Two years ago Noelle Wilkinson was size 18, felt fat and frumpy and her 12 year old son was being bullied about his weight. Now, the mum of three has lost 4st 3lbs, is a slinky size 10, her husband and son are each 3 stone lighter and she’s fulfilled a lifelong dream to get her motorbike licence. Plus she’s walked away with the top prize in Slimming World’s Miss Slinky competition.
Nowadays you’re likely to find Noelle in figure-hugging leathers and taking to the open road.
The glamorous 51 year old admits that just 18 months ago she would never have had the confidence to ride bikes or take on jet-skiing and watersports.
“I can’t believe how my life has been transformed. For 14 years, since the birth of my third child, I’ve struggled with my weight and tried many different diets, but nothing ever worked because they I always felt hungry.
“I was reluctant to meet people and felt self-conscious despite working in a sales environment,” says Noelle, a director in a car sales company
It was her 12 year old son that spurred her to do something about her weight.
“I weighed 13st 9 ½lbs and size 18 was beginning feel tight. Then my son, who had begun to gain weight too came crying to me, very unhappy that he was being ridiculed about being overweight. We made a pact together to lose weight and regain our self esteem. My sister had lost 3 stone at Slimming World so that week I went along with her and joined.
“I never thought that we ate very unhealthily as a family before joining Slimming World. I used to cook most meals. We ate fat fried chips and steak. I’d always skip breakfast and for lunch I’d have a sandwich – usually white bread, which I love – with cheese.
“Now I eat three times as much. We always have breakfast, muesli or wholewheat cereal with fruit and yogurt. For lunch, depending on where I am that day, I’ll have a wholemeal bread ham and salad sandwich or egg on toast. And then for dinner I always cook a meal for the family. I love the Slimming World Classic Chicken Curry. Or we’ll have steak and Slimming World chips or a cottage pie with piles of vegetables or salad. At weekends we love a full English breakfast. I’ve learned how to cook all our favourites in a low-fat way. In between I snack on fruit. With Slimming World it’s easy for the whole family to eat healthily together.
“My husband John is completely made up. When I first started he wouldn’t believe that it was possible to eat so much and still lose weight. He believed that you had to restrict yourself and cut down on portions. So I set out to prove to him it was possible.
As well as the pounds, Noelle seems to have lost years too. “Not only do I feel younger, but everyone says how young I look. When I was out shopping with my 17 year old daughter and bought some headache tablets I was asked for ID. I thought the young man behind the till was joking until my daughter called me mum and he realised his mistake. He said he thought we were sisters!”
But the best thing of all is, because of the gradual and steady weight loss and making changes that are easy to stick to, I know that I’ll never put the weight back on. And that’s why I keep going to my Slimming World group. The great thing about my weight loss is that it hasn’t been difficult. As long as you’re focused and your mind is set, you can achieve anything with the right support and the right eating plan. It’s not about cutting calories or cutting portions, going hungry or depriving yourself, it’s about making simple changes in choices and the way you cook and sticking with them.” – ends –
For more information about Slimming World or to find your nearest warm and friendly local group please call www.slimmingworld.com or call 0844 897 8000.
Noelle’s Vital Statistics
Start weight: 13st 9 ½lbs (87kg)
Weight lost: 4st 3lbs (27kg)
Weight now: 9st 6 ½lbs (60kg)
Height: 5’ 7” (170cm)
Notes to editors
· Slimming World is the largest and most advanced slimming organisation in the UK. Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE founded the company in 1969 and there are more than 6,000 groups held weekly nationwide via a network of 2,500 Slimming World trained Consultants.
· 300,000 members attend Slimming World every week and achieve outstanding success.
· Members lose 17,857 stones every week: 2,551 stones every day, over 106 stones every hour, that’s 1 stone 10 lbs lost every minute of every day with Slimming World.
· Slimming World pioneered Slimming World on Referral in the UK and actively supports the building of partnerships with the NHS and local authorities to develop effective strategies to manage overweight and obesity in the community. Slimming World works with university researchers and specialists in an active research programme to further knowledge of the causes and treatment of obesity.
· Slimming World’s healthy eating plan, Food OptimisingÒ, and the principles behind Slimming World’s philosophy are based on a deep understanding of the challenges faced by overweight people. Slimming World integrates practical, up-to-date dietary advice with a highly developed support system.
· Slimming World Consultants receive specific training in dietary aspects and the role of physical activity in weight control. The highly developed training focuses on facilitating behaviour change in a group environment, acknowledged by experts as being the most effective way to support long-term weight management.
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