Stuart Phillips aged 65 and from Cleethorpes battled for years with his health due to being overweight.

Before joining Lincs Inspire he lost an incredible 7 stone but was looking for more from a leisure facility, one that could help him progress his fitness levels and support his mental wellbeing. 

In May 2023, Stuart signed up to the 12-week Active Forever scheme before completing a further programme under support of the O’Flynn Foundation – a charity supporting people who have been affected by a stroke or poor mental health. 

Stuart shares his story in the hope it may inspire others facing similar challenges and health problems.

In 1997, after years of gaining weight and feeling unwell, Stuart visited his doctor and was diagnosed with Type Two Diabetes.

Discovering his blood readings were 47.2 (normal level: 5.5) he was put straight onto insulin to help manage his blood sugar levels. 

Stuart said: “All of a sudden, my life had changed. I had to wake up and inject myself with insulin. I didn’t want to do it but with the support of the doctors, I got used to it, but the weight kept going on.

“I turned to diet fads. Everything that came on the TV, any diet, I would try. I even signed up for food to be delivered to the house. It cost me 80 pound a week, but I thought that because I was paying for it, it must be good.”

In 2017 Stuart suffered a stroke. It left him hospitalised but by his own admission he felt ‘lucky’ as only his left eye had been affected and his balance. It gave him a wake-up call to turn his life around and spurred him into properly managing his weight.

Stuart explained: “I looked at my exercise and one thing I did fall in love with was swimming. When I first went swimming, I struggled to walk from the car to the entrance. I was out of breath; I got in the swimming pool, and I must have only done about 50 yards and I’d had enough.

“At home I looked in the mirror and I didn’t see me. I felt I was in a dark pit with a rope going up towards lovely bright colours. I knew I had to try and climb but I couldn’t.

What I did realise was that my mental health was at rock bottom and the only direction for me was to climb that rope. I knew that I had to keep going so I went back, and I went back, and I went back. I built up to doing a mile at every swim; it took me months and months to get to that level. But because I did that, I was burning the calories, and I was losing two pounds a week.

“With my diet, I got a plate and a black marker pen, and marked my portion sizes on the plate. And after a few weeks of doing that, you get used to what you should be eating. I had to re-educate myself.” 

In 2023, Stuart was finally in a good place physically; he was happy with his weight for the first time in 25 years and was managing his Type Two Diabetes.

Talking to his diabetic nurse about the ongoing battle to maintain his healthy weight, he was referred to Lincs Inspire and hasn’t looked back.

Under the Active Forever scheme Stuart initially attended twice a week to swim and use the gym. He now attends up to five times a week, always encouraging and supporting his fellow members.

Under the 12-week health referral programme - Active Forever – Lincs Inspire recommends two forms of activity per week which includes swimming, use of the gym, low impact classes or the power-assisted exercise equipment.

Just being on a diet and exercising isn’t always enough. You have to have people behind you to listen to you and what attracted me to the Active Forever scheme was the mental health support. There are so many stupid thoughts that go through our heads. It’s good to have someone who you can talk to.