How a hematoma, caused by tight trousers, made a Hoghton grandad seriously think about contacting WeightWatchers

The grandfather-of-one, who weighed 18st 4 1/2lbs, had begun to feel uncomfortable around his wait and stomach area in the weeks leading up to the festive period 2017.

As he looked in the mirror, he could see a large red patch, measuring two inches long. On realising is was a hematoma (a solid swelling of clotted blood within the tissues), he was advised by his daughter to have it drained.

David, of Hoghton, says: “I was wearing trousers which were quite affectionate around the middle because I was fat.

“I was getting more uncomfortable. I could not see my waist as there was too much in the way, so I looked in the mirror. In my case, the hematoma was a puddle of blood underneath the skin where something had rubbed against it or was under pressure. The red mark was long and oval in size and was about two-and-a-half inches long.

“The reason it had not clotted was because I was taking warfarin (a blood thinning medication).

“I showed my daughter, who is a GP and I had it drained using a syringe. That was very painful, but afterwards, I began to feel a lot better.

“My daughter was very stern and told me I needed to lose weight.”

David, a father-of-three joined WeightWatchers at Bamber Bridge Catholic Club, in January last year.

Over the course of 12 months he has lost more than four stone and now weighs 13st 9 1/2lbs.

He says: “The plan is clearly scientific and I don’t feel restricted and although I try to avoid too many treats I can still eat out occasionally with family and get the results I need.

“The workshops are supportive in several ways, including the accountability and support plus you pick up idea’s from other members”.

His once tight trousers are now baggy, seeing his waist size drop from 42 inch to 34 inch thanks to creating healthy habits for real life and is now taking care of himself which both he and his daughters are thrilled about.

He adds: “I am careful about what I eat and I feel better, my daughters are both surprised and impressed at the determination their aged father has demonstrated in this process.”