 years.
“All those late nights and junk food had caused my weight to balloon, to the extent I really had to do something about it to save my own life.
“Even then I had to overcome my male ego. I remember telling my wife Maria that I didn’t feel comfortable about getting weighed every week – but due to the Covid lockdown my first three weigh-ins were done over Zoom, which helped me come to terms with it all.”
Gary benefitted from a free NHS referral, which saw him sign up to the course run by the Keswick branch of Slimming World.
“By my third week I had lost a stone, and found that by going to the group meetings and getting the encouragement of both the leaders and the fellow Slimming World members made me feel more relaxed and part of the community,” he said.
The diet was a major part of a complete change in lifestyle for Gary, who now manages Frederick’s Restaurant in Cockermouth.
“I’m now working more civilised hours, and running around looking after customers really keeps me fit,” he said.
Gary added: “There were definitely some lows, but way more highs in my journey. My original target was to get to 18 stone. I soon hit my target and was beyond pleased, and now I’m down to 16st 9lb.’’
“Mind you, I do get the occasional pang: I took my daughter for a McDonald’s the other day, and my mouth was watering as I watched her eat it. But over the last six months my self -confidence has grown, and people have really noticed my weight loss.”
Slimming World’s Sharon Johnson said: “We’re so proud of what Gary has achieved, and hopefully his story will encourage more people to ask their doctors about the NHS referral scheme.”
