when I was 25, I got d for the first time since ool I started thinking was eating. ime my son, Albert, was slimmer than I’d start of my g a mum and w five, was ented baby. It nge of pace, I soon found ing on fast think much til one mornbent down to ert and I realn’t do it withning him on oor first. hocked me. I suddenly very angry myself. anted to be the best mum ble and I felt like I ’t caring for Albert as I could. en, on my first Mother’s when Albert was seven ths old, we celebrated by g out for a family dinner. ng the meal I felt unwell, nipped outside to get e fresh air where I psed into a plastic chair. y heart rate started to , I went to t realised my stuck. months later, n up by a are. I sat bolt ed and heard . had broken as now a big my side. straw came ghly miserholiday in r-Mare in
14 when I n play with Albert on the ut feeling out of breath. a gym and while I felt y improving fitness, my ’t changing. Then, seven months after joining the gym, I was scrolling through Instagram when I stumbled across dozens of images of people who had lost weight with Slimming World.
I wondered if maybe it was time to try looking at what I was eating rather than relying on exercise alone.
I found my nearest Slimming World group and, although I felt a little nervous as I walked into the hall a few days later, I was buzzing knowing that I was doing something for me and for Albert.
Even when I saw that I weighed 21st 11½lb – more than I’d expected – that didn’t burst my bubble. My consultant, Joanne, seemed absolutely sure I’d be much happier with the number I saw the following week.
Whereas I used to head for the bakery aisle first, now I filled my trolley with lots of lean meat, reduced-fat cheese, eggs, skimmed milk, fresh fruit, vegetables, and a bottle of low-calorie cooking spray.
From then on, I decided to give up buying my morning muffins and made my own cooked breakfasts with eggs and lean back bacon.
For lunch, I had leftovers from the previous night’s dinner – anything from a tasty home-made curry or stir-fry to roast chicken or spaghetti bolognese, all cooked the Slimming World way without adding any oil, and always with lots of vegetables such as broccoli and carrots.
In my first week, I lost 9lb, and afterwards, I went straight round to my nan and grandad’s house to tell them the good news – this became a tradition.
Within four months, I got my 4½st award and we chatted about what an achievement it would be when I got to 5st. “You can do it Claire,” Granen,