You’ll never believe it: Getting life back on track
These women took a challenge that boosted their confidence and their emotional well-being
‘Now I look and feel the part’
Gaynelle Samuel, 60, lives in London. Smoothing down my smart, tailored dress, I walked through the airport, full of excitement. As an international trade union officer, overseas conferences were all part of the job. But only a couple of years earlier, I’d felt quite differently about flying off to mix with high-level delegates.
For most of my adult life, I’d been a size 14, then when I was 38, doctors discovered a polyp in my nose. Thankfully, it turned out to be benign, but as I was recovering from the surgery to remove it, I used food to help make myself feel better. As I gradually went up the dress sizes and my clothing choices narrowed, I found it harder to be as well-presented.
I’d been having problems with my knees for years, and in 2015, on a girls’ trip to Derbyshire, they hurt so much I could barely climb the stairs. My GP suggested that a walking stick might help, so now instead of carrying a stylish handbag, I had to use a rucksack. My style was being dictated by my health, and since I was already worried about looking unprofessional, it felt like a real blow.
A year later, during a flare-up of pain, I ended up being admitted to hospital. This time, I didn’t bounce back as quickly. While housebound, I gained another stone.
In June 2018, a friend and I booked a trip to Portugal. I’d lost my mum, Olive, eight months earlier, so it was just what I needed. But as we sat in the sun and showed each other the photos we’d taken, my heart sank when I saw one of me. Back home, I was browsing through Facebook when I saw that a friend had lost over 9st with Slimming World. I searched for my nearest group. I’d always thought I wasn’t much of a cook, but my Consultant, Maria, assured me that anyone could get the hang of Slimming World’s Food Optimising healthy eating plan. I started with quick meals, such as egg wraps filled with turkey rashers and lettuce, and started batch-cooking pasta sauces.
After a month, I was a stone lighter. I went for walks during my lunch hour, and five months after joining I completed the London Bridges Challenge, a 10-mile walk, for Diabetes UK. It was only after I’d crossed the finish line that I noticed what was missing – the pain in my knees. Feeling inspired, I put together a 15-to-30-minute workout, which I did most days. I’d jog on the spot, hold hand weights and do air punches. When I reached my 10st target weight in December 2018, I felt like myself again.
Four months later, I turned 60, and as my friends and I enjoyed afternoon tea, I felt so excited at what my next decade might have in store… And I didn’t have long to wait! The following months involved trip after trip, including the Trade Union Congress. As I chatted to the delegates and visitors, I felt on top of the world, knowing I could give my all to my work. Wherever life takes me, my new-found confidence is here to stay.
Height: 5ft 7in Before: 14st 111/2lb After: 11st 5lb
Lois Aleema, 28, lives in Birmingham. Steadying myself, I pushed down on the pedal and slowly began to cycle. My heart was racing as I started to pick up speed – it was the first time I’d been on two wheels in years. Would people think I was too big to ride a bicycle? Would they be amused by the fact I was just wearing jeans and an old T-shirt, not fancy cycling gear? As I pedalled into the country park, I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind. Trundling behind me in a colourful, tent-like trailer attachment was my motivation – my little boy, AJ, who was two years old.
Six months earlier, AJ had been diagnosed with leukaemia, and we’d spent most of those months in hospital or cooped up at home. Now, as I curved around the edge of Shard End Lake in Kingfisher Country Park, near Birmingham, I felt calmer and more relaxed than I had done in ages, and I decided that it was exactly what both AJ and I needed.
Despite taking anti-anxiety medication prescribed by my doctor, I usually found myself dwelling on worries about AJ when I was trying to go to sleep. Tonight, though, I had the best night’s sleep since his diagnosis. And that made me feel much stronger for whatever the next day might bring.
I’d joined Slimming World about three months earlier. On the way home from AJ’S eight-week stay in hospital, we’d popped to the local shop. And though my little boy had been undergoing chemotherapy, he shot ahead of me while I struggled to keep up. I’d been slowly gaining weight since having my daughter, Stevie-louise, then seven, and later AJ, and that had accelerated as I’d sought comfort in food.
Now at 14st 111∕2lb, and with AJ speeding ahead, I realised I wanted to make a change. AJ’S illness had also made something else clear to me. My little
boy had been
perfectly healthy until suddenly he wasn’t – none of us were immune to ill health, I owed it to my kids to take care of myself.
After three months attending Lianne Mccalla’s Slimming World group, I’d become aware that lots of members were enjoying doing Body Magic, Slimming World’s activity programme. They talked about the gym, running and swimming – nothing that interested me – then, by chance, a children’s cancer charity worker
suggested a bike and trailer loan.
Within weeks, the aches and pains I used to have in my knees and back had gone. Best of all, AJ loved getting out, and it felt like our normality had been restored a little.
Cycling was supporting my mental health, too. At times when I needed to let my emotions out, I went for a ride alone, leaving Stevie-louise and AJ with their dad – letting the stress ebb away. Last year, I made a 30-day commitment to ride every day, and raised £370 for Cancer Research.
Before I joined Slimming World, even in the height of summer I wore a jacket over size-20 maxi dresses to hide my arms and legs. Now 3st 61∕2lb lighter, I was ordering size 12s. I even found a career as a Slimming World Consultant.
AJ’S doing really well and we’re looking forward to when he finishes his treatment and rings the bell in the children’s cancer ward. It will mark the end of a really difficult chapter for our family, but I’ll be forever grateful for what I’ve learnt. Now, my eyes are open to the importance of doing whatever I can to keep my body and mind healthy.