A Galloway woman has gained a confidence boost from shedding pounds she piled on during lockdown.
Vivianne Hornsby moved from Cambridgeshire to Sorbie with her dog just before the first Covid restrictions were introduced in early 2020.
With little else to do in a new area, comfort eating saw her weight rise to just over 16 stone.
So in autumn 2020 she started attended virtual meetings of Slimming World’s Newton Stewart branch.
And by the time restrictions had been relaxed in May 2021, her weight had dropped down to 13 stone.
Vivianne, aged 59, said: “Having lost the weight really boosted my confidence. I felt better about myself and it’s not just physical, it’s a mental thing as well. Once you change your mindset then it’s easy just to buy the things you need.
“I had the confidence to join groups and meet people and I’ve made friendships through it and at Slimming World.
“It got me more physical, going out for walks with the dogs. I started sea kayaking, something I have wanted to do for a long time, and became involved in the local panto group.
“I’d had interviews for jobs but just felt so low but once I’d lost that weight and got the confidence, the next interview I took I got. It really did make a huge difference.”
The Newton Stewart Slimming World group is run by Nina Cloy and meets in the Creebridge House Hotel at 3.30pm, 5.30pm and 7.00pm every Thursday.
She also runs sessions in Castle Douglas at Threave Rovers at 3.30pm, 5pm and 6.30pm on Wednesdays.
And despite having lost weight, Vivianne is still going along to meetings in Newton Stewart.
She said: “I’ve done it in the past but once you lose the weight you stop going. This time I’ve continued going because you get that constant support. You can message Nina any time of day and she’ll get back to you.
“Everyone in the group is really supportive. We all understand what we’re going through I’d recommend it to anybody.
“People think when they’re on a diet they can cut out everything but that’s not the case. We’re taught what is ‘free’ food - fruit and vegetables - and other things are counted. You can have chocolate because you have ‘syns’ each day.
“Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian or a meat eater, it will fit in with your lifestyle.
“The support is there in so many different ways.”
