Best Resilience Transformation: How Mark Lost 80lbs and Won £1000

Mark recently won £1000 cash in the New You Plan Transformation Challenge for ‘Best Resilience Transformation’. After losing an impressive 80lbs (5st 8lbs), Mark’s journey showcases remarkable determination and resilience. Starting at 20st and now weighing 14st 2lbs, he’s well on his way to his ultimate goal of losing 8st in total. This interview highlights Mark’s inspiring transformation and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

Getting Started on The New You Plan

Emma: So how much weight have you lost so far?

Mark: I have currently lost 80lbs. My overall goal is 8st in total. So I started on plan at 20st. I’m now down to 14st 2lbs, I think. So, yeah, just another 2st to go.

Emma: What led you to starting The New You Plan?

Mark: I did the plan back in 2020, I think it was during lockdown, and lost a considerable amount of weight that time. Unfortunately, life got in the way. Over the next few years, I ended up gaining not quite as much as I’d lost, but 10st of the 15st that I’d lost previously. I literally just had a bit of an epiphany one day and woke up and thought, why not try New You again? And here I am.

Emma: How did you feel when you found out that you’re a winner recently?

Mark: I was on a little trip to Scotland at the time, and I’d just come out of an attraction and was actually pretty deflated by it. Then I received the call while I was sat in the car, and I was just like, oh my god. I was overwhelmed, obviously overjoyed. I’m pretty proud of myself to be completely honest.

Emma: How did your first week on plan go? Can you describe maybe the highs and the lows and what your expectations were?

Mark: My first week on plan was actually pretty okay. I was quite surprised because the first time around, it was during lockdown. It was pretty easy because I had no temptations or anything in my way. I couldn’t go out anywhere. Second time around, completely different scenario, but loads of temptations in the way. People asking me what the plan was and why am I doing it. It was a tricky one, but I did manage to get through it. I just stuck to the fundamentals of 4 packs, 4 litres of water and no temptations.

The Transformation Experience

Emma: What impact has losing weight had on your life so far?

Mark: Physically, first of all, I have arthritis in both knees. So the relief on my joints from losing the weight has been amazing. I have been able to start walking properly again, enjoying the great outdoors. When I regained the weight, I became isolated as I was before I lost the first time. This time around, I’ve been able to get out a little bit more, spend more time on my feet, and enjoy the great outdoors.

Mentally, I’ve got my confidence back. I literally am a new me again. It’s like a reincarnation of me once again. It’s given me a lot of confidence back in my day-to-day life. My mental health was struggling quite a bit. It actually got to the point of having to see a counsellor at one point. The focus and mental stability of the plan massively helps me in my life. It helps me reset my brain and retrain my brain into how I should behave around food rather than food being my go-to comfort blanket.

Emma: What has being on plan taught you so far?

Mark: That I can have self-control, that I can have self-belief, and that I can do it. It’s as simple as that. I go back to the saying, “I can, I will, watch me!” It resonates in my head all the time, and it just proves that it can be done. I’ve managed to stay on track the whole way through. Obviously, I have had a couple of bumps in the road. It’s about making sensible choices. It’s taught me to retrain my brain, take a little bit more time to think about my life choices and what I’m going to be putting into my body.

Daily Life & Future Goals

Emma: What meals and snacks would you say were your favourite from the plan?

Mark: I probably couldn’t live without the Strawberry and White Chocolate bars, Apple and White Chocolate Bars or any of the Shakes really. I love the Pots as well because they’re really convenient. I work 2pm – 10pm shifts most days. So I’ll have breakfast in the morning, always Porridge, then a Bar at lunchtime on my way to work. In work, I normally have a Shake. And when I come back, I’ll usually have a Pot. One of my really big favourites is mixing the Four Cheese Pasta and the Broccoli Pasta. You get like cauliflower cheese, and I love it. Snack-wise, the Cool Ranch and Nacho Cheese crisps are my favourite.

Emma: What are you most looking forward to whenever you have reached your overall goal?

Mark: Just for stability, I think. I didn’t regain weight quickly – it took me three years. It was only at a point in life where I was being pumped full of steroids that I ended up gaining loads of weight. To have that stability in life again, to make the right choices, is what I’m looking forward to. And to go back to shopping on the high street again.

Emma: What is the nicest compliment you’ve received since you’ve lost the weight?

Mark: I just came back from holiday, so I was off work for a couple of weeks. All of a sudden, people have started noticing. We’ve got pictures of ourselves, the whole management team, as you walk into the building. People are now actually saying, “You do actually look like your picture now.” That was taken back 3 years ago. The biggest compliment is the fact that people are noticing. It spurs you on and keeps you going.

Emma: What has been your favourite non-scale victory that you’ve experienced?

Mark: Going back to being more mobile than I was previously is fantastic as I am enjoying the great outdoors again. Also, fitting into all my clothes that I couldn’t fit into. Last time I lost weight and held it off for quite a while, I threw everything away that was bigger. So my wardrobe switched round. Being able to fit back into those clothes that I could fit into once before is probably the biggest non-scale victory.

Emma: If you could go back in time to when you began the plan, what piece of advice would you give yourself?

Mark: Remain focused. Don’t accept temptations. Keep your mindset – retrain your mindset, I think, is probably the biggest one. The whole ethos of “I can, I will, watch me” really works for me. And celebrate your successes. Let the world know that you are focused and you are trying your best to transform into a new you.

Ready to Transform Your Life Like Mark? Join Our 2025 £52K Cash Transformation Story Challenge!

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