A woman from Leeds who was struggling with her self image has dropped a huge three stone in just six months and saved money on her weekly food bill too by kicking her takeaway habit.
Kayleigh from Tingley said: “I was avoiding having my photo taken, socialising, buying new clothes as I didn’t like what I saw when looking in the mirror.
"I have always been a big fan of takeaways, sometimes we would have 3-4 per week along with a couple of visits to fast food outlets.”
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However, all this has changed for Kayleigh since joining Slimming World. Now she enjoys searching for recipes on the free Slimming World app and Lifeline Online, makes meal plans and makes her favourite takeaways that all the family love.
“We still have 3-4 ‘Fakeaways’ each week, everything from Pizza, Chinese, Curry and Burgers, all Food Optimised which meant I still lost weight every week. My husband and I still have a monthly ‘Lazy Day’, booking a day off work to do absolutely nothing!!
"Historically that involved lots of high syn/calorie snacks and a pizza delivery. This has now been replaced with a healthy and satisfying buffet of chicken pieces, lean cooked meats,a variety of homemade dips, wholemeal pitta ‘nachos’, veggie crudites, fresh fruit skewers, homemade pate and a healthy cheese selection.
“I still enjoy my favourite ‘naughty treats’ and socialise whilst maintaining my 3 stone weight loss and this continues to fascinate me!! as I never miss out.”
Kayleigh is a member in the Tingley group. Her Consultant Diane says: “I’m so proud of the changes that Kayleigh has made. She is such an inspiration to all the members and continues to support all of them every week in group."
Kayleigh’s story backs up new research which shows that it is possible to lose weight on a budget. New research led by the UK’s largest weight-loss organisation Slimming World, has revealed that the cost-of-living crisis is making it more difficult to make healthy food choices.
In the survey, conducted by OnePoll, over a third (37%) say their physical health has been impacted by the cost-of-living crisis and 46% say it has affected their mental health.
The study of 2,000 adults reveals half of UK adults report they’re finding it harder to make healthy food choices (51%) and one in three say they prioritise the cost of food over how healthy it is (31%).
Since the end of 2021, 80% of the 2,000 adults polled reported having concerns about rising food prices. Over a fifth of adults (23%) say they weigh more now compared to one year ago and nearly two in three (58%) of these believe the financial crisis contributed to their weight gain.
One in three say they prioritise the cost of food over how healthy it is (31%), of those who gained weight, 38% felt this was due to comfort eating or eating more convenience food.
36% felt they gained weight due to having to buy cheaper, less nutritious food, and 31% say they’re less motivated to eat healthily because of the cost-of-living crisis.
The good news is that 83% of those who’d joined a Slimming World group agree it is possible to lose weight on a budget, 74% feel confident they can eat healthily on a budget and 90% now feel more in control when it comes to their food choices,
Dr Jacquie Lavin, Special Advisor on the Science of Weight Management at Slimming World, says: “It’s well documented that the cost-of-living crisis is having a big impact on people’s buying habits.
Without the right support, there is a very real possibility that the financial crisis could make it even more difficult for people to manage their weight and health.”
For those trying to eat healthily and manage their weight the cost-of-living crisis presents new challenges. Some 38% of UK adults don’t feel they’ve picked up any advice, for example from friends and family, social media, supermarkets or colleagues, on how to reduce the cost of their food shop.
And nearly half (47%) feel the Government isn’t doing enough to help people have a healthy diet during the financial crisis. The survey also polled members of Slimming World’s 13,000 community weight loss group sessions and online programme2.
More than half (56%) of members said they’ve found it easy to eat healthily on a budget since joining Slimming World and 83% say that sharing tips, support and advice at their weekly group helps with this.
Dr Lavin who is a Registered Nutritionist says: “The cost-of-living crisis is particularly challenging for anyone who is trying to lose weight, because financial pressures mean making healthy choices around food and drink can be more difficult.
"We can see from the member survey that receiving support and advice to make healthy eating choices is more important than ever when helping people to lose weight on a budget.
"In fact, since joining Slimming World, 90% of members now feel more in control when it comes to their food choices and 83% agree it is possible to lose weight on a budget.”
Knowing they weren’t alone and getting support from others on the same journey helped a third of Slimming World members (33%) spend less, while for 34% it was the motivation and inspiration from other members.
More than two thirds (69%) say they’ve received batch-cooking suggestions from fellow slimmers, 55% have received advice about bulking out meals with cheaper ingredients such as vegetables and lentils, and 52% report receiving low-cost recipe ideas.
Nearly half (47%) of Slimming World members say planning their meals helped them to save money while they’ve been a member, cooking from scratch was key to saving for almost half (47%).
And for 39% switching to appliances which used less energy, like an air fryer or a microwave made a difference. For 28% freezing leftovers rather than wasting food helped to cut food bills.
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