Mum and daughter win a losing battle
BETWEEN them this mum and daughter super slimmer team have lost more than 13st.
Rachael Dimopoulos has also managed to lose her dislike of vegetables and salad in a major turnaround towards a healthier lifestyle.
Rachael first joined Slimming World weighing in at 17st 12lbs but soon encouraged her mum Yvonne Eastoe to join her when she saw the weight just drop off her daughter.
Now Rachael weighs 10st 11lbs and Yvonne has gone from 18st 4lbs to 12st.
And the pair are delighted with their new looks.
“I feel great,” said Yvonne, 66, of Battle Hill, North Tyneside.
“I was fat all over. My bust and my stomach joined each other. I was like a tree trunk and had to squeeze into a 22 top and even sometimes had to go for a size 24. I had double chins, I looked really old and now I have loads more energy, my skin is better and I look 10 years younger.”
Rachael was in a dress size 20 and now she’s in a 10, while Yvonne had a 50in waist and has now slimmed down to a dress size 12.
The pair have ditched their fatfilled takeaways in favour of batch-cooking healthy meals together and they go swimming every other day, completing 32 to 64 lengths each time.
Rachael, 41, of Wallsend, North Tyneside, said: “I didn’t eat a single vegetable or salad beforehand but I love them now. I was the pickiest eater.
“I started trying new things each day – often hiding vegetables in my curries and main meals until I actually found that after 40 years of not eating vegetables I started to really enjoy them, often choosing them over other foods.” Mum-of-one Rachael added: “I have inspired so many people to plan their own Slimming World journey and my husband Paul loves all the meals I cook – and he has lost weight himself.
“My sister Julie is doing great too, losing almost 4st already. She is not confident enough to join a group but with our support she is doing amazingly.
“I am now proud to say I have gone from a size 20 to a comfortable size 10-12. I have come off all pain relief for my back, I’ve started to enjoy cooking and love trying out new recipes from the books and the app on my phone.
“I found that on this plan I was eating a lot more, just making the right choices instead of junk food.
“After five weeks I watched the weight drop off and I even encouraged my mum to join. We have shared our journey all the way.
“We have totally changed our lifestyle, incorporating a lot of exercise, evening walks with my dogs and early-morning swims.
“Following my recent yearly check they informed me that by shedding the weight I have helped speed up my metabolism. I now weigh 11st 2lbs and feel really good.”
Grandmother-of-two Yvonne added: “I feel so much fitter now and it’s lovely to go out and buy something nice to wear, knowing I feel comfortable instead of squeezing into a size-22 top that’s too tight.
“I will never go back – only forward for me now.”
Rachael and Yvonne go to Slimming World classes held at Lindisfarne Social Club, Wallsend, on Thursdays and Fridays. For details call Joanne on 0797 180 5269.
I have come off pain relief for my back, I’ve started to enjoy cooking and I love trying out new recipes Rachael Dimopoulos