Mum Tansy’s lost 7st 3lbs and fallen in love with food!

At her heaviest, mum-of-three Tansy Arnett felt self-conscious about her size, suffered uncomfortable joint pain and found it difficult to keep up with her young son.

Now the 29-year-old has broken the cycle of yo-yo diets that often left her starving herself and discovered a whole new relationship with food that has enabled her to lose 7st 3lbs.

Six dress sizes smaller, she’s brimming with confidence – so much so that she’s been named Slimming World’s Miss Slinky 2021.

The primary school learning support assistant, who lives with her three sons and partner Jay in Colchester, says she has struggled with her weight for as long as she can remember and has always used food and sugary drinks as a comfort.

Over the years she tried a range of different diets, with little success. She says: “I tried so many diets and they all resulted in me starving myself, becoming extremely unhealthy and then regaining the weight. It had an awful impact on my relationship with food and I was very much an emotional eater.

“I met a few people who’d been successful with Slimming World and what really appealed to me was that they’d not only lost weight but kept the weight off – one woman had maintained her weight loss for years and years. I knew I needed something that would help me make a change for good. Slimming World has helped me to break the awful habit of starving myself to lose weight, and encouraged me to eat a well-balanced and varied diet. I have completely fallen in love with cooking again and love trying new recipes.”

It was after seeing the success of others and discussing the idea of joining Slimming World with her sister Ferne, that Tansy took the plunge and joined her local Highwoods Colchester Slimming World group in November 2019 weighing 18st.

She says: “I was so nervous. I sat in that first group with a shaky, wobbly lip and my heart beating out of my chest – I had no idea what to expect. Everyone was so lovely though, I was offered a drink straightaway and shown where to sit, and I was soon made to feel part of the family.

“My Consultant Vicky and the rest of the group have been what really made the difference for me. Each week – even while we’ve not been able to meet in person, we’ve come together virtually – the group is like a reset button. I always come away buzzing and feeling motivated from other members’ tips or ideas, and when someone is in a hard place we all chip in to help them out – by talking things though you can really begin to work out what motivates you and what your stoppers are. Everyone there knows what it’s like to struggle with your weight and how it affects your self-esteem, it’s that kindness and understanding that’s helped me to understand myself better as a slimmer and boosted my self-belief. It’s so sustainable I know I have everything I need to stay slim for life.”

Before joining Slimming World Tansy relied heavily on takeaways and fast food meals and enjoyed lots of sugary coffees and lattes with cakes.

After hearing about Slimming World’s Food Optimising eating plan, she began cooking meals from scratch for the whole family and eating more fruit and vegetables. She says: “I used to fill up on rubbish, sometimes to the point of feeling sick. Now I realise that healthy eating isn’t not eating, it’s about the foods you choose and the way you prepare and cook them – I have three balanced meals a day and I love that I can adjust the plan to suit me and the foods me and my family like. It’s great to know we’re eating healthy meals as a family as I know that I’m setting good habits for the kids for their future. Our favourite meals are cottage pie and beef stew with vegetables. I have such a wide variety of food that I never feel restricted and I’m never hungry! I love using the new Slimming World barcode scanner to help me stay on track when I’m out shopping – it’s a godsend.”

Tansy’s Slimming World group have also inspired her to become more active. She has completed Couch to 5k and loves BOUNCE, a trampoline fitness class. Best of all though, since dropping to 10st 11lbs and from a dress size 22 to an 8/10, she’s got much more energy to run around after her two 12-year-old twin boys Charlie and Keegan and toddler Harry, two, and can easily keep up with the children she works with now, too.

She says: “At my biggest I didn’t like undressing in front of my partner and I hated looking in the mirror – I didn’t recognise the person looking back at me and felt like I was losing myself. I had joint, back and neck pain, felt tired all the time and often found things uncomfortable at work, such as trying to squeeze onto the small children’s chairs. I was conscious of my weight all the time – every minute of every day. The fear of seeing someone who I hadn’t seen in a while was terrifying as I would just worry about them noticing how much weight I’d put on, so I’d make a joke about it before they could say anything.

“Now I love seeing people and they can’t get over how much weight I’ve lost. My partner loves my newfound confidence, and I can give my work 110%. I feel like I have a new lease of life. I never used to know what to wear, but now I love that I can showcase my personality through my clothes and don’t have to worry about wearing bright colours that attract attention – in fact, I like that! People ask if I feel like a new woman but I don’t, I feel like the person I always was on the inside. I used to feel trapped in my body but now I’m set free! Some people have even said I look a bit like Meghan Markle, which is a huge compliment!”

Tansy, who has inspired a colleague to lose 5st and her sister to lose 2st, says: “My advice to anyone wanting to lose weight is to go for it now, because if you don’t, then in a year’s time you’ll only wish you’d started earlier.”

VITAL STATS:

Name: Tansy Arnett

Age: 29

Height: 5ft 7½in/1.71m

Starting weight: 18st/252lbs/114kg

Current weight: 10st 11lbs/151lbs/68.5kg

Weight loss: 7st 3lbs/101lbs/45.5kg

Dress size before: 22

Dress size now: 8/10

Date joined Slimming World: November 2019

Group: Tansy attends the Highwoods Colchester Slimming World group run by Consultant Vicky Galvin.

Before menu

Breakfast: Nothing or sugary cereal

Snack: Cake or biscuits with a sugary coffee

Lunch: ‘Meal deal’ of shop-bought sandwich, crisps, chocolate bar and a fizzy drink

Dinner: Large portion of something frozen and oven cooked with chips or a takeaway

Evening: Biscuits, chocolate, crisps

After menu

Breakfast: Homemade Slimming World waffles topped with fruit and sugar-free caramel syrup

Mid-morning: Piece of fruit and a coffee

Lunch: Homemade omelette

Mid-afternoon: Crabsticks or fresh fruit

Dinner: Cottage pie topped with carrot and swede mash and served with roasted vegetables

Evening: Frozen pineapple with fat-free yoghurt, high-fibre cereal bars and a cup of bedtime tea.

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