STEVE DUCKWORTH - 'I SHED TWO STONE IN THREE MONTHS WITH FITBUG'

When Steve Duckworth was offered a Fitbug membership by his employer, Ford, it's fair to say that he was a little sceptical about the idea.

He knew that he wanted to do something about his increasing weight, so despite his reservations he decided to give it a go.

“I came across Fitbug when my company Ford offered it as part of its edap ( Employee Development Assistance Programme) scheme,” says Steve.

“I had just given up smoking and I'd put on a bit of weight and was feeling a bit podgy! I didn't really think it would work, but I thought I might as well give it a go as I had nothing to lose.

“After a couple of weeks, I had already lost a couple of pounds and was starting to think 'hang on, this could work', within three months I had lost two stone and was looking and feeling healthy again.

“Activity has now become a part of my life, so when I went on holiday back to Yorkshire, where I am from, I even turned it into a walking holiday in the dales.

“If it rains, I just put up an umbrella and in the cold weather I wrapped up warm and walked faster!

“I know that I don't want to go back to how I was when I started, so I'm not going to let minor things like a little bit of rain get in my way.”

As well as following the Fitbug activity plan, Steve realised that dropping the excess pounds was also going to involve regaining control of his diet.

Although it was tough to cut back on his favourite sugary foods, he found that it was worth the sacrifice.

He adds: “I decided to cut back on fatty foods such as crisps, but I think cutting back on sugary foods, like cakes and biscuits and my sweet cups of tea and coffee, made a bigger difference.

“At first it was hard to stop eating my favourite things but I got used to it. I would rather have a slim waistline than sugar in my coffee!”