Amanda Lothian from Warwickshire joined Slimming World in January 2011 and lost 2st 9lb to transform the eating habits of her whole family. Read her story here…
“Last January I was an overweight mother of one with low self-esteem and anxiety problems. Painful joints made walking a chore and I felt embarrassed when I bumped into old friends. So when I finally acknowledged that I needed to lose weight and change my eating habits, it was a combination of a caring family, a supportive Consultant and my wonderful, caring group that made all the difference.
“I didn’t grow up with a weight problem. In my twenties I had a full time job with a full time social life to match. I’d burn the candle at both ends by working long hours then I’d enjoy after-dinner drinks and a takeaway on the way home. At one point I followed a restrictive diet where I had to count and measure everything that passed my lips. I went swimming and did exercise classes before work, but as soon as I stopped exercising and started eating ‘normally’ again I put the weight back on.
“I left my fast-paced job in IT when I fell pregnant. After my son was born I lost my initial baby weight, but later I piled it all back on – and more! I used being a ‘busy mum’ as an excuse to graze throughout the day on junk food. Breakfast would be toast or teacakes dripping with butter and lunch would be sandwich, crisps and a pasty. In the evening I’d make a creamy pasta bake with a jar of sauce and garlic bread, or I’d stick a pizza in the oven.
“Some friends I’d made on the toddler group circuit had joined Slimming World and looked amazing. In recent years I’d been unhappy with the way I looked and I was fed up of feeling sorry for myself. I researched different weight loss methods and liked the sound of Slimming World as I could eat unlimited Free Foods – which sounded perfect as I love big portions.
“I was really nervous about going to group as I was worried everyone would know how much I weighed. Jess, the Consultant was warm and friendly, and reassured me that my weight is strictly confidential.
I lost 3lb in my first week and thought it was brilliant that Food Optimising worked just as well for me who wanted quick and easy family meals, as it did for keen cooks. I love the flexibility and the range of foods that fit into family life. Chicken and potato wedges, Quorn chilli, spaghetti Bolognese, pasta in homemade sauce – as a family we eat so many delicious meals!
“Jess always goes that extra mile and nothing is too much trouble for her. She sends supportive emails and text messages to keep us motivated between groups, as well as setting up a Facebook group for all her members to support each other during the week. Image Therapy is always fun and we share money saving tips, supermarket offers and meal ideas. Seeing others do well and learning from their experiences, whether they’ve had a good or bad week, is so inspirational too!
“Compliments from my family and friends as I lost weight made me feel so positive. My husband loves my new figure (although he always said that I looked great before) and he’s lost over a stone too! My son is picking up healthy eating habits and now chooses fruit and vegetables over chocolate and crisps.
“Just before I joined Slimming World I went back to work as a teaching assistant. I’ve found a job I love and I just wanted to feel like ‘me’ again, and losing weight gave me back what I was missing in terms of self-esteem. I’m looking forward to what the future holds and plan to train to be a teacher when my son’s older – bring it on!”