Setback for Dibsy as his irregular heart rate condition returns during training
He recently celebrated hitting the 20 stone weight loss mark but Darren 'Dibsy' McClintock has suffered a setback.
After a health scare in 2018, Dibsy decided to take action to lose weight. At the start of his weight loss journey, the 28-year-old from Middlesbrough tipped the scales at 40 stone but when doctors told him he was putting his life at risk, he decided to make a change.
He needed to lose 10 stone before doctors could perform surgery, to correct an irregular heart rhythm. It is a condition known as atrial fibrillation. If not addressed, the condition can lead to serious heart attacks and a stroke.
In December 2018 we brought you the news that Dibsy had shed seven stone in just 10 weeks. It meant he was on track to hit his target weight needed to safely perform the AF surgery in early 2019.
The lifesaving surgery went ahead in April 2019.
But on Thursday 10 October 2019, Dibsy's personal trainer Mike Hind posted on social media that his client had suffered a setback in his fitness journey.
While training, Mike noticed Dibsy's heart rate was unusual. He continued to monitor it before taking him to hospital. Doctors confirmed that his heart was back in atrial fibrillation, causing concern.
Mike Hind said he would update Dibsy's followers on social media once they had seen the heart specialists:
Dibsys journey to fitness in numbers;
Darren 'Dibsy' McClintock first hit the headlines when his personal trainer Mike Hind sent posters to all takeaways in Middlesbrough, urging them to support Dibsys weight loss by not serving him.
The public got behind Dibsy, encouraging him and praising his determination.
Less than twelve months on, Dibsy has lost half his body weight, triumphed in a charity boxing match, passed his driving test, finished the Great North Run and found a girlfriend.