Graham Baalham, a lifelong Ipswich Town fan from Bury St Edmunds, lost 17 stone after struggling to fit through the club's turnstiles at his heaviest. Now 56, he spends hours playing football with his grandchildren and says he feels 20 years younger.
From 28 stone to 11 stone
Graham, who is 5ft 4in tall, weighed 28st 12lbs when he joined Slimming World in April 2024. Over 92 weeks, he lost 16st 13lbs, dropping to 11st 13lbs. At his heaviest, he could barely walk a mile and was constantly exhausted.
His wife Belinda encouraged him to join the group. She says their nine-year-old grandson Charles would have him playing football all day if he could. Graham also has grandsons Julian, five, and baby Spencer.
A turning point in hospital
Graham said the real turning point came when he was hospitalised for over two weeks with a serious leg infection. A doctor drew a pen line around the infection and warned that if antibiotics didn't work within 48 hours, his leg would have to be amputated. “That was it – that was the moment, I knew I’d run out of chances,” Graham said.
Before joining Slimming World, Graham would drink 10 pints on match days and eat six bags of crisps and five or six chocolate bars every afternoon. He said: “I always worked hard, I was active, but food and drink was my downfall.”
A new lease of life
Graham now walks up to 10 miles a day with his dog and has ditched crisps and chocolate completely. “I can honestly say that if I hadn’t joined Slimming World, I don’t believe I’d have lived to see 60,” he said. “The best thing about losing weight is having the energy and being able to run around with my grandkids, have a kick about and making memories. That means the world to me.”
His diet has transformed. Breakfast used to be coffee with sugar; now it’s overnight oats or a Slimming World take on a cooked breakfast with trimmed bacon. Lunch went from white bread sandwiches with crisps and full-sugar cola to wholemeal sandwiches and fruit salad with water. Dinner now includes Slimming World meals with diet cola or water, instead of roast beef with beer. Snacks are fruit or low-fat yoghurts instead of crisps, chocolate bars, custard creams, or buttered crackers.
Local legend
Shani Yates, Graham’s Slimming World consultant, said: “Supporting Graham has been an absolute joy. His determination has inspired every single member in our group and he’s become a bit of a local legend. Seeing him lose an incredible 17st after struggling for so long makes me so proud.”
Graham, a window cleaner, has been married to Belinda for 35 years and they have three adult children and three grandchildren. He said: “At 56, I’ve been given a second chance. I’m not just lighter – I’m alive, awake and present. And I fully intend to be here, watching my grandchildren grow up, for many, many years to come.”
