‘I wanted to be fitter and healthier for my little girl’
A 31-YEAR-OLD HEALTHCARE WORKER HAS LOST NEARLY SIX STONE WITH ONLINE SLIMMING WORLD SESSIONS. RACHEL LAWTON FINDS OUT MORE...
CARE assistant Amy Manns has lost almost six stone – after finding success with online support group sessions.
Amy, from Newcastle, joined her local Slimming World group in Penkhull in February 2020.
The 31-year-old went to a few inperson meetings but then sessions all went online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Amy – who has a 19-month-old daughter Matilda – still has a couple of stone to lose until she reaches her ideal target weight, but after losing 5st 13lbs she says she has lots more energy.
Amy said: “When I first joined Slimming World, I’d not long had my baby, and I wanted to be fitter and healthier for her. I didn’t want any of the problems that could come with being overweight.
“The first meeting was quite nerve-wracking because you don’t want to step on those scales for the first time, but Laura, my consultant, and my fellow members were all so warm and welcoming. Everyone makes you feel so comfortable.
“I had such a good experience with those first few meetings, and I really enjoyed image therapy after our weigh-in, where we discussed our weeks and shared tips.”
But due to the Covid-19 outbreak, all in-person Slimming World groups were cancelled.
Amy admits that she was ‘worried’ during the break between her last physical group and her first online one.
“We didn’t know what was going to happen at first. I was quite worried that I wouldn’t have that weekly weigh-in, or the chance to get the certificates and awards every time I reached a milestone, and I knew I was going to miss other people and our image therapy.
“I think we were all nervous for the online meetings because it’s new and different, and you’re in your own house with other stuff going on. But they have been brilliant and really kept us on track.
“If groups had stopped completely, and we had no online meetings, I might have stuck to plan loosely, but not as well as I have done with the guidance.”
Amy is currently studying on an access course to allow her to move on to university to study nursing.
She consequently has a busy lifestyle and says the key is to write everything down.
Although she has made many changes to her diet she still makes sure she has treats.
She said: “I don’t really have bread anymore, but if I do, it’s wholemeal, and I love making big salads.
“I don’t have jar sauces anymore. They are really high in syns and you can make them yourself so easily – and they’re always so much fresher. If you want your sauce a bit more spicy, you can do that, you can make it to your taste. “There is so much free food available on Slimming World so you have so many options – there’s so much you can do. Iceland’s Slimming World ready meals are also great for a quick, syn-free meal, which is perfect for when I finish work late. I love a Sunday dinner, so I will always use my syns for a Yorkshire pudding and some gravy every single week. “Chocolate is also my go-to for a treat, but nothing is off limits with Slimming World. If you like to have a drink at the weekend, you can do that, as long as it’s in moderation.”
Once she’d lost some weight, Amy decided to give exercise a go.
She said: “I jumped on the Joe Wicks bandwagon in the first lockdown, but more recently I’ve started Couch to 5K.
“I’m on week seven now, and I can’t tell you how much better I feel for it. I decided to give it a go so that I could become fitter and tone up a little bit.
“Since losing weight, my confidence has grown massively. At my biggest, there’s no way that I would have gone running outside, in the daylight, but now I love it.
“I have so much more energy now. I feel healthier, my breathing is better and I even sleep better.”
Amy still has a bit more to lose before she reaches her end goal, but for now she’s enjoying the journey and taking it one day at a time.
She said: “My biggest tip for new members would be to make sure that you’re honest with yourself and write everything down in a food diary. Fill yourself up on speed food and don’t be too harsh on yourself.”