From sad couch potato
to medal-winning athlete
From sad couch potato
to medal-winning athlete
Darin McCloud’s story
I was in despair. At close to 20 stone (280 lbs), I was obese and had diabetes. My life was full of self-loathing and self-pity. For decades, I hated myself. I hated being me. I just existed—I had no life to speak of.
I would feed my depression by eating rubbish and doing no exercise. My life was a monotonous cycle: get up, go to work, come home, sit in front of the telly, eat junk, and drink at least a litre of Coke Zero. As if the “zero” made any difference!
Happy Darin the athlete – and how he was
I was in such a terrible place mentally that I thought my only hope for losing weight and having any sort of life was gastric surgery. But I didn’t even qualify for the surgery because, unbelievably, I wasn’t “fat enough” according to their criteria.
That rejection crushed me. The depression just consumed me further, and I kept making choices that weren’t just bad—they were entirely selfish.
I convinced myself that if I piled on even more weight, the health authority would have no choice but to give me the gastric surgery I thought would save me. So, I started eating more junk deliberately—pies, burgers, sweets, crisps—you name it.
I was out of control. My main meals were enormous, full of takeaways and unhealthy portions, and I drank at least two litres of Coke every single day.
Even though this was a bizarre and self-destructive plan, it gave me a strange sense of purpose. That year was brutal, fighting the health authority for surgery. But I don’t regret it. As insane as it sounds, it eventually led me to the help I truly needed: The Slimpod programme.
My saviour: New man Darin meets Sandra
It was 15 years ago that Sandra saw my story in the national papers and reached out to me. She said her programme could help. I was sceptical, but I figured I had nothing to lose. To my surprise, things started to change almost immediately.
The first big change? I didn’t miss Coke, sweets, chocolate bars, or crisps. That was huge for me. For the first time, I felt like I was in control of my eating habits instead of being controlled by them.
And then something even more unexpected happened: I discovered I liked moving. At first, it was just brisk walks. Then I started jogging. Before I knew it, I was running—and loving it! My diabetes doctor suggested I start small, running for a minute and walking for a minute, and I stuck with it. Within six months, I ran the Great South Run—10 kilometres! I’d already lost weight, and my waist shrank from 48 inches to 36 inches.
The day I crossed that finish line, I felt like I was walking on air.
It’s hard to put into words how much my life has changed since then. Food no longer controls me. I eat to fuel my body, not to feed my depression or drown my emotions. My body tells me when I’ve had enough, and I actually listen. And the exercise? It’s not just something I do; it’s something I love. Running makes me feel alive.
Ex-couch potato Darin runs the London Marathon
Over the years, I’ve accomplished things I never dreamed possible. I ran the London Marathon, cycled across Cuba, and even competed in a duathlon with double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes.
I’ve also taken on triathlons—despite my fear of open water—and completed an Ironman event. I went from struggling to walk down the street without losing my breath to calling myself an athlete.
My weight dropped dramatically. From 20 stone, I went down to 14 stone (196 lbs) and dropped my waist from 48 inches to 34 inches. My blood sugar levels stabilised, and I was able to come off insulin entirely. My BMI dropped a whole category, and most importantly, my depression lifted.
The heavy, dark cloud that had followed me for years was finally gone.
I’ll never forget the moment I realised I was truly free from my old habits. I was out for a run, and it hit me: I didn’t miss the rubbish food. I didn’t miss the Coke or the chocolate. I was happy. And it wasn’t just about the physical changes—although losing 80 pounds and fitting into smaller clothes felt amazing.
The real transformation was inside. I felt confident, capable, and proud of myself for the first time in years. That’s way I am so delighted to be asked to feature in Sandra’s book, The Weight’s Over: Take Back Control, because that’s what I’ve done with my life.
Darin competes with Dame Kelly Holmes
The Slimpod programme didn’t just help me lose weight. It helped me regain my life. I’m now living proof that you don’t need drastic surgery to change your body and your mindset. The programme taught me how to take control of my relationship with food and exercise, and it gave me the confidence to keep pushing myself.
If I can do this, anyone can. I went from sitting on the couch, feeling sorry for myself, to winning over 60 medals in running events. I’ve cycled, run, swum, and challenged myself in ways I never thought possible. I’m not just surviving anymore—I’m thriving. And I owe so much of that to Sandra and Slimpod.
These days, I love life. I’m happy, healthy, and full of energy. I feel like the best version of myself.
The old me is a distant memory, and I know I’ll never go back to that dark place. If you’re struggling like I was, please believe me when I say there’s hope. Change is possible. You just have to take that first step.
And who knows? Maybe one day, you’ll be the one crossing a finish line, looking back at how far you’ve come, and thinking: If I can do it, anyone can.
