In a new study*, 53% of UK adults said that just one setback can derail them from their weight loss goals, with 19% saying a setback made them give up on those goals altogether.
At Slimming World, we’ll help you to navigate the inevitable ups and downs of your slimming journey – 82% of our members said that they feel more capable of dealing with setbacks than they did before joining. Here, Lydia Collins shares the strategies that have helped her look forward to a healthier future with her family...
I’d always struggled with my weight, but it really started creeping up from around the age of 16, when I discovered takeaways and going out with my friends.
I tried so many different ways to lose weight, but nothing worked. I was always hungry and I felt miserable. My health was suffering – I used to limp, as I had excruciating pain in my ankles because of the weight I was carrying. My weight made me feel anxious, too – I’d worry about what everyone thought of me, and I hated walking into a room full of people. Even collecting my children from school terrified me in case my kids got picked on because of my size.
My lowest moment
It was on a family break in Wales that I hit rock bottom. Our holiday home was a short walk up a very steep hill. At the halfway point, I could barely breathe and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Everyone else breezed past me, while I literally had to crawl the last stretch. I was so embarrassed and worried about my health. I knew I had to do something.
I’d been a member of Slimming World before, and when a friend mentioned she was joining a local group, I asked if I could go with her. It was the only weight loss method I’d ever enjoyed – and I knew it worked! I threw myself into the plan and made healthier versions of all my favourite foods, so I never felt like I was missing out.
Lydia’s day on a plate
Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
Breakfast | Usually nothing. | Egg muffins, boiled eggs or an omelette. |
Lunch | A cheese sandwich and a mini pork pie. | A healthy sandwich. |
Dinner | A takeaway. | A fakeaway (a healthy home-cooked versions of our favourite takeaway) or a roast dinner. |
Snacks | Toast and two bags of crisps mid-morning and a pork pie mid-afternoon. | Veg sticks with blue cheese quark dip or home-made houmous, or fruit. |
Drinks | Numerous coffees with two sugars each. | Black coffee, hot water with lemon, peppermint or green tea. |
Watch Lydia talk about how she navigated setbacks with Slimming World’s support
Strategies for slimming success
Since I joined Slimming World I’ve lost 7st, and I love that I’ve lost weight eating everyday food that my family can enjoy, too. I spend all day cooking in my job as a catering manager, so I don’t want to come home and have to prepare different meals for everyone in the house. Saturday night used to be takeaway night – now I’m a fakeaway queen and my family say that they much prefer my healthier versions!
My Slimming World Consultant helped me to understand my personal ‘danger zones’ and how planning my meals would stop me from getting derailed and feeling hopeless. I’d always skip breakfast, which meant I’d snack all the way to lunch. Now I prep my breakfast the night before and fill up on satisfying egg muffins or omelette for lunch.
More for members: What are trigger foods, danger zones and sabotage traps?
I used to reach for high-fat ‘convenience’ foods, because I was always too tired and busy to cook anything else. These days I cook pretty much everything from scratch and I bring the children in to help me. Cooking as a family makes it so much more enjoyable, and there are lots of quick and easy Slimming World recipes to choose from.
I’m not perfect, though! I’m human and things don’t always go to plan – and I’ve learnt that’s OK. When I have a setback, I know it doesn’t mean I’ve blown it.
Moving on to a fitter future
I’ve dropped from a size 22 to a size 10 – and while my anxiety will never fully leave me, I’ve struggled with it so much less since I lost weight. Slimming World’s activity support programme helped me go from being barely active to becoming a regular gym-goer and a keen runner – I never thought I’d say that! But being able to take it at my own pace made it doable. I’d love to run the London Marathon one day!
My number one piece of advice for anyone trying to lose weight is to be kind to yourself. It’s nice to know I’ve inspired the people I love to take a step towards a healthier and happier lifestyle, too – including my husband, Gareth, who lost weight with Slimming World and lowered his cholesterol.
I knew it was my mindset that had to change, and I soon discovered that being kinder to myself helped me navigate the bumps in the road. I feel I’m the best version of myself because I’m happier inside and out.
Dr Amanda Avery, Slimming World’s health and research consultant dietitian, says: ‘As Lydia mentions, setbacks can happen on a weight loss journey. Things don’t always go perfectly to plan and the key is to be kind to yourself. Learning to accept that a setback is part of your slimming journey can stop you being derailed altogether.
‘Slimming World members receive expert guidance to help them with the motivation, accountability and commitment they need to avoid or navigate setbacks. By equipping them with the tools to build their resilience and be more self-compassionate, as well as sharing practical real-life strategies, Slimming World helps members feel empowered to overcome obstacles and stick with their weight loss plans.’
With Slimming World, one blip doesn’t have to mean you’ve blown it! Read our research and discover how Slimming World can help you overcome setbacks and achieve lasting slimming success.
Are you interested in joining us and getting your dream weight loss result? You’ll find our latest special offers here.
*The research was conducted by Censuswide, among samples of 2,003 nationally representative UK general consumers along with a self-selecting sample of 1,748 Slimming World members.
Weight loss will vary due to your individual circumstances and how much weight you have to lose.