Thinking he was having a heart attack drove Paul O’Mahony 32, to finally do something about his weight. At first he thought that Unislim was only for women, but soon realised it’s for everyone when he lost a whopping ten pounds in his first week. Today, having lost eight stone, he’s the most inspirationally energetic man you could meet! Read on to discover how Paul turned his life around…
I have been heavy all my life, and emotional eating was a big thing for me. About two years ago I got severe chest pains and, thinking I was having a heart attack, I went to hospital. It turned out to be severe anxiety, but I decided to do something about the weight. I tried and I tried, and I got down about four stone, but slowly it began to creep up again.
“Last Christmas, my wife Siobhán decided to try Unislim. I said no way, not for me; it’s only for ladies, but she came home with the information from the first night and the second week I went with her. When I met Marian, my leader, I realised I had totally the wrong impression of Unislim. I weighed in, and was hugely embarrassed at the weight I was, but Marian reassured me that I wasn’t alone and to try the plan to see how I’d go. I went home and tried to stick as closely to the plan as I could, and at the weigh-in after just one week on the plan I had lost ten pounds. That was enough to persuade me!
“Before I’d eat a lot of takeaways, and it wouldn’t even occur to me to eat vegetables or salad. Now I’m eating proper food, and probably in greater quantities than I’ve ever eaten – the difference is that it’s the right food. I now enjoy three hearty meals and two snacks a day, and I still enjoy a few pints at the weekend. Unislim is not a diet, it’s a lifestyle choice and change.
“My message to men is that it’s never too late to start – just look at what I’ve achieved in a year. I feel happier than ever so don’t wait another day. There are four men in my class now, but to be honest, it’s not about men and women, we’re all in the same boat and support each other throughout.
“When I got to three, three-and-a-half stone off, some people told me not to lose any more weight. But Marian helped me get my head together and to stay focused. She told me that it’s about me, not them, and to have the confidence to go for what I want.
Some people don’t know what being obese does to you. They don’t know how it affects you inside. “I’m now an avid runner and I ran my first 10km race in September. There is a circuit of about 3km around my house and before I joined Unislim I could barely walk it in an hour. Now I can run it in nine minutes.
“I have three kids, and I get emotional when I think about the sort of father I was before I lost weight. I wouldn’t have been a great father or husband. I would have been narky, wouldn’t have interacted with them and I avoided family events and days out. Since I joined Unislim, it’s all different. My wife Siobhán told Marian that Unislim had given her back her husband! Afterwards I asked her what she meant and she told me that I had been difficult to live with when I was unhealthy and overweight. To think: I could have lost my wife over my weight… isn’t that motivation enough for any husband out there to join today?
Feeling inspired by Paul’s transformation story? Join your local Unislim class here.
