Real Success

If you’re thinking of joining Slimming World, don’t miss our letters below, where some of our members reveal just what it’s like to lose weight in a supportive, warm and fun environment! In groups this month:

• Stephen says give it a try
• Kerry has a guardian angel
• Hayley was inspired by her partner

And Doctor Kate prescribes Slimming World

To find out more about this amazing organisation, start losing weight now at your
nearest group.

Give it a try, says Stephen

I've been overweight for about 20 years and decided enough was enough. Some friends had suggested Slimming World and I thought ‘why not give it a try?’

I was nervous on my first visit, not knowing what to expect and wondering if I was going to be the only man there. I was welcomed with open arms and even though I was the only man I soon felt at ease. The Consultant went through the Food Optimising plan with me and I was surprised at how much I could eat!

I thought I'd give it a go and have been shocked at my weight loss, even though I'm eating more than I did before.

The help and advice given and offered, plus the support online or by phone and text is unbeatable.

I'm only in my fifth week but I've lost 10 pounds and feel fantastic, both physically and mentally. My confidence is growing day by day as friends and family pass comment about me looking healthier and fitter.

So to all the men out there thinking about losing weight I would say come and join the family, you'll feel right at home and you'll soon be wondering why you didn't do it years ago.

Good luck,

From Stephen Heron

Well said Stephen! And if you’d like a taste of some of the delicious meals you could enjoy with Food Optimising, try our 7 day menu.

Kerry’s guardian angel

I started putting on weight just as I was starting secondary school. I loved takeaways, crisps and sweets and could go through two 2 litre bottles of coke every day.

I was a size 12 then but after a few months of binge eating the weight crept on. By the end of first year I was a size 20. All my friends were petite and I began feeling very depressed. I started skipping meals, trying all sorts of fad diets; I even starved myself for weeks at a time.

Eventually I got to a size 10 but the next thing I knew I was piling the weight back on twice as fast. For the next few years my weight went up and down dramatically. I felt like a yo-yo, I was a 12, a 14, an 18 and then back to a 12.

I fell pregnant, had my eldest son Connor and lost my baby weight quite fast. Then in 2007 I fell pregnant again and shot up to a size 24 by the time I was 8 months pregnant. After the birth of my daughter Taylor I was a size 18-20 and following the birth of my son McKenzie a year on I was still that horrid size 20 that I was back at school.

I’d had enough. I knew I had to stop feeling sorry for myself and do something about it. I was still young and should have been out having fun, not sitting in my PJs feeling sick with myself.

I have three beautiful kids that would love to go on holiday with their mum and dad and have days out swimming etc, rather than going with other family members because mummy (me) didn’t want to go.

So on 20th Jan this year I joined my local Slimming World group and began my amazing journey.

My Consultant Christine Warren from Alexandria is wonderful. I don’t think I’d have got this far without her; she’s like our guardian angel.

I’ve lost a total of 3st 4lbs and I’m heading for my 4 stone award. I’ve gone from my size 20 frumpy PJs to size 12 summer shorts and vests. I’m not at target yet, I still have a bit to go but losing nearly 4 stone in 4 months the right way and managing to maintain this as well as continuing to lose weight is just amazing.

I never thought I’d find a way to achieve my dreams but with Slimming World I have. I’ve even joined my local Zumba fitness class and joined the gym, things I would never have had the confidence to do before. I feel great for the first time in years and it’s all thanks to Slimming World and my wonderful Consultant Christine.

Thank you

From Kerry O’Donnell

We’re thrilled that you’re achieving your dreams at last Kerry. Like Kerry, many
Slimming World members are living the life they’ve always wanted to since losing weight. Read their inspirational stories here.

Stay to group – doctor’s orders!

Hello again fabulous Slimming World team!

I had to write to you after two years away in the hope that maybe my experience might help other slimmers!

I'm a busy GP in Mansfield and a few years ago I discovered Slimming World and lost 6 stones, and was over halfway to my target weight when circumstances meant I had to change groups.

I found it really hard to settle into a new group, and then I had 8 weeks away due to knee surgery... and I ended up doing a silly thing... I stopped going to group!

Over the next two years I gradually piled all the weight back on... plus another 2 stone! I still encouraged my patients to try Slimming World as I knew it was such a good eating plan and that Image Therapy is so important, but I put off going myself. I kidded myself into thinking that I could do it alone and that I knew about healthy eating.

I was so wrong and I'm glad to say that I’m back at group and have lost 11lbs in my first 5 weeks. I wish I’d never strayed away... if I’ve learned one thing from this experience it's that we CAN'T do it alone and that going to group every week and STAYING for Image Therapy are the two things that make Slimming World so easy... without them I’d be even heavier now.

My new Consultant Julie is FAB... she’s really encouraging and makes us laugh...

Thanks a million....one day I want to be in your magazine looking the way I feel right now… like a new person!

From Kate Jack

Well done for getting back on track Kate – you’ll always be welcomed back into group. As Kate mentioned, there are so many health benefits to losing weight through Slimming World. Here are just some of them...

Hayley’s inspiration

My partner lost his mother last month and it really was a wake up call. She
was 49, had high cholesterol and blood pressure and died of a sudden
heart attack.

It made me look at my lifestyle, and that of my partner's. I’ve always been "big"; I was always the fat kid at school and always the largest in my workplace. I tried to ignore it and act like I was fine and comfortable with my weight but inside I was very insecure. I knew I wasn't healthy but it never really bothered me.

Seeing what happened to my mother-in-law made me look more closely at what I was eating, and made me worry about my partner’s diet. He’s always been a beanpole but since meeting me he’s adopted a very unhealthy diet and I didn't want to be responsible for him having problems later on in life. It made me realise that I needed to do something about my weight - for the pair of us. My partner needed to eat more fruit and veg and be more active and I needed to shift some pounds! You could say he’s my inspiration - I need to be healthy because HE needs to be healthy.

I went to my first Slimming World group in Wolverton, Milton Keynes and met my Consultant Mike Freeman, who was really friendly and helpful and explained how Food Optimising worked. I left the group feeling really positive and the next morning put the plan into action.

I’ve never been mad on fruit and veg but went shopping and bought things I’d never normally buy - fresh pineapple, grapes, pomegranates etc. I sat down with the lot and had a tasting session and was surprised to find that I actually liked quite a lot of fruit and veg! It was also great to realise I could still enjoy a roast dinner on the plan! I can still eat my normal meals, just with a little tweaking to make them healthier.

I have just returned from my first weigh in to find that I’ve lost 7lbs and received my first award! I’m amazed - I didn't feel hungry or deprived all week. I also noticed that I’ve not had any symptoms of my Irritable Bowel Syndrome since Food Optimising!

I was really pleasantly surprised when I received genuine praise from the group; it was lovely that so many people were happy for me! I’m really looking forward to my next group as I made the effort to talk to one or two people while I was there and am now really excited to see how they do next week too!

Food Optimising is definitely for me!

From Hayley Wilson

Congrats on your weight loss so far Hayley! Whether or not you’re a fruit and veg fan, you’ll always find plenty of tasty options at Slimming World. Sample some of the delicious meals here...