the Slimming World story

helping millions lose weight for good

Slimming World was founded in Alfreton, Derbyshire, in 1969 by Margaret Miles-Bramwell, who sadly died in 2025.

Margaret had struggled with her own weight since childhood and she understood that people who are overweight carry a double burden — the physical burden of excess weight and the sometimes far heavier burden of shame and self-criticism.

Over the years, so much has changed – and so much has stayed the same. Our founding principles haven't changed. There's Food Optimising – our uniquely satisfying way of eating, based on the liberating concept of Free Food. And more importantly, there's our passion for treating every member with genuine care, empathy and respect – putting them and their success at the heart of everything we do.

Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE, Slimming World's late founder

a healthy start for young people

Childhood obesity is increasing every year in the UK and around one-third of all children are above a healthy weight.

At Slimming World, we’ve always understood the need for a flexible, family-friendly approach. Because Food Optimising and our active lifestyle programme are founded on everyday food and activity, they help members to lay healthy foundations for the whole family that will last a lifetime. In fact, our research shows that 77% of Slimming World members say that, within just three months of joining a group, their children were also eating more healthily – and 41% of our members who’ve embraced Slimming World's active lifestyle programme have encouraged their family to be more active, too!

To help members take their healthy habits home, we have a special booklet — Family Affair — our guide to family-friendly eating and moving more together.