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Mother Gets New Life After Maintaining Massive Weight Loss

Posted on by Vaseline
Mother Gets New Life After Maintaining Massive Weight Loss

A Staffordshire mum is embarking on a new career after winning an award for maintaining her 100lb weight loss over nine years.

Sarah Williams, 41, who has been named Slimming World’s Diamond Member of the Year 2024, says her weight stopped her enjoying life with her family, including bike rides and swimming with her children. It wasn’t until 2013, when she and husband Lee decided to get married after 13 years together, that Sarah decided it was time for a change.

After losing her father in 2012, Sarah found solace in food. She says: “I’d been overweight since I was a child. And by the time I had my children, Millie, now 18, and Maisie, now 14, in her late 20s, my weight had spiralled out of control. I was at my heaviest after my father died – I was unhappy and ashamed and frustrated about my weight.”

Sarah has tried various quick methods to lose weight in the past, such as meal replacement shakes, but found it difficult to stick to. She says: “I was living on shakes as a replacement for food and when I did lose weight, it always felt impossible to keep it off. And before I knew it, I was back to square one. I was just miserable and hungry, and I knew I couldn’t go on like this.”

In a new survey, more than half of UK adults (56%) say they have tried a fad diet in a bid to lose weight, with almost three quarters (71%) saying they lost little or no weight as they wanted, and 11% gaining weight. The online survey of more than 2,000 adults, commissioned by Slimming World, found that of the 1,123 UK adults who had tried a fad diet, more than a third (38%) said they found it on social media, and 35% said they could only stick to it for six days.

Sarah continued: “Lee and I were so excited to finally get married. I knew I wanted to feel my best for our special day, but I felt anything but that way when I was trying on dresses.

“Looking back now, I hadn’t really processed the grief of losing my father, and it made me realize how much I wanted to be there for my family for as long as possible. But I knew the only way I could do that was to take care of myself first—and that started with my weight.”

With the wedding still a year away, Sarah decided to lose weight with Slimming World, which celebrates its Emerald Anniversary this month after 55 years of helping people lose weight. She said: “I had been a member in the past so I knew I was in a safe environment, but I did feel embarrassed at first walking into a group again. I was immediately reminded why I had no reason to be doing this, everyone was so kind and welcoming.

“Although the times I tried before I wanted to lose weight, something clicked when I listened to my consultant Paula explain the importance of developing healthy new habits, and I realized the only way I could do that was to change my habits – and this time for good. I had a different mindset than that very first group.”

You can also join Slimming World with our free membership offer. Download your voucher here.

Sarah immediately got into the Simming World healthy eating plan. She says: “I knew the plan worked, but reading the books I was given at my first group with a fresh perspective allowed me to embrace it in a completely different way and see where I might have gone wrong in the past. I used these, along with the Slimming World app, to plan my meals before my weekly shop and found it helped me not to sabotage myself as I became more aware of my trigger foods.

“But knowing that I could still enjoy a treat when I felt like it, like a beer, helped me stay on track. I was just learning how to enjoy it in moderation, and going to the group every week helped me turn the changes I made into habits.

“The way I shop, cook and eat has changed now. I cook home-made meals every day, like chicken stir fry or beef stroganoff. It’s also so easy for our family – I love that we can all enjoy the same meals. I never feel like I’m on a diet and I’m never hungry because I’m still eating normal, everyday food. It’s just a way of life for me now. I managed to lose 3st before my wedding and felt great.”

Sarah credits Slimming World’s Slim for Life plan, a personalised 12-week plan designed to help members confidently transition from losing weight to maintaining their weight, for giving her the tools she needed to maintain her weight loss long-term. She says: “I am so grateful to Paula and the other members of the group.

“It hasn’t always been easy though. There were times when, after achieving my goals, I struggled to find the balance between maintaining my weight and gaining or losing it.”

She continues: “I’ve found that going to group every week has helped me not to be too hard on myself and has encouraged me to embrace and celebrate victories that don’t involve the scale, like feeling confident in new outfits or trying a new fitness class on my own.”

“After 23 years at my old company, I started a new job as a Payroll Clerk at a local accounting firm earlier this year. It was a big step, but it’s something I never would have dreamed of before I lost weight.

“I’ve always felt comfortable in the background, now I love meeting new people and can also speak confidently in front of a room full of people – it’s a very powerful feeling! I’m so proud that I’ve been able to be the healthy, happy mother I’ve always wanted to be.”

Here you can watch a video of Sarah’s story.

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