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Slimmer who ditched takeaways and beer to lose 3.5 stone to take on triathlon

He ate takeaways almost every day and 'thought nothing of drinking eight to 10 pints a night' - but now Tom Giles has lost three and a half stone and is taking on a triathlon.

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The 35-year-old, of Emerson Road, Wolverhampton, was inspired to lose weight after he found he was spending more time sitting down taking his inhaler, than running around with his children.

Tom before he began shedding the pounds
Tom Giles has lost three-and-a-half stone and is training for a triathlon

He now gone to the other extreme, following a strict fitness regime and plans to take part in a triathlon in June this year having completed the Wolverhampton half marathon and a 60-mile bike ride from Manchester to Blackpool in 2015.

The father of two, who also has two grown-up step children, now takes his sons Cody, aged six, and Kyle, 12 swimming twice a week and regularly spends more time being active.

As well as the swimming, Mr Giles, a shipping administrator for UTC Aerospace, has taken his fitness into his own hands – cycling 20 miles a week, taking a early morning run three times a week and a longer more gruelling run at the weekend.

He also joined Slimming World in October 2014, following in the footsteps of his wife Louise, after having lost two stone, because he felt he had reached a plateau in his weight loss.

"Joining the club gave me the push to lose the extra one and a half stone," Mr Giles said.

"I'm a firm believer in you have to eat right to exercise right."

Swapping the takeaways for more healthy food has given Tom a new lease of life and what he describes as 'boundless energy'.

Tom before he began shedding the pounds

Looking back he said he cannot believe how much his lifestyle has changed. He is currently training for the triathlon six days a week and focuses as much on the food he eats as the exercise he does. "I thought nothing of drinking eight to 10 pints a night, it was just part of the lifestyle I was leading. Now my lifestyle has been totally transformed if I'm honest, I'll never live like that again," he said.

"If I ever have a slip-up and eat something I shouldn't, it takes about two to three days for me to get back up to speed in my training regime," he said.

His said his advice to anyone who is wants to lose weight and get fit would be: "Just go for it, if there's something you really want to do, just get up and do it. As soon as you start, the weight loss will follow."

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