When Luke took wedding photos with his beloved husband, he always felt like the ‘fat one’ in the couple. He even once considered himself an unattractive ‘house extension’ when he viewed the snaps.
The Chelmsley Wood man was always active, even at his previous Greggs job. Being surrounded by pasties all day didn’t stop him from losing weight. However, when the Covid lockdown came, Luke had to work from home which caused him to indulge in bad habits.
He would eat up to nine crisp packets per day and a takeaway every night. He shortly ballooned to over 15 stone, which made it literally difficult to breathe. A lifetime of asthma was aggravated by the weight gain, not only alarmed Luke but his foster son, who just wanted his father around for longer.
Read more:I screamed because this is not the Jack Grealish we saw at Aston Villa
Luke wanted to feel pride in his photos and finally joined Slimming World, he shed over three stone in almost seven months. Now he takes more photos than ever before and has gone from extra large clothing to small or medium-sized clothing.
The 35-year-old. a Lloyds bank complaints manager, said: “I was always really fit, I had asthma but I was still the skinniest one. I worked at Greggs, running around constantly, so I stayed slim.
Luke James-Mckeown
(Image: Luke James-Mckeown)
“But when I left and got a desk job, with the same eating habits it started to pile on. It was during lockdown we were not leaving the house and I put on more weight which was over 15 stone.
“We were out of lockdown and I got married, when I look at the photos I realised I needed to change something.”
Luke has asthma all his life but his active lifestyle calmed it down, however his weight gain during lockdown meant he was forced to use his preventative inhaler four-five times a day.
He regularly indulged in crisps, chocolates, pasties, and takeaway, which forced him to wear baggy clothes all the time. He married his husband in 2022, and they became foster parents. Unfortunately, his weight impacted his family life.
Luke said: “We have an eight-year-old who ran around everywhere. I would do this too for a few minutes and then had to stop and get my breath back.
Luke James-Mckeown Slimming World
(Image: Luke James-Mckeown)
“I realised this wasn’t fair on him as we wanted to give him a better life and I couldn’t even run up the stairs. On our honeymoon cruise, my sister-in-law and my foster son phoned me, panicking because he thought I didn’t bring my inhalers.
“I said I was fine and had them, but he shouldn’t be worrying I can’t breathe when I am out. I heard about Slimming World and my mum wanted to do it, she asked on a group chat if anyone wanted to join and I said yes instantly.
“If I didn’t have my mum or anyone else, I would not have stuck to it. I tried before to cut down on crisps or takeaways, but I had no one to answer to but myself, which didn’t work.
“With someone else, they can keep an eye on me.”
Luke drastically changed his diet to include fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meat, and home-cooked meals. Takeaway went from every day to once a week, and he slimmed down to 12 stone in seven months.
He no longer has to use his preventative inhaler and enjoys bike rides with his son without getting breathless. The baggy clothes were binned as Luke went from a size 36 waist to 30-32.
Meanwhile, extra-large clothes were replaced with small or medium. Luke said, “I don’t look like the fat one in the couple anymore. I am not shy about posting a photo now and take more now than I ever did before.
“Take that step because it will change your life, whether you are with someone or not.”