As well as helping our members’ amazing achievements hit the headlines, the Slimming World PR team is here to bring you the latest news from Slimming World HQ. Here, Amy Williams tells us more about Slimming World’s latest Public Health England partnership, the NHS Better Health campaign – and shares the story of a Slimming World member who lost over 5st to give herself and her family a brighter future. Over to you, Amy…

Slimming World is proud to partner with Public Health England (PHE) in the NHS Better Health campaign, a ground-breaking new drive to embrace this unique moment in time and help kick-start the nation’s health – encouraging people to reset and introduce healthy habits around food, activity and more. 

Nearly two thirds (63%) of adults in the UK are overweight or living with obesity. We understand that gaining weight is often a gradual process that takes place over a number of years, and modern life doesn’t always make it easy. However, this extra weight can have a serious impact on our health, causing pressure to build up around vital organs and making it harder for the body to fight against diseases like cancer, heart disease and now COVID-19.

COVID-19 has affected the whole country, indeed the whole world; for almost everyone, life has had to fundamentally change. And it has prompted many people to reflect and think more seriously about their health. 

As lockdown begins to ease, lots of us are recognising the opportunity to live differently. For many, this means thinking about – and feeling excited about – getting our health back on track. Slimming World’s latest Health and Wellbeing study* found that nearly two in three UK adults have found it more difficult to manage their weight during the pandemic. Worryingly, we also discovered that 33% are eating more sugary foods, 17% are eating more fatty foods, and 22% are eating less fruit. 

So, there’s no better time to start afresh when it comes to developing new habits around food and activity. And, with more than 50 years of experience helping people to lose weight for good, we understand that the most important factor in any sustainable weight loss campaign is to overcome the complex psychological barriers to weight loss. Slimming World supports you to reach a healthy weight, because we know that when you lose weight, you’re doing one of the very best things you can to future-proof your physical health, mental wellbeing and develop healthy habits that last a lifetime.  

If you’re not yet a Slimming World member and are looking for your ‘reset’ moment to take the first step to achieving your post-lockdown goals, discover the feeling of success by joining Slimming World Online or a Slimming World group. There’s an exclusive Better Health online membership offer at the bottom of this page to help you get started. 

Slimming World member Kal Flynn’s wake-up call came when she took the brave step to talk to her GP about the effect her weight was having on her health and her ability to care for her family. Read all about her fresh start here…

“Mum’s health gave me a wake-up call… now I’ve lost more than 5st” 

“When my mum had a stroke in January 2017, it was so important to me that I could help look after her and return all the love she’s given me. Becoming a carer for Mum while looking after my kids, Evelyn, then 13, and Dillon, four, became a bit of a juggling act, though. As a mum of two and a carer, I was left shattered in the evenings. Cooking from scratch went out of the window and I often found myself saying to my husband, Dermot, and the kids, ‘who fancies a takeaway?’. 

Around 15 months after Mum’s stroke, struggling as usual to bend and tie my shoes, I reached the end of my tether. I weighed myself and, discovering I’d gained 4st, I made an appointment to see my GP. He listened as I told him how worried I was about my weight, and how it might affect my future health and my ability to be there for Mum and the kids. Then he offered me a 12-week membership of a Slimming World group**, and also three months’ free membership to a gym. 

Deciding I had nothing to lose, I joined the group I’d been referred to and listened as my Consultant, Gary, outlined the plan. With the support of Gary and my group, my faith in my ability to lose weight felt stronger than ever. That feeling of being supported on my journey made a huge difference and I went home determined to get straight back into healthy cooking. I also joined a gym, to add more activity to my routine.

It felt great to be back in the kitchen making a whole range of meals, and my family were loving everything I was cooking, too. Eating home-cooked Food Optimising meals every day, and feeling energised with morning runs, there was no stopping me. In October last year, I was thrilled to reach my target weight of 10st 5lbs – 5st lighter than when I joined Slimming World. 

Losing weight has helped me appreciate the little things in life. My 50th birthday came at the end of March and I felt so blessed to be able to spend it with my family. Mum takes a daily walk in the garden and she’s doing so much better now, and that’s one of the reasons losing weight was so important to me. I’m slimmer, fitter and healthier than I have ever been in my life, and that means I can look after my family to the very best of my ability with enough energy to find time for myself, too. Every precious moment means the world to me.” 

Kal attends Gary Pursey-Nash’s Slimming World group in Luton, Bedfordshire. If you’ve been inspired by her story, you’ll find many more member transformations here.

If you’d like to find out more about joining your supportive local Slimming World group, you can contact your nearest Consultant here

If you’d prefer to join our online-only service, Slimming World Online, we’re currently offering £20 or 25 euros off membership – so there’s never been a better time to make a change and take the first steps towards Better Health. If you’re not yet a Slimming World member, click here and enter the offer code RESET to take up the offer.  

* Findings are from Slimming World’s Health and Wellbeing Study which included a poll of 1,000 UK adults in April 2020 to explore Covid-19 behaviour changes.

**Slimming World on Referral is a programme that lets health professionals offer their patients 12 weeks’ free membership at their local group. If you’d like the chance to lose weight with the support of one of our warm and friendly groups, contact your GP practice to see if it participates in the scheme.