'It was time for change': Lisburn woman on what prompted 8 stone weight loss
Just over two years ago, Natasha Stewart decided it was time for a change. Fast forward to today and the 28-year-old from Lisburn has lost over 8 stone and is feeling great.
At a size 22/24 and feeling unable to shop in most local stores for clothes, Natasha also didn't have the confidence to go out with friends and also felt concerned about what the excess weight was doing to her health - it was time for change.
Natasha said: “In January 2023 I walked through the doors of a Slimming World group. I felt nervous, was lacking in confidence and not sure if it was going to work for me because of the amount of times previously I had tried to lose weight but couldn’t stick to anything.
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“My Consultant Christine and the fellow members welcomed me with such an understanding of the journey I was about to begin. That very night I just got up off the sofa and went to the group. I didn’t plan it. I just had enough with how I felt inside and out.
“After Christine had explained Slimming World's Food Optimising and activity programmes I was filled with hope, excitement and an eagerness to get started. I stood on the scales and was horrified to see my weight was 20 stone 4.5lbs. I knew in a split second that I wasn’t going to see that number again. Christine reassured me of this too.”
Looking back, Natasha says her first month was the most challenging: “The changes I made were significant but a swapping strategy from the foods I was eating before and not over snacking or having too many takeaways. By the end of the first month, I had lost 1 stone 7 lbs.
“Not once was I hungry or restricted from eating food and I had so much more energy and could already fell and see the benefits of my food choices.”
In December 2023, Natasha received her 6 stone award and was so happy to be so much lighter in less than a year! In March 2024 she joined a gym, adding: “I didn’t have a clue what I was doing so signed up for a number of classes which were so helpful and a great way to meet people.
“I also trained with a personal trainer for six months because I really started to enjoy the gym and wanted to learn more about building muscle while losing fat.
“Before I joined Slimming World, my activity was little to none whereas now I’m at the gym for three sessions per week and walking on my treadmill at home for a few minutes throughout the day.
“The Slimming World food optimising plan is great. There is so much variety, it makes me feel so much fuller and gives me way more energy than my previous food choices. I can still have chocolate and takeaway food.
“Previously my breakfast would have been toast with butter or nothing. Now it’s fruit, yogurt and granola or a wrap or sandwich. For lunch, I often would have bought a shop sandwich and a chocolate bar. Now lunch is an egg wrap with chicken and salad or leftovers from the previous nights dinner.
“Dinners used to be processed foods, frozen pizza/takeaway pizza with snacks of more chocolate, sweets, crisps and more toast with butter. Now I’m cooking a healthy chicken curry, a pasta bolognese or making my own Slimming World friendly pizza. Snacks now are fruit, yogurt, Freddos chocolate bars, ice lollies.”
Having spent most of her life being overweight, never did Natasha think when she joined Slimming World that in less than two years she would have lost over 8 stone eating the way she is and exercising.
She added: “People I haven’t seen in a couple of years don’t recognise me and I have had some strange conversations explaining to old friends that it’s me. Attending my Slimming World group each week is what got me there. I could never have done this on my own.
“The accountability of the weekly group is important to me and with the encouragement of my Consultant and like minded fellow members I was able to stay committed each week. I still find myself having urges to binge eat and even if I do overindulge I will face the scales and get straight back onto the plan.
“I recently started helping out in our groups social team which has been great to keep me motivated and meeting all the members. I am very close to my chosen target weight and am feeling so good about myself and what I have achieved.”
Christine Young, a Slimming World Consultant based in Lisburn, added: “As Natasha’s Consultant I am so proud of what she has achieved. From day one of joining she had so much belief in our plan and herself. Hearing the success other members in her group were achieving made her determined that she also could make changes and form new habits.
“When Natasha reaches her target weight she will then follow our 12 week maintenance programme, a guide to making the shift from being a slimmer to effortlessly maintaining her dream weight - for good.”
For more information on Christine’s Slimming World group telephone 07981 745742 or to find your nearest group just log on to www.slimmingworld.co.uk.
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