#slimmingworld Social worker Carolann Hicks, 41 from Cornwall, struggled with her weight for much of her life, often eating takeaways in secret before heading home for another meal with her family. She says: “Before I found Slimming World I was in a very low place. I didn’t feel confident at work, I wasn’t being the kind of mum I wanted to be, and I used food to cope with all of my emotions. I had just given up on myself.”
At 23st, Carolann wasn’t sure where to turn after trying and failing to lose weight by herself many times. She says: “I didn’t know where to start with losing weight, so I visited my doctor hoping to hear that I had a health issue to spur me into losing weight and maybe get some help. Sadly, my doctor’s response was to prescribe weight loss tablets. I felt awful on them, and, of course, they did nothing to address the issues I had with food. My niece had recently joined Slimming World and was doing really well, so I plucked up the courage to message my local Slimming World Consultant.”
Carolann, who lives in Par with her partner Simon and daughters Kaitlin, 15, and Isobel, 12, believes that the night she joined her Slimming World group changed the course of her life. She says: “I was really nervous when I first walked in, and my Consultant Elaine spotted me straight away and came over to go through the eating plan with me. I sat through the group session listening to people talk about the weight they’d lost and I was struck by how much they genuinely seemed to care about one another’s success - I knew then I wanted to be part of it. At the end of the group , I stood on the scales. While the number I saw was a shock, it was written discreetly in my new member pack and wasn’t read out loud which had been something I’d be really scared would happen. Everyone was so friendly and, as I left a few people said, ‘see you next week’ which instantly made me feel like I belonged.”
A week later, Carolann had lost an incredible 9lbs. She says: “I couldn’t believe that I was losing weight by eating such amazing food. I always thought I didn’t have time to cook from scratch but lots of the recipes for our family favourites like spaghetti Bolognese and chicken curry didn’t take any longer after I ditched the processed sauces and packets. It’s totally transformed the way our whole household eats, which I love.”
With Slimming World’s plan, members can enjoy a wide range of healthy everyday foods such as lean meat and poultry, fat-free dairy, pasta, rice and grains, and fruit and veg, to satisfy their appetite. This freedom and variety means that slimmers can reduce their calorie intake without counting calories, lose weight without being hungry, and personalise the plan to their dietary requirements and way they like to eat.
After a few months, Carolann found that her energy levels soared and says hearing about Slimming World’s physical activity support programme encouraged her to think about how she could develop more active habits. She says: “I never thought that exercise would be for me - I was the type of kid who got picked last in PE. Losing weight gave me extra confidence though, so I used the Couch to 5K app. I loved the feeling I had afterwards and found that running really helped my mental health too. My next challenge is to run the London Marathon in April. It’s always been a secret dream of mine, so I can’t believe it’s actually going to happen.
“People often ask how I stay so motivated, and the answer is very close to my heart. Everything I do is for my girls. When I was bigger, I was so down about myself, and I just let life pass me by. Now I’m the first one in the queue for a rollercoaster and I’ve become the fun and active mum that I always wanted to be. I hope I’m showing my daughters the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.”
As well as losing 12st 9lbs, becoming Woman of the Year and running the London Marathon, Carolann is also studying for a degree to support her career as a social worker. She says: “I’m definitely a lot busier these days! I’m living proof that you can do anything you want to do - my life is unrecognisable from two years ago. I’m really proud of how far I have come, and I know I have the love and support of my Slimming World group to thank for that. I couldn’t have done it without them. Stepping through the doors of my Slimming World changed my life forever.”
To find out more about losing weight with Slimming World go to www.slimmingworld.co.uk/