When Joe Thompson found he could no longer fit in the suit bought to be best man at a friend's wedding he was devastasted. The smart suit had fit when he bought it just before the Covid 19 pandemic but months of lockdown and restrictions meant he, like many others, had piled on the weight.
The 35-year-old, from Essex, tried and failed to lose weight on his own. But after turning to Slimming World he discovered what difference being part of a community of slimmers and getting support from others on the same journey can make.
Now he is more than 5st lighter thanks to the help and support he has found through his group. His experiences back up the research findings that the secret to successful weight loss is social.
He says: “I joined my local Slimming World group in Woodford Green in October 2021 weighing 19st 9lbs. Three days before, I’d tried to fit into a suit that I’d bought before the pandemic for a friend’s wedding as I was the best man.
"Dusting the suit off, the trousers didn’t fit and I needed to get it altered to be two sizes bigger. I was mortified and knew I needed to do something!"
He said: “I’d been trying and failing to lose weight by calorie counting or cutting out carbs on my own for a long time. My weight had been causing me health problems. I was on medication for chronic gout and I could barely walk any distance because of the pain.
"I also suffered from crippling anxiety – I was full of self-doubt and worried what people thought of me and hated having my picture taken. Although I know I’d have seemed confident at the time, especially professionally as I work from home in recruitment and my screen persona was always positive, in a way I felt quite isolated and inside I was nervous and felt people were judging me,” says Joe.
“When I told two of my friends how unhappy I was, I was surprised when they got quite excited. It turns out they’d both lost weight with Slimming World and they encouraged me to give it a try.
"I was so fearful of joining, but I needn’t have been. The Consultant Lorna was so reassuring and when I heard about the flexibility of the Food Optimising eating plan, it all made sense. I couldn’t believe I could eat foods like meat and chicken, rice, pasta, fruit and veg freely on the plan, without needing to count, weigh or measure them.
"Then I started listening to everyone else in the group and I realised I wasn’t alone. There’s something about being in a space together like that, where we all feel safe enough to talk about our habits and temptations, which is a great connecting factor.
"After trying to prove the eating plan wrong that first week and eating as much pasta as I could, I was amazed when I lost 11lbs! The reaction from the rest of the group was so lovely! Losing weight suddenly felt doable and I wanted to do well for the group as much as I did for me.
“I feel such a part of my community now, which is an incredible feeling. My Slimming World group is amazing, I’m not sure I’ve ever met a more supportive group of people.
"I was having a tough time a few weeks ago and one of the members drove to my house to deliver some homemade Slimming World-friendly muffins! I’m constantly blown away by the kindness of the group.
"I never realised when I joined Slimming World that I’d gain all these extra benefits, I’ve made firm friends with the other members and I’m excited about going to group each week – there really is no comparison to seeing everyone in real life and not hiding behind tech.
"I was surprised at how many people were around my age and the group is a lovely spread of all ages. I’m also delighted to see more men join our group too!
“If I think back to how I used to eat before joining Slimming World, it was all highly processed food and takeaways. Now I’m never hungry and I make healthy versions of the food I ate before like a full English with bacon medallions and scrambled eggs using a low-fat cooking spray.
"I love the Slimming World fakeaways, particularly the curries which I make from scratch, I love the chicken tikka. I’m always busy so I make full use of the Slimming World food range at Iceland and add extra vegetables.
“My husband Gareth and I recently had our kitchen renovated and I know if I hadn’t joined Slimming World, I would have had a takeaway every night. I dread to think what shape I’d be in, but I stayed focused, attended group every week and now I have a beautiful new kitchen that I associate with healthy eating. There are so many easy recipes to try on the app, it shows that you don’t need to be a wonderful cook to eat healthily.
“Losing 5st has improved my health and made me respect myself more. I eat in a way which fuels my body now and gives me more energy! I make extra time for long walks and I cook from scratch a lot more.
"I used to snore heavily before losing weight and now apparently it’s eerily quiet when I’m sleeping! Since joining Slimming World and losing weight, I’m less anxious and much more confident. I’m not scared of life anymore and I’m enjoying the ride!”
Dr Jacquie Lavin, Special Advisor on the Science of Weight Management at Slimming World says: “Joe’s story shows the sense of belonging our members very quickly feel within our groups, which helps to lift them out of any loneliness and isolation they’re feeling and helps them to feel valued – sometimes for the first time in some time.
“Being part of a community of likeminded people is as important as our healthy eating plan when it comes to successful weight loss as it’s what keeps members coming back week after week to get the support they need.
"As our members’ self-esteem and self-belief grows, they feel safe enough to open up and do the deeper thinking needed to make changes. They also have more confidence in their ability to adopt the new healthy, life-changing habits which the group supports them to build, and to develop and share real-life strategies to deal with potential pitfalls which makes losing weight easier and more successful in the long run.
“Slimming World groups are the original social network. For more than 50 years our members have found a sense of belonging within our groups as they’ve joined together with likeminded people who understand what it’s like to be overweight. At Slimming World, we understand it’s a physical and a psychological journey and members need support to tackle both.”
According to research carried out by Slimming World people believe they are less socially connected to others since the Covid 19 pandemic. As well as having an impact on physical and mental wellbeing, UK adults say this lack of social connection is also contributing to their weight problems.
Conversely, the research from Slimming World shows that feeling connected in a group of like-minded people, who care about your success and positively support you to succeed, makes all the difference when you are trying to lose weight, and highlights the slimming power of social connection.
More than a third (38%) of those questioned in a survey of 2,000 adults* said they feel less socially connected now than they did before the pandemic, and only 36% currently feel a sense of belonging within their local community. Meanwhile, nearly half (44%) say they are meeting fewer people in real life than before March 2020 and 31% say they feel socially isolated even when with other people.
When asked about the challenges of trying to manage their weight since the pandemic and lockdowns, 31% said they found it more difficult, with 12% of those stating it was much more difficult. Of those surveyed, more than one in three (36%) reported that they had gained weight over the course of the past two years (compared to 19% who had lost weight).
Lorna Sheridan runs the Woodford Green Slimming World group and is Joe’s Slimming World Consultant. She says: “Joe is such a great member to have in my group. When he first came through the doors, he was so nervous and it’s been wonderful to see him gain confidence, make such good friends and incredibly lose over 5st! I’m so proud of Joe and the group – they’re great at lifting each other up and I’ve seen myself how when everyone supports each other that’s where the magic is!”
The research also polled members of Slimming World’s 7,700 community weight loss groups. Three in four people who joined a Slimming World group said they were more confident and self-assured (74%) as a result. They had also made new friends (73%), felt more connected (68%) and, crucially, 93% of Slimming World members felt committed to their weight loss.
Slimming World, which commissioned the research by Censuswide, says the findings show that providing opportunities for real-life connection with others, in a powerfully motivating weight loss group setting, is key to stemming the tide of the obesity epidemic and provides the authentic sense of belonging that people are searching for.
Joe attends the Woodford Green Slimming World group run by Consultant Lorna Sheridan. For more information or to find your nearest group, visit slimmingworld.co.uk.
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