A retired midwife has lost an amazing 15 and a half stone in an incredible transformation. Sally Offer admits that she has spent most of her life looking after other people.
Putting everyone else before herself meant that when it came to her own needs she would often choose convenience. The 56-year-old grandmother of 10 retired early partly because her weight meant she was unable to keep up with the physical demands of the job.
She decided to join a local Slimming World club when she tipped the scales at 26 stone. Before joining the weight loss community she used to "snack mindlessly throughout the day", but thanks to changes in her diet and moving more she is now a healthy 10 stone 8lbs.
Two weeks after she reached her goal weight she went on holiday with her friends. "I went to Portugal with my girlfriends. Imagine my surprise when for the first time in years, I didn’t need a seatbelt extender on the aeroplane. We had a fabulous time, and I didn’t worry about my weight at all,” she said.
Speaking on her weight loss journey Sally told Bristol Live: "As a midwife, I spent most of my life taking care of other people. I'd think nothing about going out of my way to help my expectant mums and their babies, it was just natural to me. What didn't come naturally though, was taking care of myself. I adored my job but ended up retiring early - partly because of family reasons, but if I'm honest, partly because at 26 stone I was finding the physical side of the job incredibly demanding, too.
"Before joining Slimming World, I would snack mindlessly throughout the day - now I have three healthy and filling meals which keep me satisfied. I cook all of my meals from scratch and enjoy lots more fruit and veg.
"My favourite meal is a tasty chicken chow mein - it tastes just as good as a takeaway. I have so much more energy now, which is needed with five grandchildren!"
Sally learned how to change her eating habits and soon found she had more energy than ever, which helped her settle into retirement. She went on to say: "These days I'm busy with swimming, long dog walks and pilates classes - I started small with all of them and found, over time, I could do more and more. It's a running joke that I'm busier now than before I retired!"
She added: "The year I retired I tried losing weight alone, but I always used to end up back where I started. It was then that I realised I needed help to take control of my weight.
"I knew some friends had found success with Slimming World and some of my patients had also followed the plan to manage their weight during pregnancy, so I knew it was a healthy and flexible way to lose weight. I plucked up the courage to join my local group – and I’m so glad I did. Everyone there was so welcoming and friendly and I’ve made such good friends along the way.”
Sally wouldn't have been able to lose the weight, and keep it off, without the support she got from members of her local Slimming World club. She said: “I always knew my journey would be a marathon rather than a sprint, so the support of my group was invaluable.
“Everything I learned about my trigger foods (those foods that I found very difficult not to overeat) and potential pitfalls really helped me to understand myself as a slimmer, so for the first time I actually felt in control of my eating habits.”
