‘We’ve slimmed down & found confidence!’
These inspiring women share their shape-up secrets and reveal just how they transformed their health and happiness
‘It has completely changed the way I feel’
Dominique Withers, 32, a supermarket assistant, lives in Redditch, Worcestershire, with her husband Joe and kids, Wilfred, six, and Gwyneth, three. She focused on home cooking and still allowing herself treats to slim down.
She says, “I started gaining weight when I was 16 and got my first job in a shoe shop. I’d spend my wages on sweets and chocolate bars, and slowly started to feel more and more self-conscious about my size 14 figure. I first joined Slimming World when I was 19 and lost 11/ 2st, but soon slipped back into old habits. I moved in with my boyfriend Joe and cooked nothing but pizzas, chicken nuggets, chips and pasta with garlic bread. In 2011, at 22, I joined a Slimming World group again weighing 101/ 2st and lost 11/ 2st and was a size 8 for our wedding in 2012. I then fell pregnant with my son Wilfred and started eating for two. By the time he was born in 2015, I weighed 13st and was a size 14 – so I signed up to the group for a third time. When our daughter Gwyneth arrived in 2018, I weighed
10st 5lbs, having been on the plan on and off for five years, but at a size 12 I was still too heavy for my petite frame and I knew I needed to commit to the eating plan fully. I rejoined with a renewed vow to get to my target weight of 81/ 2st in time for my husband’s 30th eight months later. Previously, I’d only have a salad for lunch, but I realised to make it work long term I needed to enjoy all the Slimming World filling recipes to feel satisfied. This time around, I focused on eating three healthy, filling meals a day and was still able to enjoy pick-nmix sweets as part of my treat allowance. Within nine months, I’d reached my target weight and, this time, I was confident I’d stay there. I’d always had the tools to keep the weight off and now my commitment had clicked too – I changed my lifestyle for good. I even ran the Birmingham Half Marathon! My weight loss has completely changed the way I feel, and I love buying bright, fashionable clothes online.”
‘I’ve bought my first ever bikini!’
Katie Taylor, 51, is founder and CEO of The Latte Lounge, a Facebook group and website for women over 40. She lives in London with her husband, Hugh, and they have four children, aged 17 to 24. Katie shed 31/ 2st in 10 months after accepting a weight-loss wager.
She says, “When I was 43, I developed severe anxiety and was diagnosed with depression. I now realise it was a symptom of the perimenopause, but because of my age it was overlooked at the time. Over the next four years I gained over 3st and lost my confidence. I was frequently turning to foods that were high in sugar, like chocolate and cake, because of the initial reward I’d get and had no regular meal times. Eventually, I was correctly diagnosed prescribed by HRT a specialist – my symptoms and drastically improved. I felt the clock had turned back to the 30 year old me as I had so much energy. As I turned 50, feeling so much stronger in myself, I was ready to lose the excess weight. I had friends who’d done well with Slimming World, so in January 2020, weighing 13st and a size 16, I joined Slimming World Online. Using their app and website, I soon got into healthier eating habits. I’d have cereal for breakfast, tuna salad with couscous for lunch, and jacket potato with steak and veg for dinner. When the first lockdown came last March, I realised that while the old me would have sought comfort in food, the new me didn’t want to give up on my goal. I followed a full-body workout online to keep active and my son, Sam, 19, bet me £100 I couldn’t hit my target weight of 91/ 2st by his birthday in October. I accepted the challenge, and each week lost a little more weight, which soon added up. As the weather got warmer, I bought my first ever bikini – in a size 8-10 – and sunned myself in our back garden. To Sam’s amazement, I even won our bet. Now I finally feel happy in my own skin.”
● Dominique and Katie’s stories were originally told in Slimming World Magazine. The March/April 2021 issue is on sale now on newsstands and all Slimming World members are being gifted a free digital copy.