Mike Jarman, 38, appeared on ITV’s This Time Next Year on Tuesday, revealing how he lost an incredible 6st 3lb. The dad of five worked as a driver, meaning he spent long periods of time driving around the country stopping at service stations where he would opt for convenient foods which were high in calories and fat. By 26 years old Mike had reached 28 stone and he noticed weight began to drop off, but he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. After being prescribed mediation, he continued to shed the pounds, saying: “The weight continued to drop off, so I thought I could relax over it and ignore what was going on. I was wrong.”
At 37 Mike’s doctor told him he wouldn’t make it to age 40 if he kept to the lifestyle he was already living.
Mike then saw Davina McCall’s programme This Time Next Year on TV and immediately got in touch.
He said: “Initially, I wanted to lose weight with diet and exercise, and to reverse my type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
“I asked my doctor outright if it was achievable, or if it was too late. He said it would be extremely difficult and near impossible to do it within a year, but at some point, I would be in remission if I was successful.”
Mike added: “When I first weighed in with the production company I was 21st and I wanted to hit the 15st mark. In January 2017, when I started my weight-loss journey and applied for the show, I weighed in at 22st. By July 2017 I had lost 1.5st and was now 19st 7lb.”
But at this point Mike reached a hurdle, as for two months he didn’t gain or lose any weight – even after starting a weekly football club to get fit.
After eight weeks of maintaining his weight at the time, Mike started to falter and during a 10-day holiday he gained half a stone.
Four weeks later, he was back up to 21st 7lbs – 7 pounds over his starting weight.
Mike explained: “I broke down, and I was giving up. I sent a video into the production company and told them I didn’t want to do it anymore. I was broken, emotional and felt I had let myself, my family, my children and the production company down.”
The production company didn’t want Mike to quit and instead suggested he try LighterLife.
After initially feeling sceptical, he lost a whopping one stone in just a month.
He continued: “My life, and job, is manic. At the time we had four kids – we now have five – and I never know what I’m doing in the office until I’m there, so LighterLife total diet replacement Foodpacks were a convenient and easy way to keep my energy levels up when I was on the road, without having to worry about what I was going to eat and when.”
After four months on LighterLife, Mike had lost 4st 7lb and when he returned to Davina’s TV show he left the host in awe.
Mike had also managed to reverse his type 2 diabetes.
He recalled: “I was sitting on the couch with Davina, my doctor was in the audience along with my LighterLife Mentor and I was waiting for the results of whether my diabetes had been reversed or not.
“The production team put my original blood glucose level (HbA1c) on screen, and I watched as it decreased from 108mmol/mol a year ago down to a normal 48mmol/mol now, and I was told that I was in remission.”
Following the show, Mike has continued to lose weight and is now under his initial goal of 15st.
“I’ve managed to reduce my diabetes medication from seven tablets per day to just one, and when I’ve been diabetes-free for 12 months, I will be medication-free for the first time in over 13 years. I cannot thank LighterLife enough because without their support, guidance and mentorship, none of this would have been possible. This has not only changed my life, but it’s fair to say it has saved my life.”