Peter Mulgrew is now half the man thanks to Slimming World

Sales rep Peter Mulgrew (45), from Dromore, dropped six shirt sizes and four trouser sizes in over a year.

He had used his job, as an excuse for his bad eating habits so joined Slimming World in May 2012 in Dromore.

He blamed his work patterns, skipping breakfast, grabbing food out and eating all the wrong food for his weight gain.

“I’d heard about Slimming World before from my wife who had friends who were very successful so I knew it worked,” said Peter.

“I was worried because I thought it would just be me and a roomful of women. Actually that wasn’t far from the truth as there were other men in the group, it didn’t matter though because everyone was so friendly and it only took a few weeks before I felt right at home.

“I’m so glad I didn’t let my nerves stop me from losing weight.

“I expected to feel hungry but in my first week I couldn’t believe how much I was eating and I still lost pounds. I haven’t looked back since.”

He began following Slimming World’s Food Optimising eating plan and swapped his bought sandwiches and takeaways for healthy home-cooked meals and is now a keen cyclist.

“I used to think that losing weight meant eating nothing but salad, which definitely didn’t appeal to me,” he said.

“Food Optimising isn’t a diet though, it’s a lifestyle change. I mainly still eat the same meals that I did beforehand, like curries, roast dinners and pasta dishes, but I make them in a more healthy way now like using low calorie cooking spray instead of oil or butter and I eat a lot more fruit and vegetables.”

Caroline, who runs the Dromore group which Peter attends, hopes he will inspire other men in the area who want to lose weight: “Blokes might think that coming to a slimming club is a bit ‘girly’.

“I hope Peter will show that lots of different people come along to our groups and each and every one gets a warm and friendly welcome. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, young or old we’re all there for the same reason – to lose weight.”

She continued, “As Peter proves, whether you’ve got a little or a lot of weight to lose, slimming down can make a big difference to how you feel about yourself and really boost your confidence.

The Dromore Slimming World group at First Presbyterian Church Hall every Monday at 9.30am, 5.30pm and 7.30pm.