A couple have managed to lose an astonishing 24 stone between them – so that they can be there for their children and grandchildren.
Lesley Hutchinson and Chris Coulter from High Heaton in Newcastle have transformed their lives after Chris’ weight ballooned to 29-and-a-half stone.
Lesley, 57, admitted: ‘We were both fairly slim when we met but about 15 years ago we started putting weight on.
Lesley Hutchinson and Chris Coulter from Newcastle, pictured above before their weight loss, have lost a staggering 24 stone between them
‘As our children grew up and left home we no longer had to run around after them and we fell into a lifestyle where we’d be coming in from work and having takeaways.
‘We’d probably have toast and butter for breakfast, a fry-up at weekends and would grab-and-go at lunch-time – pasties, pre-packed sandwiches, crisps – anything.
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‘Later we’d stop at the chip shop or have a Chinese takeaway. If it wasn’t that, we would cook things but not in a particularly healthy way.
‘We both had a car so didn’t need to walk anywhere and we both worked long hours so we’d come back and flop on the sofa at the end of the day.
‘We fell into a lot of bad habits.’
Pictured above after their weight loss, Chris has shed a whopping 18-and-a-half stone while Lesley has just five more pounds to lose before she reaches her own six stone target loss
A lot of dieters find the hardest battle to be keeping the weight off but not Lesley and her partner of 25 years.
They have managed to maintain their streamlined figures now for five years.
Chris, 53, has shed a whopping 18-and-a-half stone while Lesley has just five more pounds to go before she reaches her own six-stone target loss.
Lesley, who works for the charity Children North East, feared that her weight of more than 15 stone did not pass on the right message to their own children.
She has a daughter, Tracy, while Chris has two daughters, Louise and Rachael.
‘My one regret is that I wasn’t a very good role model for our children,’ she said. ‘I can’t go back; there’s nothing I can do about that but I can be for the grandkids.
‘It’s really good now to see Chris running around and in the swimming pool with them.’
Chris, pictured above after breaking chair before his weight loss, is now launching his own healthy meal business, Slim Pickings, from home
After shedding the pounds, the couple now run their own slimming groups to try and help others do the same.
Chris had been referred to a Slimming World class by his GP in May 2011 and Lesley went along just to offer him support – but ended up losing more than five-and-a-half stone herself.
As the couple plummeted through clothing sizes, they decided the next natural step was to set up their own Slimming World groups after starting their journey there together.
They are now enjoying a new lease of life which is filled with activities they can share with their children and four grandchildren.
Just a few years ago their annual camping holidays to South Wales would see Chris putting his feet up while the youngsters played.
‘We’ve been going for 14 years and used to just sit for a fortnight,’ said Lesley.
But after cutting out a gut-busting diet of fast food, Chris lost more than 13 stones in 19 months and, to celebrate, the next time they went on their trip he and Lesley climbed the highest peak in the Brecon Beacons.
They’ve continued to do it every year since.
The couple, who are pictured above with their cardboard cutouts, say that they still attend Slimming World now to make sure they keep the weight off and have even started their own clubs
Their new regime was more of a new lifestyle than a diet.
The changes they made had a great impact but were nothing too dramatic.
They got used to removing the skin from chicken and fat from meat, for instance, and ensured vegetables made up a large proportion of their meals.
Lesley said: ‘It’s about cooking in a healthy way and choosing more healthy foods as a first option.
She added: ‘For us it was never about cutting things out. It’s about doing things in moderation.
‘I was brought up to eat everything on my plate but we listen to our appetites now.’
She wasn’t a lover of salads so now makes up her own with more imaginative ingredients and she said: ‘It’s rekindled our passion for food, particularly for Chris.
‘He does all the cooking, he loves experimenting.’
Chris is now launching his own healthy meal business, Slim Pickings, from home and Lesley explained: ‘We have been so inspired by the differences it has made to our lives and it’s a partnership as we started this journey together.’
She added: ‘The change has been a natural thing and as we felt more healthy we got more active, going out walking.’
Lesley, pictured above with Chris, says about their weight loss: ‘It’s about cooking in a healthy way and choosing more healthy foods as a first option. For us it was never about cutting things out’
Chris also rediscovered his love of golf with the return of his energy which went hand in hand with cutting down on alcohol.
They still have a tipple but these days might pick a gin and slim-line mixer instead of wine.
They say they have every encouragement for people currently facing the struggles they have overcome.
‘People want a quick fix and do things very quickly but it’s not sustainable,’ said Lesley.
‘This has been slow, over five years, but then it took a long time to put the weight on as well.’