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A 27-stone teacher credits Warburtons Thins for helping him halve his body weight – claiming students no longer even recognise him. Nick England says he’s always been a ‘big guy’ and struggled with his weight ever since he was a lad.
But the dad-of-two said his food and Coca-Cola ‘addiction’ caused his weight to balloon, leaving him tipping the scales at 26st 13lbs and wearing 7XL clothing. When the 45-year-old started suffering from ‘indigestion’ in September 2021 he went to his GP, fearing it may be something more sinister.
The head of art and DT, who would guzzle at least five cans of coke a day, admitted he wasn’t surprised when he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, claiming it was the wake-up call he needed. The 6ft 1in food lover started to embrace a low-calorie, low-carb diet, ditching the fizzy pop and increasing his veg intake.
In just three months he lost more than 3st and reversed his diabetes, and was able to ditch his medication six months after his diagnosis. Now 18 months on, Nick has dropped an astonishing 14st 11lbs and credits Warburton Thins for helping him stick to his low-calorie lifestyle – as they are just 100 calories.
Nick, who’s now a svelte 12st 2lb and has reversed his diabetes, said former pupils visiting his school didn’t recognise him and were left ‘awestruck’ when they realised who it was. Having endured gruelling skin removal surgery round his middle, Nick has an upper body lift scheduled for summer and is looking forward to enjoying a new healthy future with his family.
Nick said: “I’m scared to death of the day that Warburtons decide that Thins aren’t something worth keeping in their range any more. I’m hoping that’s a long day off, I swear by them. I think they’re brilliant, I always keep my freezer stocked with them.
“Last week I had pupils come back [to school] who hadn’t seen me for a few years. They came back just to say hi, they’re just about to finish their degrees, and they came back to see me.
“One asked me if they could speak to Mr England – they didn’t recognise me. Their reaction was everything in terms of being awestruck. One couldn’t speak for five minutes.”
It was only when he got the diagnosis in September that Nick decided to take matters into his own hands. Nick, who’s married to 45-year-old Lesa England, said: “At that point I weighed 26st 13lbs, just shy of 27 stone.
“I’ve always been a big guy, I’ve always struggled with my weight ever since I was a kid. I was ostensibly at peace with myself.
“Everything that had always been a danger or a worry in terms of ‘you’ll never find love, you’ll never get married, you’ll never have kids’ none of that seemed to transpire for me. I wasn’t unhappy, I didn’t feel like I wanted to lose weight. I knew I was unhealthy, I wasn’t stupid, and I had an addiction to Coca Cola that I knew I had but was in denial about.
“I started suffering from indigestion problems and started to get concerns at my age that it might be the ‘big C’ or something else I needed to get checked out. The doctor came back with a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes.
“I wasn’t surprised. I knew my time was up and that my revelry had reached a point where I knew I was going to be now dealing with the consequences of a lifestyle that wasn’t good for me. It was a wake-up call to once and for all do something about my weight.
“I intend to be here for my kids’ weddings and see my grandchildren and I needed that kick up the bum.”
Nick, who is dad to Dax England, 18, and 14-year-old Kal England, researched what dietary changes were needed – cutting out sugar and embracing a low-calorie diet. Nick said: “I was never somebody who just ate crap, I enjoy food of all sorts.
“[Before] it would have been a nice array of food but there would just have been way too much of it. I like loads of vegetables, I like healthier foods as well, so it was more just a case of making sure I ate more of those and less of the bad stuff and I kept the portions to the right size.
“I’m a massive fan of [toasty maker] CRIMPiTs. They replaced the shop-bought baguette sandwiches I’d have for lunch containing mayonnaise or Marie Rose sauce. Warburton Thins are 100 calories and when I saw the CRIMPiT on my Facebook feed I loved the idea.
“If you don’t respect the size of the Warburtons Thins and the size of the CRIMPiT and try and fill it too much it won’t crimp and will burst on you. If you stick to portion sizes as per packaging you always fill it perfectly and it never comes open.”
Regarding the weight loss, Nick said it was all about keeping to a deficit and cutting out sugary items. Nick said: “It was about cutting out the sugar and keeping to a calorie deficit to lose weight.
“Just before Christmas 2021 the diabetic nurse tested my bloods and found they were what a ‘normal’ person’s blood sugar levels should be. So I put my diabetes into remission within three months. I’d done what had been suggested and just thought ‘this is working, I’m going to keep doing it.
“The big changes were getting rid of Coca Cola, I was drinking five cans a day, and portion control. Now I have more energy, feel better within myself and feel more in control.
“As intelligent as I like to think I am, I knew I was doing myself damage with my old lifestyle and yet I didn’t really act on it. I feel much happier with what’s going into my body now.
