SINCE embarking on his slimming journey a year ago Richard Whitehead is now literally half the man he was.

The pivotal moment - and the impetus for trimming down - was seeing a photograph of himself taken last Christmas. In just under a year the 46-year-old from Birkenshaw is now a shadow of his former self after shedding half his body weight by over-hauling his lifestyle.

Many view the New Year as a new start, a new chapter - for some it brings the opportunity to make changes, great or small, to their lives.

Losing weight, especially after the festive indulgence, quitting smoking and generally overhauling their lifestyles is probably one of the most popular resolutions people make.

Often though, within a few months of tweaking their routines their enthusiasm wanes and they find themselves back in the same old routine. By the end of the year the gym membership has lapsed and the enthusiasm to get fit has lone gone.

Now Richard is hoping his story will inspire others to make those changes and stick to them...

“At the end of 2015 I saw a few Christmas photographs and saw what I had put on even during 2015 and made the decision I needed to do something,” recalls Richard.

He was already familiar with Slimming World and wasn’t put off by the fact there are traditionally more female members than men. “The good thing is everybody is in the same boat so straight away you have something in common with someone sat at the side of you,” he says.

When Richard walked through the door he tipped the scales at 26 stone. His goal was to slim down to 13 stone, ditch his 56 inch waist trousers for a 34 inch waist and swap his 5XL shirts with a 24 inch collar for a medium with a 15 and a half inch collar - and he has done it - all within the space of a year and by setting himself mini targets to achieve.

“In the first week I had a really good loss and, to be fair, over the course of my journey I have had good losses virtually every week.”

During his mid 20s Richard says he led a healthy lifestyle but during his mid 30s the circumstances of his life changed and he began comfort eating.

His weight gain began to have a significant impact on his life. He recalls how his weight was restricting him from doing activities with his daughter and was beginning to affect his health. “It affected my health, my blood pressure and general aches and pains of carrying that type of weight,” he explains.

Through Slimming World Richard returned to leading a healthy lifestyle, swapping the processed foods that were making up his menus to healthier, home cooked meals he now prepares from scratch.

And he hasn’t had to sacrifice his treats either. He says he still enjoys eating out in cafes and restaurants but will focus more on the detail in the menu and will make little tweaks with his meals such as swapping chips for healthier choices such as jacket potatoes.

“You learn some skills in terms of what is good and bad, you get good habits of what you should be doing,” explains Richard.

“It’s adjusting but realising you can still go out and can still have takeaways and still have a treat.”

For Richard it isn’t a diet. “I don’t see it as a diet, I see it as a lifestyle change, cutting out a lot of processed food, I cook more,” he says.

As well as adjusting his diet, Richard has also taken up activities he had given up such as table tennis and golf. He also enjoys walking averaging between 40 and 50km a week and his new-found confidence is enabling him to socialise again.

Now he hopes to inspire other men, and women, to achieve their own weight loss goal.

“At the end of the day I was doing it for me and my daughter. She wants me to be around, and I want to be around,” says Richard, referring to the improvements he has already seen in his health and fitness.

Paul Cannell, a Slimming World consultant for the Hunsworth groups who has helped Richard achieve his goal, believes having faith in aiming for their ideal weight is the secret to success - and he should know.

After joining Slimming World in 2011 as a member and losing 3.5 stone, Paul has been passing on the benefits of his own slimming success to others.

Instead of feeling limited by past weight loss attempts, Paul is encouraging people to aim high for the weight they would love to be and seek the support they need to achieve it.

Paul refers to a national study of 24,457 people with a BMI (body mass index) in the obese category which looked at the impact of target setting and found that the more ambitious the target, the more weight people lose - regardless of their starting weight.

In Kirklees, around 62 per cent of people are overweight and, nationwide, millions of people are expected to set themselves the target of losing weight this month.

“No dream is out of reach at Slimming World. Whether it’s to lose 10 pounds or 10 stone, fit into a size 12 dress or suit you’ve grown out of, run around with the kids or run a 10k race - together, me and the members of the Hunsworth Slimming World group can help to get you there!” says Paul.

“We never tell members what they should weigh, and so all new members choose their own target weight when they join. However much you’d love to lose, we know how much more motivating it is when you’re aiming for a weight you dream to be rather than a weight you’re told you should be or think is easily achievable - and now we have the research to prove it!” he adds.

“I know what it’s like to struggle with your weight and, having lost 3.5 stone as a Slimming World member myself after joining in 2011, I also understand what a huge difference understanding how slimmers feel and offering the right kind of support can make to your chances of achieving your weight loss goals.

“It’s my dream to see my members achieve their dreams. In my group, members set targets, share recipes, challenges and solutions and celebrate success together, which is so important to a successful journey.

“It’s all about support, care, encouragement and fun - and I firmly believe that’s why we regularly see members achieve their weight loss dreams too.”

For more information visit slimmingworld.co.uk to find your local group.