A Northern Ireland woman has opened up about how pre-holiday anxiety spurred her on to lose an incredible 8 stone.
Mary Reid, 38 and from Ballymena only joined her local Slimming World in January 2024. She bravely shared how she's always been overweight but was at the heaviest weight she'd ever been.
According to Mary, not only was she feeling miserable about her weight but she was also going on holiday to America that was making her anxious.
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She said: "I was so worried about having to go on the plane and that the seat belt wouldn’t fit me. This was only one of a few things that made me realise that actually my weight was stopping me living my life and doing things with my family and I knew I needed to change!
"As if someone had been reading my mind to my surprise I got a leaflet in through my door advertising the local Slimming World groups and I honestly felt like this was my sign to go back. You see I had been to Slimming World before and whilst I did lose weight, I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind and I soon found myself slipping back into old habits of sticking with it and blowing it at the weekend."
Mary added: "That all or nothing approach pulled me back but I was determined to try do something about breaking that cycle and working on feeling better for myself. I was so nervous going back and going on my own but as soon as I got in through the doors the consultant put me at ease straight away and went over everything.
"I always remember her saying 'make this your time' and it stuck with me and I thought 'yes I will make this my time and do this for me'! I also made myself a promise that I would stay in the group no matter what the scales said and I took so much away on the first day that I came back collecting my half stone award in the very first week!
"I absolutely love my class and all the support they and my consultant give me. I can't thank them all enough especially when the scales didn’t shift or I had seen a weight gain that normally would have thrown me off track. They were my biggest cheerleaders and remembering the promise I made to myself I stuck with it!
"The group also gives me such great meal ideas and my favourite meal has to be extra lean sausages with chips, cheese and gravy! But I also love that I can have my favourite tipple at the weekend or I can go out for a night out and still live my life.
"After losing 8st I feel even more confident when I am out and not finding myself dreading trying to find an outfit. I can go into any shop knowing that I will be able to get something to fit me! Never in my wildest dreams would I think I would want to go to the gym but I have joined! I try to get an hour three times a week in the morning.
"At the start I was so self conscious and sat in the car thinking 'I can’t go in, everyone will look and judge me'. I'm so glad my friend got me to go in with her as it's helped me tone up and feel so much better about myself. I really do feel a lift in my mood when I finish and I’m proud of myself for going.. Never would I ever have thought those words would come out of my mouth!"
Mary recalled how her weight used to hold her back so much: "I used to hide away from things the kids wanted to do like slides at the pool or amusement rides. Now I'm able to do them all and enjoy doing them too so my kids love having their fun loving mum too.
"I was delighted to go to America knowing that I wouldn’t need to ask for the seat belt extender belt and actually there was so much room in the seat and seat belt!
"Slimming World really has given me my life back again and I cannot wait to start 2025 in such a different frame of mind knowing that I didn’t give up and that I will get to my dream target weight and stay there!"
To join your local slimming world group just log on to www.slimmingworld.co.uk.
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