Dawn adds years to her life by maintaining her 17st weight loss

A grandmother from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, who lost two thirds of her body weight, believes she wouldn’t have been alive for the birth of her grandchildren if she hadn’t joined her local Slimming World group.

Dawn Lambert, 52, began her weight loss journey with Slimming World in 2007 and hit her first weight loss target, having lost 9st, in 2014. Not only has she maintained this incredible weight loss for the past eight years, she’s also gone on to lose a further 8st, meaning she’s now lost an astounding 17st.

At 26st 4lbs, Dawn’s weight exacerbated her health problems – which included dangerous blood poisoning following surgery. Now she has been named Slimming World’s Diamond Member of the Year, a competition which celebrates slimmers who have successfully maintained their target weight.

At her heaviest, Dawn’s health issues included asthma, blood clots in her legs and lungs, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diverticulitis (a digestive condition that affected her large intestine), lipoedema (a painful build up of fat in her arms and legs), lymphedema (a chronic condition that causes swelling in the body’s tissues), osteoarthritis and a sluggish bowel meaning she was forced to take laxatives. She also suffered a serious case of septicaemia following an operation to repair her bowel and suffers with chronic fatigue syndrome following the surgery.

Dawn says: “I’d been overweight for much of my life. I never really felt like I ate that much, but I was stuck in an overeat-and-restrict cycle which saw my weight go up and up. My asthma was out of control most days and I couldn’t even get up my stairs to bed without using my inhaler.  

“I knew without losing weight my health issues would continue to get worse. After a period of ill health, I was told by a liver surgeon that I had PBC antibodies – indicating a type of liver disease that can eventually lead to liver failure – and needed to lose weight to give me a better life expectancy. This really scared me. I knew I wanted to live long enough to see my son get married and to see my future grandchildren grow up. I had to change, or I wasn’t going to be around – and that was a terrifying thought.”

Following a recommendation from her brother, Dawn decided to join Slimming World: “My brother told me that he’d joined Slimming World and was listing all of the food he could eat. I thought it sounded too good to be true, so I went along to see for myself. Turns out he was right! I’d tried every diet you could think of before, but none of them worked because I always ended up hungry and then reaching for something unhealthy to fill me up.”

With Slimming World’s plan, members can enjoy a wide range of healthy everyday foods that are lower in energy density (calories per gram), such as lean meat and poultry, fat free dairy, pasta, rice and grains, and fruit and veg, to satisfy their appetite. This freedom and variety means that slimmers can reduce their overall calorie intake without having to count a single calorie, lose weight without being hungry, and personalise the plan to their dietary requirements and way they like to eat.

Dawn says: “Even with everything my brother was saying, I honestly didn’t think I’d be able to eat so much and still lose weight – I was still having a full English and a roast dinner, I was just preparing them in a different way. At my first weigh in I lost 10½lbs and I was in total shock! I quickly realised Slimming World was totally different from the things I’d tried in the past.

“I did feel nervous about joining a group because when you’re 26st meeting new people is very nerve-wracking as you always worry people are judging you, but I had my mam with me for support and quickly realised that everyone there is in the same boat. I’ve never experienced any judgment or been made to feel ashamed at all at Slimming World, everyone’s always been so kind and I’ve made some wonderful friends. They really helped me in my journey and now that I’m a target member myself, I love that I’m able to share my experiences to help other people too.”

After a few months, Dawn found that her energy levels soared and says hearing about Slimming World’s Body Magic physical activity programme in her weekly group encouraged her to think about how she could develop more active habits, even with her health issues.

Dawn, who is single, says: “Losing weight gave me the confidence to take up walking and join a gym, which is something I never could have imagined before. Unfortunately, I’m not currently able to exercise, though I know that my weight loss has had a profound impact on my overall fitness.”

Today Dawn has reached her target weight of 9st 4lbs, dropping from a dress size 36 to a size 10. She says: “I will always have to live with my conditions, though now I’m healthy weight, I can keep them under control with daily medications.

“People often ask what my ‘secret’ is and I always say the same thing – the group! Because I’ve always been surrounded by people who are on the same journey, I never feel alone, and I always have people who understand and care about me and want me to succeed to turn to if I’m struggling. My health issues mean I am often housebound, so my Slimming World group is a lifeline for me.”

By far the biggest gift to come from Dawn’s weight loss is the time it has given her with her family. She says: “I have two beautiful little granddaughters, Willow who is almost four and India who is almost two. There was a point in my life when I didn’t think I’d be around to meet them, let alone see them grow up. To know I’ve done everything I can to see that is a dream come true.”

VITAL STATS:

Name: Dawn Lambert

Age: 52

Height: 5ft 6in

Starting weight: 26st 4lbs

Current weight: 9st 4lbs

Weight loss: 17st

Dress before: 36

Dress size now: 10

Joined Slimming World: 2007

Achieved first target: 2014

Group: Dawn attends the Forest Hall Slimming World group in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, run by Consultant Xena Marshall

Before menu

Breakfast: Gregg’s bacon sandwich and black coffee

Lunch: Gregg’s sandwich, crisps and Snickers

Dinner: slow-cooker hot pot

Snacks: Snickers, crisps, cream cake, Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut family-size bar

After menu

Breakfast: homemade cooked breakfast: grilled bacon (fat removed), mushrooms and tomatoes, egg fried in a pan sprayed with low-calorie cooking spray, beans and two slices of wholemeal toast

Lunch: homemade pasta bake with passata and veg

Dinner: Shepherd’s pie made with lean minced beef and veg on the side

Snack: Snickers, homemade hummus with veg sticks, cheese and crackers