A man from High Wycombe has been described as ‘inspirational’ after he lost an incredible 12 stone in 15 months.
Dave Williams, who attends a Slimming World class every Saturday morning in Totteridge in the town, started his weight loss journey in August 2019.
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He has also credited a yoga programme to help him lose weight, as he believes he feels 'like a new man' because of the guidance off DDP Yoga.
DDP Yoga was founded by semi-retired wrestler Diamond Dallas Page, with its aim to help men, who wouldn't usually use yoga, as a method to getting fit.
Dave told the Free Press: "This is for blokes who wouldn’t really do yoga and it is their philosophy that has really changed myself.
"I found a guy on Twitter who was about 35/36 stone who lost a lot of weight within a yea,r and he was doing it [DDP Yoga].
"That inspired me as I thought if he can do it, I can do it.
"And that has been the mindset behind it.
"It has changed my life."
Prior to losing the weight, Dave admitted that he was a 'sugar junkie', and at one point, his leg was so badly infected with type 2 diabetes, he nearly lost part of his limb.
He also admitted to drinking eight litres of Pepsi Max a day, and that he would research which supermarkets had the best offers and this would dictate his weekly shopping.
However, he feels like a 'new man' and believes DDP Yoga has played a huge part in helping him get fit.
He continued: "I have regained flexibility that I didn’t have in my youth and my strength is coming back.
"This has changed my life completely to the point where I can be an instructor on the DDP Yoga programme.
"For me, this is a lifestyle change.
"It is not about a diet and exercise to get somewhere and to set a goal, this is a lifestyle change.
"This is oxygen for me because if you don’t breath, you die - this is the same thing for me.
"It helps me out immensely.
"I feel like a new man.
"I feel like I have extended my life by 20 years and I feel happier, healthier and more confident."
In the last 15 months, Dave has lost 78kg and his Slimming World consultant, Carole Arnold, revealed her happiness regarding Dave's transformation.
Carole said: “It is an absolute honour to have him in the group with us.
“He inspires everyone that he comes into contact with.
“He is proof that you can do it [lose weight] because I think a lot of people doubt themselves.
Dave lost 12 stone in 15 months
“That transition to being someone with self-belief is something that takes a little while on a weight loss journey, but there is no doubt that he is so inspirational.
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“He doesn’t always find this easy, but he refuses to give up, and that alone makes me the proudest Slimming World consultant.”
To help himself throughout his journey, Dave wrote an inspirational letter to urge him to lose weight over the last year.
The letter contained details of Dave's past with his eating habits and how determined he was in getting fit.
She continued: “He knew that he needed to make some changes and it is not easy [to lose weight].
“People try all the time to lose weight and you do have to be in the right frame of mind and in the right place, and I think he found that in our group.
“All those things came together for him.
“And that is what Dave has done.
“I couldn’t be prouder.”
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