A Staffordshire mum is embarking on a new career after winning an award for maintaining her 6st 10lbs weight loss for an incredible nine years.
Sarah Williams, 41, who’s been named Slimming World’s Diamond Member of the Year 2024, says her weight was holding her back from enjoying her life with her family, including going on bike rides or swimming with her children. It wasn’t until 2013, when she and her husband Lee decided to get married after 13 years together though, that Sarah decided it was time to make a change.
After losing her dad in 2012, Sarah took comfort in food. She says: “I’d been overweight from being a child. And by the time I had my children, Millie, now 18 and Maisie, now 14, in my late twenties, my weight had completely spiralled out of control. I was at my heaviest after my dad passed – I felt unhappy and was ashamed and frustrated with my weight.”
Sarah tried various quick-fix weight loss methods, such as meal replacement shakes, in the past but found them difficult to sustain. She says: “I was living on shakes as a substitute for food and if I lost any weight, it always felt impossible to keep it off. And before I knew it, I’d be back at square one. I was just miserable and hungry, and knew I couldn’t carry on this way.”
In a new study, more than half of UK adults (56%) say they’ve followed a fad diet in an attempt to lose weight with almost three-quarters of those (71%) reporting they didn’t lose any weight or didn’t lose as much weight as they wanted, and 11% gained weight. The online survey of more than 2,000 adults commissioned by Slimming World, found of the 1,123 UK adults who’d tried a fad diet, more than a third (38%) say they found it on social media and 35% said they could only stick to it for up to six days.
Sarah continues: “Lee and I were so excited to finally get married. I knew I wanted to feel my best for our special day, however I felt anything but that when I was trying on dresses.
“Looking back now, I hadn’t coped well with the grief of losing my dad, and it made me realise how much I wanted to be around for my family for as long as possible. I knew the only way I could that though was by looking after myself first – and that started with my weight.”
With the wedding a year away, Sarah decided to try losing weight with Slimming World, which is celebrating its Emerald Anniversary this month after 55 years of supporting people to lose weight. She says: “I’d been a member in the past so knew I was in a safe environment, however I still felt embarrassed walking back into a group at first. I was instantly reminded of why I had no reason to be though, everyone was so lovely and welcoming.
“While I’d wanted to lose weight the times I’d tried before, something had clicked when I listened to my Consultant Paula explain the importance of building healthy new habits, and I’d realised the only way I could do that was by changing my habits – and for good this time. I had a different mindset from that very first group.”
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Sarah got stuck straight into Simming World’s healthy eating plan. She says: “I knew the plan worked, but reading through the books I was given at my first group with fresh eyes helped me embrace it in a completely different way and see where I might have got tripped up in the past. I used these, alongside the Slimming World app to start planning my meals ahead of my weekly shop and found it helped steer away from self-sabotaging as I was becoming more aware of my trigger foods.
“However, knowing that I could still enjoy a treat when I fancied, like a lager, helped me stay on track. I was just learning how to enjoy it in moderation now and going to the group each week helped me to turn the changes I was making into habits.
“The way I shop, cook and eat has changed now. I cook homemade meals from scratch, like chicken stir-fry or beef stroganoff, every day. It works so easily for us a family too – I love that we can all enjoy the same meals. I’ve never felt like I’m on a diet and I’m never hungry because I’m still eating normal, everyday foods. It’s just a way of life for me now. I managed to lose 3st before my wedding, and felt amazing.”
Sarah credits Slimming World’s Slim for Life plan, which is a personalised 12-week plan to help members confidently transition from losing to maintaining their weight, for providing her with the tools she needed to sustain her weight loss long-term. She says: “I’m so grateful for Paula and the other members in the group.
“It hasn’t been plain sailing though, there were times after reaching the target I set myself when I’ve struggled with finding the balance to maintain my weight rather than lose or gain.”
She continues: “I found going to the group every week has helped me not be too hard on myself though and encouraged me to embrace and celebrate non-scale victories too, like feeling confident in new outfits or trying a new fitness class on my own.”
“After being with my old company for 23 years, I started a new job at the beginning of this year as a Payroll Clerk at a local accountancy firm. It was a big move, but it’s something I wouldn’t have dreamed of doing before losing weight.
“I was always pretty comfortable being in the background, now I love meeting new people and can speak confidently in front of a room of people too – it’s quite an empowering feeling! I feel so proud that I’ve been able to be the healthy, happy mum I always wanted to be.”
You can view a video of Sarah’s story here.
