A RESIDENT from Cricklade is encouraging men to talk about their weight, after he turned his life around following a sobering GP check-up.

Shortly after turning 40 in January, Cricklade resident Damien Davis was given a frank warning about his health by a doctor.

He had sky high blood pressure and cholesterol and was deemed clinically obese, putting him at risk of heart disease.

On hearing the news, he decided he would turn his life around, and has subsequently lost three stone and dropped his clothes size from a loose 36 waistline, to a slim fit 30.

“When I turned 40 my birthday gift from the NHS was a ‘well man’s clinic’ appointment with my GP,” he said.

“It was a bit of a life-changer as I came away from that appointment being told that I was at risk of developing heart-disease, with a BMI of 32.

“I decided that with a one-year-old son and another baby on the way, I needed to make some drastic lifestyle changes.”

Damien joined a gym and tried to start eating healthily but didn’t see much improvement in his health.

He later joined Slimming World in Cricklade and started strictly controlling his diet. Having cut out his tendency to over-indulge in eating treats, he saw the pounds drop off and was nominated as this year’s Man of the Year at Slimming World.

“I honestly feel fantastic and I’m delighted to report that my BMI is now 24.5, in the healthy range,” he said. “My blood pressure is normal, as are my cholesterol levels, and I’ve just been given a full bill of excellent health.

“Since starting my health-kick I began exercising and I’ve attributed my success to 80 per cent nutrition and 20 per cent exercise. I really enjoy my new healthy lifestyle and I’ve found a new passion for running. I’m running the Cricklade 10K in October.”

Damien has spoken out about his life-changing transformation to encourage more men to talk about their weight issues and become healthier.

“I’m hoping that I could encourage others to get fit,” he said.

“Weight loss groups are normally aimed at women. Unless men are in the gym pumping iron, they don’t like to talk about weight issues.

“There are thousands of men overweight in this country, they just need to speak up about it.”