A SOUTHAMPTON dieter lost a third of his body weight and reached the semi-finals of a national slimming competition.

Keith Hutchings, 56, managed to lose 7st 11lbs, going from 21st 11.5lbs to 14st 0.5lbs since February 2014, having joined a slimming club.

Keith says it can be hard for men to admit that they need help to lose weight and especially difficult to walk through the doors of a slimming club for the first time.

“When men want to lose weight they usually think about exercising more or following a diet on their own, not joining a group like Slimming World, so it was a big step for me but one I’m definitely glad I took,” he adds.

“I couldn’t believe how easy I found it to start making changes and how quickly I noticed a difference in myself – from the first week, actually. Before I joined the group I didn’t think that eating healthily would ever leave me feeling satisfied and I expected to be hungry all the time while I was losing weight, but I found I could still enjoy all my favourite meals, from a curry with rice to steak, chips and salad, by making them differently."

Keith was concerned that he would feel self conscious about going to a slimming group.

"I was worried that I’d be the only man there and stand out like a sore thumb. It didn’t feel like that at all though, everyone was really welcoming. Ultimately it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, younger or older, because everyone in that group is there for the same reason – to lose weight, improve their health and feel better about themselves.

“Having said that I was still quite apprehensive when it came to telling people I knew – particularly other men – that I was going to a slimming group. I needn’t have worried though, because when my friends and family saw how much weight I was losing and how much it meant to me they were really impressed and they’ve been so supportive. Lots of people ask me about my weight loss now and want to know how I did it – I’m certainly not shy about telling them all about Slimming World anymore. "

Keith was one of just 34 entrants to win a place in the semi-finals of Slimming World’s Man of the Year 2015, where he was congratulated on his weight loss by soap star and model Gemma Atkinson, who shot to fame in teen soap Hollyoaks and is currently starring in ITV1’s Emmerdale.

“I was proud of myself when I found out I’d made the finals of Slimming World’s Man of the Year competition. I didn’t lose weight to win a competition, but it was a nice bonus – and meeting Gemma was the icing on the cake.”

Keith lost weight with help of the West End Slimming World group.