One young man's victory over childhood obesity

Jack Mitchell doesn’t have many fond memories of his school years.

“I started to get bullied really bad in high school,” says Mitchell, now 22. “It was a vicious cycle: I’d go all day without eating anything, and come home and comfort-eat.”

Between the ages of 13 and 16, Mitchell was “persecuted every single day,” he says. “I’d get called ‘Fat Jack.’ That was my nickname.”

Every morning before school, Mitchell would wake up with a horrible sense of dread. He carpooled with a friend, “and I’d only go to school if I walked in with him. I didn’t feel safe otherwise. If he was sick, I’d be sick.”

Mitchell admits he occasionally thought, “Nobody would care if I was dead.”

“It was that bad,” he says. “I felt worthless, like…why? Then I kind of had the mindset that if I did that, they’ll just win.”

Instead, it was Mitchell who won. After discovering Slimming World’s weight-loss plan in 2006, he lost six and a half pounds in the first week.

“I was so shocked,” he says with a laugh. “With this plan, you can still eat what you want -- like pasta, potatoes, lean meat, fish, fruit and vegetables -- and lose weight.”

In the U.S., Slimming World’s online program is available to members 18 and older, but Lewisville-based group meetings are open to younger kids as well. Based on foods that are easily found in the grocery story, with no supplements or faddy extras, Slimming World’s healthy, low fat eating plan benefits the entire family.

A typical day’s menu for Mitchell these days might consist of fruit, whole-wheat toast and fat-free yogurt for breakfast; an omelette or lasagna (made from a low-fat Slimming World recipe) with a side of fruit for lunch; and Slimming World’s chili recipe for dinner.

“No one wants to be made to feel like they’re on a diet,” he adds. “When you feel hungry and deprived, it makes you give up.”

Mitchell went on to lose 112 pounds and was named Slimming World’s Young Slimmer of the Year in 2008. A longtime Disney fan, he then started working for the company in England, later taking a position at Epcot in Florida.

“When I look back now,” he says, “I can’t believe how shy I used to be. My confidence was non-existent. As the weight came off, the confidence grew and grew.”

Every so often, Mitchell hears from some of the bullies who now feel guilty for what they did. He forgives them: “I don’t really hold a grudge if they’re man enough to apologize,” he says.

As for kids who are going through their own bullying ordeal now, Jack suggests they talk to someone – a parent, grandparent, guidance counselor or anyone who will listen.

“It’s always best to share your problems,” he says. “When I kept everything bottled up, that’s what led me to eat. Being bullied caused me to eat more.”

But Mitchell found a healthy-eating plan that worked for him and support and understanding from others who shared common weight loss goals. “It definitely changed my life,” he says. “I never would have been able to work at Disney or have this much confidence. I’m very grateful now.”

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