From Junk Food to Marathon Runner: Darren’s Unbelievable Slimpod Transformation

So I've got Darren McLeod with me today, and Darren is just, uh, uh, is it— he's got the most amazing story ever, uh, because SlimPod is 15 years old, um, in November 2024, and, uh, Darren was one of the first people on the program, and he's still in contact with us, and he is here, and it is amazing. Um, so Darren was hugely overweight, um, and he was, uh, in the papers, uh, all those years ago because he was taking Portsmouth Health Authority, uh, to court, uh, because you— because they wouldn't give you gastric surgery, would they, Darren?

No, they wouldn't.

So anyway, he was in the papers because they had— because the health authority had told him that they wanted him to eat more to qualify for a gastric band, and Darren was just really, really unhappy about all that. And so then I met Darren in London, and Darren, explain a little bit about what happened when I met you in London, because we were going to Harley Street.

We were indeed. So we met across a crowded station, as they say in the old movies, um, and we walked out the station and I was about 5 paces behind you, sweating red, trying to keep up with you. You're, uh, talking about the virtues of thinking slimmer and what you're gonna do and everything else, and you were mentioning exercise, um, which I thought, as I'm walking behind you, that's never going to happen. I just want to lose a bit of weight. But then the magic started. The weight came off, and we started exercising as well to complement the start of the weight loss. So yeah, that's how we started.

And you gave up all— well, you just lost the desire for all the junk that you were eating. And it was like a flick— a switch had flicked clicked in your head because you were getting far more pleasure from the exercise that you'd started doing, uh, than you were from the food that you had been eating by kind of the truckload, wasn't it?

Yes, absolutely. And who would have thought that exercise and the, um, the feel-good factor from exercise would ever have made that much difference.

I thought you created something more difficult. Well, you have won a voucher to entice you not to cook dinner for the next week. Brilliant. My life is one big voucher of that kind, Anthony. My family use it to be desired. Well done, Trevor, completing the course. Darren also So what's next, Darren? Which race you doing next? The Brighton Half Marathon in February, provided I can avoid Lorraine. She talks me into the Gosport Half Marathon in a couple of weeks' time. How good do you feel about yourself now? Truly amazing. I cannot believe— I'm going to cry again— I cannot believe how well I've done. And I couldn't have done it without you guys. Really couldn't have. It don't matter what you say, without you guys I wouldn't be standing here today. I really would. Absolutely.

And I, and I remember you spoke to your diabetes doctor, um, about how you were going to start running, and she said, uh, that you had to do a minute on and a minute off because you had diabetes as well, didn't you?

Yes.

And so she was saying you do a minute on, so that's what you started doing. And where did that lead?

Um, well, it, it's led 2, cycling around the country, um, Cuba, running. Um, my, my first 3 races were the Great South Runner 10 miler in October, and then in February, March, it was the Brighton Half Marathon, and then in April, it was the London Marathon with a couple of other Slim Podders. As well. So we all supported each other. Um, that's right, I was there too.

I got, I got, I got some great pictures of you.

Yes, on the corner as we come around to the finish line. Absolutely. So, um, and that would— that ended up just being the start. I was still thinking, right, that's it, I've done that, I'm done now with exercise and running. But it didn't happen, and we've gone on to do um, one ultra marathon, um, to tick that box for, for doing. Um, and then I've also done triathlons and duathlons, and I've learned to swim to be able to do that as well. And whilst I didn't finish because my bike let me down, I also entered the Ironman or the Half Ironman in Weymouth a couple of years ago. Um, but I got the sea swim done and I've got most of the bike done before the bike gave up on me. Um, so better the bike gave up than I gave up is, is my philosophy for that. We take the win, um, with doing that. And I just never ever thought that any of that would be possible.

How much weight did you lose?

Um, 6 stone. So it's 21 stone to start with. I sort of got down to 14 and a half, but I never stayed there. It sort of got to that and it was like really hard. So 15 stone is sort of where I'm most happy with.

And for, you know, 14 years, uh, now you've kept the weight within, within a kind of a stone, haven't you, of, uh, of, of what you lost? And, uh, and that, that is just stunning. Absolutely stunning. It just honestly, it's from where you were, it, uh, it is quite extraordinary. And so your, your life right now, um, you're not moving as much, are you? Because you've had a few injuries that have plagued you. But I do know, I do happen to know that you are about to just start a little bit more of the running again, aren't you?

I, I've done all the big stuff. I've done all the charity bit and everything else. I've, I've got my Um, London Great Medal of the London Marathon, the London Cycle.

You've got so many medals, haven't you, on your landing?

Yes.

Oh my God, how many medals have you got? I lost count.

Oh, so have I. I must admit, I, I, I've lost count as well. Um, but it was—

it was—

I was I don't know, 20, 30 a year, um, towards the back end because of all the events that you do. Uh, you never, you, you never enter an event without getting a medal. No medal, no run.

I mean, honestly, you've got about 300 medals there, and that is— yes, that is unbelievable.

Absolutely. And don't forget my trophy.

Yes, yes, indeed.

My Slim Puddler of the Year trophy in pride of place.

Because your diabetes medication is down to the lowest as well, isn't it? You've had to stay on it, but—

I am in a really good place at the moment that I've not been in for a long, long time.

So, Darren, you would have previously turned to food for comfort, wouldn't you? Yeah. And so explain a little bit about the change in that, that you would have with different events in your life, you would have turned to food for comfort, but you don't do that anymore.

It's all about getting that exercise, because that's what gives you that natural balance for your weight.

You were a comfort eater, weren't you?

Absolutely. I was a comfort eater. I was in a position where I knew I needed help. And everything I'd done in the past, all the diets and everything else, they, they never worked. And again, that, that's down to the fact that things will only work if you want them to. You can go on a diet and you can lose a couple of pounds, and then you sort of let go a little bit and you don't have that control, and then you put the weight back on again, the yo-yoing. Effects with doing that. Whereas with Thinking Slimmer, and for me it was day 1, I mean, I just remember having dinner for the first time and I left half of it. And it was because I was listening to my body and it said, you don't need to eat anymore. But I've always got the confidence of having the pods, um, and listening to them when I need to listen to them. Um, always fall back on that. But I've also got the confidence to know that there's an alarm inside of me that will go off, um, when I'm too big, or when I get big and I get uncomfortable. All of those signs that Everybody gets— I get them and they still— and they're still there. So I can go off the rails a little bit, um, but know that get yourself plugged in, listen to the pods, and it all clicks back into place because it's all done subconsciously. Just, just put them in, that's all you've got to do. Put them in, fall asleep, whatever it is. Don't use heavy machinery.

So, Darren, what, um, uh, would you— what 3 tips would you give, um, Slimpodders, and also anybody who's trying to take back control of their mindset from, from food and from dieting and from just being in a bad place about it all?

Um, well, just first of all, it's a really simple concept, and that is listen to the pod. I listened to mine for non-stop at the beginning because I was too scared to stop. 6 months, 21 days, didn't matter. Every day I kept— because I was always worried that me would fail at this, or that it wouldn't work, or I wouldn't allow it to work. So for 6 months solid Every night I was plugged into the pods, just, just listen to them, just keep plugging them in. If it's not working, it will work, you know. It— well, yes, no, it will. It's as simple as that. It'll work, but it'll work at the right time for people, um, you know, in, in terms of doing that. So it, it's trusting that, and they will work forever. And that's the thing, we're talking about this with 15 years on. And whilst I don't use it like I'm a newbie or at the beginning of my journey, after 15 years I've got the confidence that it works. And I know that it's going to work. And I know that listening to the pods will, will do what it needs to do. So I mean, the second tip to that is, is still around the pods is that if you stop using them and you're struggling, just plug them back in. Just plug them in, start again, start from day one if they're towards the beginning of your journey. And then after time, you've got the confidence that just plug them in. You know, I don't have to listen for 21 days in a row anymore. I can do it for a week. And it's going to go in. And, you know, the body knows, the mind knows what's going on. You're just reinforcing what that is. They're there for life. It's gonna work. The problem, the problem for people is, is that they, they turn around or, or, oh, it's not doing anything for me. Or if it does, we all fall into that habit of um, right, just leaving it. It's that, it's that yo-yo diet thing that you get with people going to other places. They join, they do a couple of months, lose some weight, get a certificate, stop going. And when they stop going, they go, but they revert back to eating, and then they go back again, you know, later within that as well. Whereas you've got this and it's, it's there. Just keep listening. I think that was 2 out of 3 about the pods there.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I suppose the, um, you know, the third one is, uh, is literally about being aware and, you know, and yeah, trust, trust it, trust the pods.

And yeah, absolutely, because it's gonna work, you know. It's— to this day to this day, and I've said it before and I say it now, 15 years on, you saved my life. And that is— and I genuinely mean that, because at the time, back then, and that's why I went to the press, was because I needed help. You saved my life. It's as simple as that. Because after 40 years of having of not being able to take control of food, to have that switch that says you're full up, to stop eating. I never had that for 40 years. Now I've got it. Now I know that I can go off the rails a little bit and know that it's not going to affect me. I'm not gonna put on all of the weight again and everything else, and for the last, or for the first 10, 10, 11 years, it was all about the exercise, the running, um, and everything else. And that core strength of people that you meet on parkrun, um, clubs that you join, um, you know, Portsmouth Triathletes, amazing bunch of people. In any club you could ever want for support, uh, you know, sea swimming, uh, you know, all the things that, that you get to do. And what people don't realize about swimming— I'll make this my third one— if you go swimming, it refreshes you, it makes you feel clean because you're in the water and you're doing something. So you— yeah, a swimming pool is good enough. You you've got to come down to South Sea and get buffeted by the waves. Um, but that, you know, it's all of those things. And, and I will always say, I, I genuinely, if I hadn't have got the help— and it's the help that you provided, and you found me, and then I found you— it was meant to happen. It's, you know, you were doing this from a point of that you want to help. It wasn't from a point of how much money can we get out of this person.

Definitely not.

And it's the same, you know, with every— and that was the thing, the help that I got, all the offers I got was all about buying food replacement or buying Slimming World food and whatever. And it's That doesn't make any sense to me. Why are they selling you food that is full of rubbish within that as well? It's processed food and all the bad stuff when you should be eating fresher food and, and everything else. That, that, you know, that's, that's the bit that needs to be. So yeah, I wouldn't— I generally, I would not be here today because of how I felt back then, and I go, go back to early— I'm in, I am in such a good place. Whilst I'm not happy clappy, whatever, within that, I'm also not in depths of depression. I'm not thinking of, what am I doing here, I don't want to be here, and all of those thoughts. All of that helps with the Pod, not just with the weight loss, but with the thinking of everything else, which is what it's called, Thinking Slimmer. It's, it's that it makes you think. And, and if you can do that, and think about what it is, it will work, you will change. And it lasts. You know, it's—

thank you.

I'll see you in another 15 years.

You were our Slim Podder of the Year, and now you're our Slim Podder of the Century.

Bye, Jess.

Anyway, look, uh, it's just been amazing, uh, talking to you. I know we've kept in touch over the years, um, on and off, and, and not so much recently, but, uh, it's just such a joy to speak to you. And, and you're in my book that's going to be launched next year, and, um, and just, I'm so proud that you're there in it.

It's a pleasure to be there as well. Sincerely, it, it means a lot to me as well, as you know, for, for me, for over the years. So to be involved in that and, and thought about in the same regard as back then, it shows, um, what you do as a person, as a company, that you're about the people first. You're looking after— you do your Facebook groups. And whilst I've not popped in for many, many a year now, unfortunately, it's still there. You're still going. People get to speak to you, and that's the biggest difference. All the other companies that, yeah, you know, you ring up and you'll get a recorded message from something. Whilst they may get that if they actually ring you, if they're on Facebook and, and whatever, it's there. You've got a community there, and I still think it's that the biggest thing that you do. 15 years and you are still doing Facebook Live almost weekly. You're allowed a holiday now and again, but it's there, and it's so important that it's you. And it's, it's good to have other people come along and and speak in bits and pieces. But the important thing is it's your baby. You're there. People know that they can speak to you. And that's just it. For, for me, it's the biggest thing ever, is having that. And, and you've done it for 15 years. It's not something that you've just started. You know, we started from the that, but I didn't, but you did from the ground up. But you, you embraced, you know, Facebook and everything else to get that and built the group so it's there and everything else. And no, I still get messages that come up to remind me that, that, that, that the, the meeting's still there and that it's still happening, getting reminded on Facebook.

There's everything else, and it's just, there's 50,000 people in that group, 55,000 people in that group now, Darren.

Oh, blimey. God, perhaps you have to go to 2 nights a week then. No, I do Zoom.

I'm doing a Zoom tonight as well. Anyway, uh, yeah, it's full on. Anyway, look, I'm gonna, I'm gonna stop this now because I've been speaking to you for so long and it's just been just so wonderful to catch up.

I can't believe I've got no tears out of you. No, look at my eyes.

Yes, I was, I was so close. And, uh, but I am now— I've now got very adjusted to, to keeping it under control, taking back control.

So indeed, absolutely. But it was always sport for me to— when we talked and talk about things and everything else, and I always mean it from the bottom of my heart— it is to make you cry. That was, that was always the aim. Because if they do that, you know, you get what, what you've done for me. And, you know, it just can't— I just, I keep saying, I cannot take it away from the fact that I genuinely, I definitely wouldn't have had the quality of life I've had, let alone would I still be here. I can't say 100%, but I can't imagine when I look back to then, how I was, what I was doing, how I was struggling, and I was just existing, getting up, going to work, coming home, and that was basically it in terms of doing. So, you know, it's there. Go on, you know you want to get a little tear out.

Yeah, I know, I am. Stop, you got to stop now. You've done it, honestly. They're there. So anyway, look, I am going because I'm going to have to get a tissue in a moment. So that's it. Just, it's one, it's been wonderful. And thank you so much.