A mum who was told she wasn't eating enough to lose weight has gone on to lose six stone.
Valerie Lunt, 65, from Great Sutton, in Ellesmere Port, was told she needed to lose weight by her GP after she began suffering from stomach pains. The results of a scan showed Valerie had gall stones and she was later told she would need to reduce her BMI i n order to be eligible for gall bladder surgery.
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Valerie said: "They didn't say how much I had to lose, I just had to get my BMI down. I managed to lose a stone when I came out of hospital but I just couldn't lose anymore weight.
"My youngest daughter Kelly said 'come along with me mum to Slimming World, they're really good.'
"I didn't realise how much the weight had gone on and I was so depressed by the time I'd gone to Slimming World."
After joining her local Slimming World group in Ellesmere Port in October last year, Valerie was asked to fill in a food diary, which showed she wasn't eating enough food to lose weight.
Valerie said: "I got on the scales the first week and I hadn't lose anything, I'd maintained. I was really upset because I was depressed because of my weight anyway.
"I had a lovely phone call off Chris, my Slimming World consultant. She said 'I know why you're not losing any weight' - and I wasn't eating enough."
An example of Valerie's diet before she joined Slimming World
Snack: A sausage roll or pork pie
Dinner: Fish and chips or homemade pie and mash
An example of Valerie's diet now
Breakfast: Bacon, low fat sausages, eggs cooked in fry light and baked beans or Oats so Simple with banana and cinnamon
Lunch: Salad with soup or Slimming World cottage pie
Dinner: Roast chicken dinner
Valerie said Chris explained that because she was only eating one main meal a day, her body was storing the fat, making it difficult for her to lose weight.
But after she began following Slimming World’s Food optimising plan, Valerie was able to find low fat foods that she was able to eat while suffering with her gall bladder.
She has gone on to lose six stone in total and was able to undergo the lifechanging surgery to have her gall bladder removed in September.
Valerie said: "When the weight just started coming off it gave me more insensitive to carry on and to get it done. The group - they're so lovely and no one judges you at all.
"I've been lucky that I've lost weight every week but you're never judged, and if anybody does put any weight on that week Chris says 'draw a line under it, start again.'"
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