Sixteen-year-old Emma from Athlone joined Slimming World in late July. It was annoying her that she was different to everyone else and was bigger than the other girls in school. However, she never did anything about it, always making excuses like “I’m under so much pressure now, I’ll start next summer”. Of course, when summer came around, there was some new excuse.
The weight was affecting her asthma, which was holding her back from playing sports. She was getting increasingly fed up of the way she looked, which was affecting her self esteem. Eventually she decided she needed to do something about it.
Emma went along to her first Slimming World meeting, not knowing what to expect. She was made to feel at ease by the warm and friendly consultant Pauline, who explained the plan to her. Emma couldn’t believe how she didn’t have to weigh and measure her food and how she could still have her favourite meals like shepherd’s pie, pasta, and even desserts.
“I really enjoyed the meeting, everyone was so happy to see each other, giving each other tips, and sharing recipes. I saw some people getting awards for losing two stone, and I thought I would never reach that goal,” says Emma.
After only 19 weeks, Emma hit her initial target of two stone. After losing the weight and two dress sizes, she feels amazing and loves how she looks in her clothes. She can go for a walk and not have to worry about getting an asthma attack.
“Slimming World was exactly what I needed to get my health in order. When I reached my first target, I set a new one to work towards. I will keep going to the meetings - to see all my Slimming World friends, and to work towards my new target.”
Pauline has opened a new morning group running every Wednesday at 9.30am in the Athlone Springs Hotel. This is followed by afternoon and evening groups at the same venue at 3.30, 5.30, and 7.30pm.
If you are interested in joining Slimming World, save €9 by buying Woman magazine this week and bringing along the voucher printed inside. Call Pauline on (087 ) 1878701 for further details.
