Charity volunteer swaps £70 a week on takeaways for Parkruns in weight loss transformation

A St John Ambulance '¨volunteer who was '¨spending as much as £70 a week on takeaways has changed his life by shedding more than three stone.
By The Newsroom
Published 17th Jan 2018, 08:07 BST
Updated 17th Jan 2018, 08:35 BST
Andrew Horsley has lost inches from his waist.Andrew Horsley has lost inches from his waist.
Andrew Horsley has lost inches from his waist.

Andrew Horsley put on the weight after relying on ready meals and takeaways to cope with his busy lifestyle as a ICT teacher and area manager with the charity.

The 33-year-old, from Victoria Avenue, in South Hylton, decided to join Slimming World in Grindon in 2017 and hasn’t looked back.

Andrew before his weight loss.Andrew before his weight loss.
Andrew before his weight loss.
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In just eight months, Andrew shed 3st 10lb going from weighing 16 stone 7lbs, to 12 stone 8.5lbs.

Andrew - whose partner Stewart Keenan, 34, has also joined Slimming World - said: “Losing weight was something that I have needed to do for a while.

“My two sisters, their husbands and my parents had joined and managed to lose 25 stone between them, so my partner and I took the plunge and signed up.

“A health scare in the family also shocked me into deciding I needed to do something about my weight.

He has lost more than three stone.He has lost more than three stone.
He has lost more than three stone.
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“Joining Slimming World was the hardest thing to do, but there was no judgement or humiliation and I was amazed at how much I could eat.”

Now Andrew has gone from a 38 inch waist and 17.5 inch collar to a 30 inch waist and 15.5 collar.

Andrew has even become a Slimming World Consultant and is launching a new group this Thursday, January 18, at 7.30pm at South Hylton Working Mens Club.

He said: “I feel so much better and have much more energy.

Andrew before his weight loss.Andrew before his weight loss.
Andrew before his weight loss.

“Now I don’t have any sweet urges and if I have sweets I don’t sleep at night!

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“We are all more active now, especially me – I have started running and I am now a regular at the Parkruns - something I never thought possible 10 months ago.

“I can now buy clothes that are stylish and I bought a suit for my sister’s wedding back in October last year which is now too big.

“There are lots of people out there who are not happy with their weight, and I can help support the lifestyle change needed to do something about this.”