Saltash man sheds over five stone by doing simple things every day

A Saltash man shed five stone by refusing to do ‘fad diets’ and setting ‘achievable goals’. In February 2023, Nigel Cape, 58, weighed 125kg – more than 19.5 stone. Now, fifteen months later, Nigel is 35kg lighter and a regular 10km runner.

As site quality lead for an aerospace company, Nigel spent many hours attending online meetings in the UK and US across the two international time zones.

Losing one member of his team to sudden cardiac arrest and another on long-term sick leave from a heart attack brought home the need to lose weight and get in shape.

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“I knew I was on a roll,” he said. “I was tired all the time, I was very conscious of how I looked, and one of my peers my age and size died.”

Nigel started dieting and was initially successful in shedding the pounds. When his weight started to drop, he went to his GP and got a referral to the Healthwise physical activity program at Saltash Leisure Centre.

“It took me out of the lifestyle cycle I was in and it transformed the way I feel,” he said. “I do 30 minutes of exercise every day, go to the gym twice a week and eat sensibly. I don’t do fad diets, but set small, achievable goals.

“One of those was to start the couch to 5k training plan when I got to 100kg. I now weigh 90 pounds and run 10k regularly. If someone had told me I’d be doing this two years ago, I never would have believed them.”

Nigel became such a convert to the Healthwise approach that he convinced his wife and son to join him at the gym. “I can honestly say I’m in a much happier space now, both mentally and physically.

“By making exercise part of my daily routine, I’m more energetic, less self-conscious about my appearance, and much warmer.”

Operating under the Better brand, GLL is a not-for-profit social enterprise that runs nine leisure centers on behalf of Cornwall Council.

Healthcare professionals can refer patients to the Healthwise program. “Nigel has been very consistent and is willing to try new exercises and challenges,” said Steve Fenney, GLL Healthwise Facilitator at Saltash.

“As a result, he lost significant weight and his resting heart rate (an excellent indicator of both health and fitness) dropped from 80 to 52.”