Three slimmers ditch 4 pizzas a week and 'mindless' snacking to shed nearly 50st
Three people tell us how joining Slimming World transformed their relationship with food and changed their lives.
Sally Offer, 56, a retired midwife from Bristol
As a midwife I spent most of my life taking care of other people. I’d think nothing about going out of my way to help expectant mums and their babies, it was just natural to me.
What didn’t come naturally was taking care of myself. I adored my job but ended up retiring early – partly because my husband received a cancer diagnosis, but if I’m honest, partly because, at 26st, I was finding the physical side of the job incredibly demanding too. The year I retired I tried losing weight alone, but I always used to end up back where I started. It was then I realised I needed help to take control.
I knew some friends had found success with Slimming World and some of my patients had also followed the plan to manage their weight during pregnancy *, so I knew it was a healthy and flexible way to lose weight. I plucked up the courage to join my local group in September 2019 – and I’m so glad I did. Everyone was so welcoming.
I knew my journey would be a marathon rather than a sprint, so the support of my group was invaluable. Everything I learned about my trigger foods (foods I found very difficult not to overeat) and potential pitfalls helped me to understand myself as a slimmer, so for the first time I felt in control of my eating habits.
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Before Slimming World, I’d snack mindlessly throughout the day – now I have three healthy and filling meals which keep me satisfied. I cook all my meals from scratch and enjoy lots of fruit and veg. My favourite meal is a chicken chow mein – it tastes just as good as a takeaway. I’ve so much more energy now – which is needed with five grandchildren. I’m busy with swimming, long dog walks and Pilates classes – I started small and found I could do more and more. It’s a running joke that I’m busier now than before I retired.
Two weeks after I reached my target weight in August last year, I went to Portugal with my girlfriends. Imagine my surprise when, for the first time in years, I didn’t need a seatbelt extender on the plane. After all these years of caring for others I’ve finally found time for me, and it’s a wonderful feeling.
SALLY’S STATS
Height: 5ft 2in
Starting weight: 26st 1½lb
Weight now: 10st 8lb
Weight loss: 15st 7½lb
- Fancy trying Sally’s favourite chicken chow mein? Scan the QR code for the recipe
Sally Offer
Kelly BarkerKelly Barker, 42, a primary school teacher from St Helens, Merseyside
“Wow, Mrs B, look at you!” shouted one of my former pupils. I beamed with pride – my motivation for losing weight was always to make them, and my teenage son, proud.
I absolutely loved being a primary school teacher but secretly I felt like I was letting them down. How could I teach them about healthy eating and exercise, when I wasn’t doing the same myself? I had struggled with my weight my whole life. As a child I was always bigger than the other children – I had to see a dietician at school and ate special meals.
So, when the other kids were having fish and chips, I’d have boiled fish and potatoes. It was miserable. At university when I was in control of my own food again, my weight spiralled. Eventually my weight started to have an impact on my day-to-day life. Simple things like putting on my socks had become a major challenge and my self-esteem was at rock bottom.
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My cousin Fiona is a Slimming World Consultant and had encouraged me to come along to her group to find out what it was all about. So, I finally gave it a go and joined her. At first, I felt ashamed and embarrassed, but I left that first group meeting feeling supported, inspired, motivated and full of belief.
There’s something amazing about being surrounded by people who are all on the same path as you and understand how it feels to struggle with your weight. Being bigger can be incredibly lonely – even when you’re surrounded by people (or children, in my case). But I didn’t feel lonely in that room.
I found the Food Optimising eating plan incredible – I have always associated losing weight with being hungry, so to learn that I could eat to my own appetite was life-changing. My son is very sporty, so I love that I can make hearty meals that keep both of us full and satisfied – like curries, stews and pasta bakes.
I eat much better now than I ever have. By far the best thing to happen since I’ve lost weight is the relationship I now have with my son. We do loads of active things together and challenge each other to push ourselves out of our comfort zone. We’ve been canoeing, climbing and fell walking.
He even helped me to complete Couch to 5K at my own pace, which was an amazing thing to do together. People often ask me what my secret is and I say it’s not a secret, it’s Slimming World. My life is completely different and I’m loving every second. The new Mrs B is here to stay.
KELLY’S STATS
Height: 5ft 3in
Starting weight: 28st 7lb
Weight now: 10st 10lb
Weight loss: 17st 11lb
Philip Lang, 25, a factory worker from Liverpool
Philip Lang realised he needed to ditch his four pizzas-a-week habit“Just another slice then,” I said, as I tucked into my second pizza of the week. I’d always enjoyed my food, but when my dad passed away when I was just 18, I sought comfort in tasty treats and takeaways. And pizza was my absolute favourite – I’d have three or four a week and didn’t really cook anything from scratch.
I think I was in denial about my weight. It wasn’t until my mum Kim asked me to join Slimming World with her that I started to think about the impact my size was having on my life. My mum had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and wanted to lose weight ahead of her surgery. I knew it was important for Mum to have moral support, so I went along with her in May 2021, even though joining a slimming group was completely out of my comfortzone.
Up until that point I still didn’t really think I needed to lose much weight. It was only when I saw the number on the scales that reality kicked in. I was 30st 8lb, which was way more than I thought. I knew I had to give losing weight a good go – not just for Mum, for me as well.
I really enjoyed the eating plan – I thought I’d have to give up my beloved takeaways, but I found a way to make them work within the plan. Instead of pizza, Mum and I would enjoy chicken or pork in oyster sauce.
I’m a factory worker and spend 12 hours a day on my feet, so I make sure I have lots of healthy food with me – like my favourite homemade butternut squash soup. I used to limp out of work like John Wayne because my legs would chafe from standing all day – now I finish my shifts pain-free.
It feels great to find clothes I love now. I used to just buy whatever fitted me, but these days I enjoy trying new things and knowing I can walk into any shop and try something on. Mum and all the members of my Slimming World group are so proud of everything I’ve achieved – I couldn’t have done it without them. And I like to think
Dad would be really proud too.
PHILIP’S STATS
Height: 5ft 9in
Starting weight: 30st 8½lb
Weight now: 13st 6½lbs
Weight loss: 17st 2lbs
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