Alice keeps her 8½st weight loss off for five years – and counting!

A Cambridgeshire mum 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.

Fifty-nine-year-old Alice Ingman gained weight steadily for years, suffering with painful acid reflux and reaching more than 18st. She finally decided to do something about her weight after an embarrassing experience in a clothes fitting room.

Alice, who lives in Wisbech with her husband Kevin, 67, and daughter Lauren, 23, knew she didn’t want to opt for drastic weight loss methods such as shakes or soups, which she’d tried with limited success before.

Instead, Alice joined Slimming World and received support to adopt healthy habits which enabled her to lose weight and keep it off. She says: “All of the fad diets work in the short term, but overly restricting myself wasn’t for me as 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 and the idea of a group setting really appealed to me.”

New research published in Clinical Nutrition Open Science supports Alice’s view, with the study revealing 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.[1]

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, who is originally from Paisley, 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 that Kevin and Lauren were worried about me too because I’d get tired so easily.

“I’d been relatively slim up until my mid-20s – 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.”

[1] [1] Published in Clinical Nutrition Open Science

The retired personal assistant says despite being someone who enjoys meeting new people, she was nervous going along to her first Slimming World group: “Even though the idea of a group really appealed to me, I still had those first-night jitters! Everyone was really friendly though and I soon made some great friends. I always tell everyone that my ‘secret’ to long-term weight loss is having support around you. Even after years at target I’m still learning about myself as a slimmer and picking up new recipes and ideas.”

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 my body. Walking felt much easier after losing weight, so for me the next step was to try running.  I joined a local running club and loved how it made me feel – powerful, fit and strong! Since then, I’ve completed ten half marathons and three marathons – a total world away from the person who would be out of puff after a trip around the shops.

“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 Kevin and Lauren – 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.”

VITAL STATS:

Name: Alice Ingman

Age: 59

Height: 5ft 5ins/165cm

Starting weight: 18st 1lb/114kg/253lbs

Current weight: 9st 7lbs/60kg/133lbs

Weight loss: 8st 8lbs/54kg/120lbs

Dress size before: 22

Dress size now: 8

Date joined Slimming World: May 2012

Achieved target weight: February 2018

Time at target weight: 5 years

Group: Alice attends Tina Rust’s Wisbech Slimming World group in Cambridgeshire

Before menu

Breakfast: Nothing

Lunch: A supermarket meal deal such as a sandwich, crisps and a drink followed by chocolate or cake

Dinner: An Indian takeaway or a spaghetti carbonara ready meal made in the microwave

Snacks: Crisps, chocolate, biscuits, cake

After menu

Breakfast: Homemade overnight oats, made with fruit and yogurt

Lunch: Leftovers from a meal made the night before or homemade salad-filled wholemeal roll

Dinner: A spicy fakeaway curry made from scratch, served with rice  

Evening: A Slimming World Hi-Fi bar (available in groups, online and in selected Iceland stores) or a flavoured fat-free yogurt