{"id":4629,"date":"2022-03-17T12:18:40","date_gmt":"2022-03-17T12:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/slimmingworld.wpenginepowered.com\/blog\/?p=4629"},"modified":"2022-03-30T14:22:25","modified_gmt":"2022-03-30T13:22:25","slug":"im-sleeping-soundly-after-losing-7st","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/im-sleeping-soundly-after-losing-7st\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cMy 17st wake-up call\u201d\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>At Slimming World, we understand how sleep can affect weight, and vice versa. It can become a vicious cycle \u2013 we reach for&nbsp;unhealthy foods because we\u2019re tired, our weight goes up and we find it even harder to sleep. Joining Slimming World&nbsp;can help to break that cycle, and our study of more than 3,000&nbsp;members found that:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>more than a third of slimmers\u00a0have slept better since joining Slimming World<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li><li><strong>the more weight members lose, the more likely they are to report improvements in sleep<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li><li><strong>half of slimmers who\u2019ve lost 15% or more of their body weight say their sleep has improved<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"donna-s-sleep-story\"><strong>Donna&#8217;s sleep story<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When Donna joined Slimming World, she weighed 17st 6lbs and would stop breathing in the night. Losing more than 7st has helped her to sleep soundly and wake up full of energy!<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Donna says: \u201cApril 2019 was my turning point. I was sick of looking at myself in the mirror and worried about my health. I was getting palpitations regularly, I had a lot of aches and lower back pain and I also suffered from sleep apnoea. I\u2019d wake bolt upright with a sharp intake of breath throughout the night because I\u2019d stopped breathing. I felt constantly tired and I didn\u2019t have the energy to cook or do any exercise, which meant I found it difficult to lose weight. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One morning I woke up and thought: \u2018It doesn<strong>\u02bc<\/strong>t have to be like this any more\u2019.\u00a0A friend at work had recommended her local Slimming World group, so I thought I\u2019d give it a go.\u00a0That decision changed my life and I went on to lose\u00a0more than 7st!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/slimmingworld.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/DonnaLudlow1-WorldSleepDay-SlimmingWorldBlog.jpg\" alt=\"Donna Ludlow Slimming World member transformation\" class=\"wp-image-4633\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"playground-taunts\"><strong>Playground taunts<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout my life I\u2019d watched my dress size go up and up. I\u2019d tried to lose weight on my own, but I rarely lasted more than a month and I never lost any more than a&nbsp;stone. I\u2019ve always been large and I was often bullied at secondary school. I remember&nbsp;wearing a skirt one day and someone laughing and pointing at me,&nbsp;shouting, <strong>\u2018<\/strong>Look at Donna<strong>\u02bc<\/strong>s fat legs!<strong>\u02bc<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was also anxious about my health as my mum had a stroke due to her weight at the age of 45. I remember it&nbsp;very clearly because it was one of the worst days of my life and a pivotal moment, when life would never be the same again.&nbsp;Thankfully, Mum is still with us, but I couldn\u2019t help worrying that the same thing was going to happen to me.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a-plan-i-can-stick-to\"><strong>A plan I can stick to<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When I was first introduced to Slimming World\u2019s eating plan, Food Optimising, I found it mind-blowing that I could eat so much and lose weight. And I was amazed I could still have pasta and potatoes.&nbsp;At group, I discovered more about all the healthy food I could eat, and I&nbsp;got so much joy from seeing the number on the scales go down each week.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first Slimming World meal I made was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/recipes\/spaghetti-carbonara\">spaghetti carbonara<\/a>, and I loved it! My favourite meal at the moment is salmon, chilli, chard and cucumber. It\u2019s great that I can still have treats and I don\u2019t have to cut everything out. I never feel hungry or that I\u2019m missing out. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"has-background-dim-100 wp-block-cover__gradient-background has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#d72661\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Donna\u2019s daily menu\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>BEFORE &nbsp;<br>Breakfast: White toast loaded with butter or two croissants, and a latte with sugar.&nbsp;<br>Lunch: A sandwich, crisps, chocolate and maybe a cake.&nbsp;<br>Dinner: Usually a&nbsp;takeaway.&nbsp;<br>Snacks: Chocolate, cake, sweets, crisps or biscuits.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AFTER&nbsp;<br>Breakfast: 40g high-fibre cereal and a banana.&nbsp;<br>Lunch: A baked potato with cheese and beans (no butter) or tuna and extra-light mayonnaise with&nbsp;salad.&nbsp;<br>Dinner: Home-made salt and pepper cod with a chilli and garlic vegetable stir-fry, or spaghetti bolognese.&nbsp;<br>Snacks: Chocolate-drizzled strawberry and banana skewers,&nbsp;a&nbsp;Hi-fi bar, low-fat crisps or fruit.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"personalised-support\"><strong>Personalised support<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I know I wouldn\u2019t have managed to do so well without the support of my Slimming World group.&nbsp;Each week we get personalised help, we share tips and inspiration for meals and, if anyone has had a tough weigh-in, we pick each other up. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m so much more active now, too. I follow Slimming World\u2019s Body Magic programme, which encourages members to take small steps and gradually build up activity until it\u2019s\u00a0part of their daily routine. I regularly walk to work (which is more than two miles) and I get out on my bike as much as I can. I find it incredible that I recently completed a 30-mile bike ride \u2013 my longest ever!\u00a0I certainly wouldn\u2019t have coped with that when I weighed 17\u00bd stone.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/slimmingworld.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/DonnaLudlow3-WorldSleepDay-SlimmingWorldBlog-copy.jpg\" alt=\"Slimming World member Donna Ludlow\" class=\"wp-image-4635\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"inspiring-others\"><strong>Inspiring others<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I work full-time in a local convenience store, often seeing the same customers, and many of them have told me&nbsp;I\u2019ve inspired them to lose weight. Several have even said they\u2019ve joined Slimming World because of me. I\u2019ve slimmed down from a size 22 to a 10 and I love being able to go into any clothes shop I like \u2013&nbsp;my options were so limited before.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m incredibly proud of what I\u2019ve achieved. I know I\u2019m the best version of myself right now. I\u2019m sleeping well, I\u2019ve got a lovely boyfriend and I\u2019m doing things I never dreamt I\u2019d be doing, like roller-skating, which was a childhood dream. I never knew that life could be like this! When I stopped breathing in the night, that was my wake-up call to do something about my weight. And I\u2019m so glad I did \u2013 joining Slimming World has saved my life!\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/real-life-stories\/ryan-money\">R<\/a><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/real-life-stories\/ryan-money\"><strong>EAD RYAN\u2019S SLEEP STORY: \u201cI was falling asleep at work. Now I\u2019ve lost 17st and am building a brilliant new life.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"snooze-more-to-lose-more\"><strong>Snooze more to lose more<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/discover-tips-to-help-you-sleep-better\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/slimmingworld.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/sleep-campaign-infographic-body-slimming-world-blog.jpg\" alt=\"how to break the vicious sleep cycle\" class=\"wp-image-2825\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/discover-tips-to-help-you-sleep-better\/\">You can read more about our sleep study and check out five expert tips to help you sleep better here.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If Donna\u2019s story has inspired you to start your weight loss journey, we can help. When you join Slimming World, you\u2019ll be welcomed with lots of support, absolutely no judgement and more than 1,700 slimming-friendly recipes on our members-only website and app.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/group-or-online-membership\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"100\" src=\"https:\/\/slimmingworld.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/inspire-CTA-join-group.jpg\" alt=\"Click here to find your nearest Slimming World group\" class=\"wp-image-4627\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After experiencing sleep problems and health worries, Donna Ludlow is now at her dream weight and has woken up to a whole new world of confidence and fun <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4641,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[22,23,19,26],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4629"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4629"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4629\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}