'Now I can run around with my daughter': Cork dad loses 7st in less than 12 months 

Since Cork dad Shane Kelly lost seven stone in less than a year, life has been good - and also very different.

“I tell people that I shrank in the wash!” says Shane, 42, light-hearted and delighted with life.

At his heaviest, he weighed in at 23 stone.

“Now I can run around with my seven-year-old Maisie, and we can play outdoors with her cousins. I have so much energy now - it’s mad!” he says.

Was he of a different mindset when he let his waistline expand over the years?

“To be honest, in my teens and adulthood I was always a big guy,” says Shane. “I am 6ft tall and I have a broad build.”

He loved his food.

“I was well grubbed, and I always liked my grub,” says Shane, from Carrigaline.

“I enjoyed life in general, enjoying a drink and not eating correctly. I ate junk food and crap.”

Shane, working in retail, and subsequently as a buyer, didn’t get, or wasn’t inclined, to do any exercise.

“Now I’m walking three evenings a week,” he says.

“I’m at work and thinking about doing my hour-long walk later.

“Before, I would go home, eat, sit on the couch watching TV, shower, and go to bed.”

Did Shane ever think of doing anything to reduce his weight back then?

“I tried different things over the years,” he says.

“It was very sporadic, and my efforts never lasted long-term. That was the biggest thing.”

Then, almost a year ago, in February, 2024, Shane changed his mindset.

“I finally realised I wanted to do something for me,” he says.

He got a wake-up call.

“I wanted something that I could do to both improve and challenge myself. But also something that would benefit not only me but my family in the long run, and Maisie is particular.”

He made up his mind.

“Despite being a little cautious, embarrassed, and nervous, I joined Noelle’s Slimming World group in the Carrigaline GAA club on a Thursday night after work.”

He meant business.

“My sister had previously been a member of Slimming World and so had a friend of mine. It worked.”

What was in his mind entering the GAA hall that first night?

“I entered as an over 6ft, nearly 23 stone man who had 99% accepted his fate, but was also determined to try a new pathway, to see if I could improve myself and my health.”

Shane had a mantra in his mind.

“A selfish pursuit! This is the mantra I have lived by since February, 2024, when I sheepishly entered the GAA hall in Carrigaline and into the life experience of Slimming World.”

What was his experience?

“I was warmly welcomed into the group, who were great for gathering tips to make weight loss easier,” says Shane.

“The emotional support offered by others facing the same challenges was very helpful.”

Women have a good mindset approaching weight loss, says Shane.

“Women are very open. They are very matter of fact and tell it like it is.”

How do they tell it?

“Often in a self-deprecating way, which was like an affirmation in a way. Emotionally, men are not so open.”

At Slimming World, Shane kept an open mind.

“Women spoke about their hormones relating to trying to lose weight, they spoke about doing the shopping and the cooking for the household most of the time, and the challenges that often presented,” says Shane.

They were all in it together.

“You realise that you are all in a similar place,” says Shane.

“With people in similar or worse places than you.”

At Slimming World, Shane was in a good place.

He was in the prime of his life.

“That is a well-made point,” says Shane. “I was 41, in the prime of my life. That didn’t hit me until I started losing weight.”

What do you need to do in order to commit to losing weight?

“You have to be incredibly selfish,” says Shane.

“You need to be strong mentally to have a good outcome.

“If I put my mind to doing something, then I’ll do it.”

Remarkably, he has lost seven stone in less than a year.

“I used to wear double X and triple X labels,” says Shane.

He didn’t feel good then.

“I was embarrassed,” admits Shane. “I resigned myself to my size and just went with it.”

Until he changed his mind and did something for himself.

“Losing all that weight gave me a huge ego boost,” he says.

Shane is naturally confident.

“I am confident and bit a cocky!” adds Shane.

Maybe that’s why his partner Niamh didn’t make quite a big deal of Shane’s mighty achievement?

Shane laughs.

“She didn’t want me to get a big head! But I know that she is quite proud of me.”

Shane feels lighter in every way.

“I sleep better, I eat better, I am walking regularly. I am planning to go back playing football.”

He is planning to go back to his doctor now as well.

“My doctor used to tell me that I was as healthy as a horse,” says Shane.

“But he said it could be a very different story if I came back to him two years older and still over 20 stone. He said I could be in trouble.”

Shane, who made great friends at Slimming World, Carrigaline, continues to attend classes every week.

“Noelle’s guidance and knowledge motivated me,” he says. “The members, after having a good week, or a bad week, supported me always. We are a tight group.”

Maybe he will become a Slimming World leader himself?

“I would, girl, if I had the time!”

Shane is too busy having fun with his daughter Maisie, her pals, and the cousins.

“If only one guy reads this and goes on to change his life for a healthier life, then that’s all good,” says Shane.

“This can be a difficult thing to do but you have got to do this for you.”

Noelle Dempsey, who runs the Carrigaline group, says: “I’m incredibly proud of Shane for his success and for the support he has given others along the way.

“From the first day he was committed to his journey.

“He knew he wanted to achieve for himself and his patience and determination to get there were evident. That has brought him to where he is today.

“The Slimming World plan is easy, but for everyone, at times, doing the plan can be difficult.

“The support in group members in Carrigaline can really help push through those more difficult times.

We are so inspired by Shane and we appreciate him sharing his journey with us.

“He has proved anything can be achieved by the right knowledge and the correct support system in place.”