My Slimming World journey, By Lyndsey Leech
I have been overweight ever since my teenage years. As a massive nerd I used to revise and complete extra work most evenings after school and while I was doing that I would eat high calorie snacks.
I remember never being able to find my size in shops and being embarrassed at being so much bigger than other kids. This continued into my early adult life where I moved through clothes sizes, reaching a size 20 at university.
I continued the pattern of revising and eating poorly throughout my university years and when I met my husband who accepted me as I was I became content with being overweight.
I reached a size 30 and eventually got pregnant with our first son. It wasn’t the nice experience you dream of as a new mum. Doctors would mention my weight and tell me how dangerous it was. I was offered diet pills and told to have my stomach stapled after the pregnancy to get my weight under control. The doctor made a point of insisting I had an extra thick mattress on the maternity ward as I was too heavy for a standard one.
I was determined I would lose the weight after having my son but ended up in a cycle of eating quick meals to fit with the lifestyle of a new mum.
The turning point came a few years later during a holiday to Pembrokeshire when I had a seizure and was diagnosed with epilepsy. The consultant told me I had developed it as an adult through exhaustion and stress. I had several more seizures and became really worried that someone may see my body or the paramedics wouldn’t be able to carry me.
So I joined Slimming World in Millbrook with Allison. The plan worked for me right away and I started to quickly shed the pounds. After losing a few stone I fell pregnant again with my second son but was so conscious of the bad experience I had last time that I lost weight during the pregnancy.
After the birth I re-joined Slimming World in Millbrook with Marie and continued to lose weight. I got to about four stone off and hit a bump in the road. After a holiday I put on some weight and couldn’t face group and so I stopped going for a bit.
At this point I realised that a midweek group didn’t fit with my busy lifestyle as most evenings as a teacher are taken up with school work. So I reset my account and wiped my weight loss history and began again.
I joined Slimming World at the Bridge Inn on Saturdays with Maria and have never looked back. I always knew the plan worked but hadn’t found a way to fit it into my life. Joining a Saturday session meant I was able to stay to group regularly and be motivated by the advice and stories of others.
I will continue to attend this group even when I reach my final target as it has become a part of my life and I have received so much support that it makes the plan even easier to follow.
Since joining this final time I have lost seven stone and five pounds but over the course of my several years journey with slimming world I have lost a total of 13 stone and 11 pounds. I find myself now in a size 12 dress. I have never been so small a size in all my life.
I used to get upset because I couldn’t fit on the rides at Drayton Manor with my sons. I went back last week and went on every ride and had bags of room to spare.
There have been so many benefits to sticking with the plan. Firstly, the encouragement and words of others have been amazing and it has been great to see my family and my friends deciding to give the plan a go after seeing me do it.
The greatest achievement as a result of all of the life changes implemented at Slimming World, I may no longer have epilepsy and I am soon to come off the medication having not had a seizure in years.
It hasn’t been a smooth ride. I have wanted to give up many times and I have given in a fair few.
But with the support of my group I have learnt that we all feel like that and if we just draw line under any mishaps and keep going, eventually we will get to where we want to be and it will be
so worth it!