A mum-of-two lost a staggering nine stone after fearing she was "slowly killing" herself.
Rita Santos, 44, had struggled with her weight all her life and despite trying a range of different diets over the years, she couldn't find one that worked. It was upon returning home from holiday that Rita, who weighed 20st 2lbs at the time, realised she needed to make a change and she asked her GP for advice.
Rita, originally from Portugal and now living in Skelmersdale, told the ECHO: "I came back from holiday and I barely recognised myself. I had a really busy job and when I came back I said 'I really need to do something. I'm killing myself slowly.'
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"It was the amount of weight I had extra and the kind of job I had. I was walking a lot back and forwards and I was on pain killers for the pain on my back and legs.
"I have asthma - it was all of those factors together when I came back from holiday. I went to the doctor to ask for help and my doctor said 'why don't you try Slimming World?'
"I'd never heard of Slimming World because I'm from Portugal and we don't have Slimming World in Portugal."
As she walked through the doors of her local Slimming World group in Skelmersdale, Rita was so nervous she burst into tears, but she was immediately put at ease by her consultant Sue.
Rita said: "I struggled with my weight all my life. I tried all kinds of diets. I'd lose weight and then it went all back on and even more. The diets I tried before were all restrictive, you couldn't have rice or you couldn't have bread.
"Slimming World isn't like that - it's not restrictive, you can still enjoy all the foods that you like.
"I even prepare Portuguese dishes Slimming World style. I just change the kind of meat I use - instead of high fat meat I use lean meat and I don't use oil, margarine or butter. It's small changes like that that make the difference."
“The group really made me feel welcome from the very first day I joined. We share tips and recipe ideas and cheer each other on when we need it – and even when we don’t realise we do.
"Ultimately, when I was at my lowest ebb it was a place I felt safe, included and free to be myself. My Consultant Sue has been amazing and really helped me to believe in myself and stay motivated, too."
Rita now weighs 11st 10lbs and has lost six dress sizes, slimming down from a size 24 to a size 12. She has recently reached the semi-final of Slimming World’s Woman of the Year 2022 competition after being voted by other members across the country.
Rita said her weight loss has also given her the confidence to get married to her partner of 27 years because she will now fit in her wedding dress.
Rita added: "At the start of my journey if you’d have told me I would be representing my group at the finals of Slimming World’s Woman of the Year competition, feeling the way I do, I would have laughed.
"I still can’t believe this is my reality. My growing confidence has meant I finally feel comfortable enough to get married in 2024. I’m looking forward to a brighter, happier and heathier future and ready to seize life with both hands.”
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