Client Experiences
Anon
“My weight loss journey started, like many other people’s, with a voucher for Slimming World. I’d been to my doctor, who advised me that I needed to lose weight because I have a bad knee. She told me I could get 12 weeks free for either Slimming World or Weight Watchers. So that’s what I did, I got my Slimming World voucher and started nearly eighteen months ago. “It was a really easy process. Someone phoned me and asked me 5 simple questions, and then 2 days later I got the vouchers in the post. That made it feel real, as it meant I actually had to go to Slimming World and lose weight, which I was dreading. But, it was the best thing I’ve ever done.
Celia at a party before receiving her Slimming World voucher
“I was terrified for the first meeting, walking through the doors and seeing everybody there. All the new members were taken to one side and Hayley, the Slimming World consultant, gave us a talk to explain the plan. Then we joined the rest of the group, and I remember I was struck by how welcoming everyone was. “At first I found it difficult to master the whole thing. You get given the books that explain it all, and you really have to read them to understand how it works, which I didn’t to begin with. I was grateful to have the support of the Slimming World community, as I asked a lot of questions at first. I wanted to find out what I was doing wrong, because to begin with I wasn’t losing any weight.“So then I realised, you’ve got to really commit yourself to this, rather than thinking, ‘Oh this will do, that will do’. I sat myself down and read the book. That made be understand it better and take control of it myself.
“That was a bit of a breakthrough for me because I’d never felt in control of my weight before. My mum was a very big lady. She was a size 24 and she died at the age of 45, just before my 17th birthday. She had bowel cancer and she didn’t know. One of the main reasons they didn’t know about it was because she was so overweight. So, it’s always been a fear of mine. Having got children, although they’re now grown-up, I didn’t want to leave them. Although I always felt like that, before I got the voucher for Slimming World, I didn’t have the guts to do it. I didn’t think I’d be able to lose weight ever. Because I’d never really been able to do it before, I didn’t think anything would work for me. And I didn’t think I was worthy of it. I think that’s where the bottom line was: I didn’t think I was worth losing weight at all.
Celia and her daughter
“Now, I’ve started the journey and I feel amazing. I can tie my own shoelaces. Simple things, I can go for a walk, and I don’t have to stop after 10 minutes. I can walk up a hill and I’m not out of breath. And I have long boots! When I was a child, we had horses, and everybody wore riding boots. But I could never have riding boots because my legs were too big, even then. Now for the first time I’ve got long boots, and they fit, and I’m chuffed. “So it has completely changed my life and I actually feel amazing. I know you’re not supposed to say that about yourself but I do, I feel amazing. And I’m proud of myself, which I’ve never been before.”
Inspired by Celia’s experience with a Slimming World voucher? Start your own journey today. It takes less than 2 minutes to apply for one of our free weight loss programmes. Visit our Services page to find out more.
