Alice Ingman lost 8½st with Slimming World and keeps it off for 5 years – and counting!

Описание: #slimmingworld #weightloss #healthyeating #loseweight
Fifty-nine-year-old Alice Ingman from Wisbech in Cambridgeshire has been named Slimming World’s Diamond Member of the Year 2023 after maintaining her incredible 8st 8lb weight loss for the past five years.

Alice knew she didn’t want to opt for drastic weight loss methods such as shakes or soups, which she’d tried with limited success. Instead, Alice joined Slimming World and received support to adopt healthy habits which enabled her to lose weight and keep it off. She says: “It worked in the short term, but I always ended up regaining the weight. This time I wanted to make a change for good. That’s what appealed about Slimming World, I’d heard that you could still eat real food.”

New research published in Clinical Nutrition Open Science revealed that three in four respondents who received support in building healthy habits at a Slimming World group were lighter up to three years after joining, even if they’d stopped attending.

Eight in 10 (83%) of those who responded to the survey and were still attending each week up to three years after first joining reported that their health had improved, with 93% attributing the improvement to their weight management and the lifestyle changes they’d made. While 50% of those no longer attending also reported improvements to their health up to 36 months later.

Alice says: “My weight was really taking a toll on my health. I had terrible acid reflux, my legs would rub together and cause painful sores, and I’d be completely out of breath after the most minimal physical activity. I knew my family were worried about me too because I’d get tired so easily.

“The weight went on so gradually that I didn’t really notice at first. One afternoon I was shopping for new work clothes, convinced I was still a size 16. When I found myself in the changing room surrounded by size 20 skirts that didn’t fit, I knew I had to do something.”

Alice soon got to grips with Slimming World’s Food Optimising eating plan and learned to build healthier habits around food, including cooking from scratch more and eating more fruit and vegetables.

Slimming World’s study found that 94% of current members and 81% of past members who responded were still cooking more meals from scratch using fresh ingredients up to three years on. While nearly all the current members (98%) and three quarters (74%) of those no longer attending said they were eating more fruit and vegetables.

She says: “I’ve always enjoyed food but had fallen out of love with cooking. Most of my meals had a plastic lid and were either from the takeaway or for the microwave. Slimming World showed me that I could still enjoy the flavours of food while losing weight. I absolutely love a curry – the spicier the better – so experimenting with my own recipes really kept me on track. It was a totally new way of looking at weight loss and I think that’s why it has worked so well for me.”

Over the course of six years Alice lost an incredible 8st 8lbs – a weight loss she has maintained since 2018 when she achieved her target weight. She says: “I lost the weight steadily which I think really helped. I also began to exercise for the first time ever, which I am sure has contributed to how easy I have found maintaining my weight.”

Alice began to get active with the help of Slimming World’s physical activity support programme, which helps members to create a personal plan to increase their activity levels at their own pace.

She says: “I’ve never been sporty, yet losing weight gave me so much more energy, so for the first time ever I felt motivated to move. Walking felt much easier so I tried running. I joined a local running club and loved it. Since then, I’ve completed ten half marathons and three marathons."

“And clothes shopping has become one of my favourite hobbies! Feeling great in my clothes is amazing yet for me my health is the biggest gift of all. My family no longer worry about me, and you just can’t put a price on that feeling. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my Slimming World group and my family– they’ve been my cheerleaders the whole way. I’m fitter, happier and healthier – and this time it’s for life.”

Dr Amanda Avery, Slimming World’s Health and Research Consultant Dietitian, says: “At a time when people can feel bombarded with so many different ways to lose weight, it can be confusing to know which approach will truly work for you. Our research and Alice’s story show anyone who is trying to lose weight and keep it off, how important it is to make healthy lifestyle changes. As no two slimmers are the same, it’s the expertise and support members receive at their local Slimming World group which helps them to understand what those changes mean for them, just as Alice has done beautifully.”

To find out more about losing weight with Slimming World go to https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk