From biker to believer: How Perton’s Matthew Timmins took back control at 40
Matthew, a 40-year-old biker and working man, has achieved something many people spend years chasing: he has lost three stone and reached his personal target after joining Perton Slimming World in January 2025. But this is not simply a story about weight loss. It’s a story about habit, honesty, community – and deciding that “enough is enough”.
Before joining Slimming World, Matthew’s daily diet followed a pattern that will ring alarmingly true for many. Working days began with cereal bars grabbed on a coffee break, followed by yogurts and the occasional piece of fruit. Dinner was often a sandwich with crisps or leftovers from the night before. Weekends, however, were where things really escalated: full English breakfasts with toast or fried bread, sometimes followed by not one but two rounds of breakfast sandwiches, or a towering three-layer doorstop sandwich.
Evenings brought their own rituals. In winter, it was two to four crumpets loaded with butter. If not that, it was raiding the cupboards for snacks. A whole pack of biscuits a day was the norm – often with a cup of tea after work, and sometimes finished off during a night-time visit to the kitchen, glass of milk in hand. Chocolate was a nightly certainty too: a 100g bar or a large bag of M&Ms or Maltesers. Meals regularly involved bread, garlic bread or naan, with takeaways like kebabs in naan or Domino’s pizza when life was busy. Portions were oversized, and finishing his wife’s leftovers was standard practice.
The impact was inevitable. Matthew felt bloated constantly, relied on indigestion tablets, struggled with knee and lower back pain, and experienced breathing difficulties caused by excess weight pressing on his lungs. His self-esteem suffered, and everyday tasks felt harder than they should have been.
Fast forward to today, and the contrast could not be clearer.
Since joining Slimming World, Matthew has cut out bulk biscuit buying, chocolate bars, crumpets, breads, naan, garlic bread, butter and pastry products. More importantly, he has replaced old habits with sustainable new ones. Batch cooking has become a game-changer, preparing four to six meals at a time for work and evenings – removing the temptation of takeaways and last-minute poor choices.
The physical changes have been dramatic. His knees are “great”, his lower back pain has eased significantly, and his mobility has improved, making daily life noticeably easier. Clothes fit better, trousers are a smaller size, and perhaps most telling of all are the comments from friends and colleagues who barely recognise the slimmer, healthier version of him.
But Matthew is refreshingly honest about what really made the difference. It wasn’t calorie counting, meticulous food diaries or paperwork – things he freely admits he’s “no good at”. It was group.
Turning 40 provided the wake-up call, but it was walking through the doors of Perton Slimming World that gave him the incentive he’d lacked for more than a decade of failed attempts. Hearing other members share their struggles and successes, staying to group week after week, and the encouragement – and banter – from consultant Sheena helped him stay on track. The classes, he says, are fun, friendly, and full of laughter – exactly the environment he needed.
Matthew’s journey reminds us that weight loss isn’t about perfection; it’s about progress, support and finding an approach that fits real life. It’s about swapping isolation for community, excuses for action, and short-term fixes for long-term change.
At 40, Matthew Timmins didn’t just lose three stone. He gained health, confidence, and a future that looks a whole lot lighter – in every sense of the word.
If you'd love to change your life like Matthew, join us at Perton Civic Centre WV6 7PD on Thursdays 4pm, 5.30pm or 7pm, or Fridays 9am or 10.30am. Call Sheena on 07962 975980.
