Colin loses 50 kilos

Colin Thomson (22) weighed more than 140 kilos in November 2011 and decided to do something about it after seeing a less than flattering picture of himself posted on a social networking site.

He joined the gym at Carluke Leisure Centre and reaped the benefit.

Colin said: “Before I used the gym, a regular week for me would consist of going to college, coming home, watching TV and playing the Xbox.

“At weekends I would just go out and drink with my friends. I did, for a long time, consider joining the gym but was scared to go and had no motivation.

“But I saw a photograph of myself with friends on a Bebo site and to be honest I was absolutely horrified; this prompted me to lose weight; since then everything has just clicked.

“I did eventually talk to one of my friends about it and he suggested I go along to the gym at Carluke Leisure Centre and speak to gym instructor, Martin Green. He reckoned Martin could help motivate me and it was just what I needed.”

Colin joined the gym in November 2011 weighing in at 141.2kg which is roughly 22.5 stone.

After just one month he had lost four kilos.

He said: “The first month was very hard; I was sick after my first session but after that I began to enjoy it.

“My family and friends were really pleased for me as well.”

On his 21st birthday, Colin fell and injured his knee so training had to stop but he went back to the gym in March 2012. However, he still couldn’t walk properly.

Despite this, he listened to the advice given to him by gym instructor Martin and this ensured that he stuck to his diet and lost weight – even though he was not able to exercise for some time.

When he went back to full training he weighed in at 128 kilos.

“My knee was in agony and because I couldn’t do anything I was worried that I might gain weight and would basically have to start again,” said Colin.

“Before I started training I drank too much at the weekend and was eating too much but now I’m very mindful of what I eat.”

Colin usually has a healthy breakfast of eggs or porridge and then eats chicken, rice and veg during the day, with a protein shake after exercise.

Martin added: “We built up Colin’s exercise programme from scratch in 2011 with a good mixture of cardio vascular and resistance training and slowly but surely changed his nutrition and how he thought about eating.

“Even with the set-back of a damaged knee, Colin returned as soon as he was able to his fitness programme.

“This has certainly paid off good style as he’s now dropped his weight to a fabulous 88 kilos, which is under 14 stone.

“Colin worked hard to get fit and healthy and it seems we have made it a fun thing for him to do.”

Colin has some advice of his own after his remarkable weight loss and he hopes that his story can inspire others to do the same.

He said: “People have come up to me and asked me what my secret is.

“There isn’t one. You just have to be dedicated and work hard.

“There’s no doubt that since I’ve lost the weight I have become more confident and if I could help anyone who was in the same position then I’d be delighted to.

“It’s not easy but you will get there eventually.”