Hairdresser Hayley is 6st lighter and in great shape after giving fizzy drinks the chop
Mum of five Hayley, 41, says it was the support at her Slimming World group in Essex that helped her reach her weight loss goals
On 1st January 2021, Hayley Short from Colchester, joined her local Slimming World group weighing 17st 2lbs. She says: “I’ve always struggled with my weight from being young and was a size 16-18 when I started senior school. I’ve tried so many ways to lose weight and sometimes, although it worked, I soon piled the weight back on. One time I didn’t eat any food at all, just had milkshakes for weeks and another time, I lost weight but I also lost my hair as it started falling out. When I tried calorie counting, I found I’d focus more on my allowance than making sure I was eating healthy food.
“I’d heard about Slimming World and knew some people locally who’d had some great weight losses. I joined my local group with my friend before the first lockdown at the beginning of 2020. We’d get weighed then leave straight away. Even then, I still lost a stone so I knew it worked, but when we went into lockdown I didn’t want to join the temporary virtual groups and thought I could manage on my own.
“By the end of 2020 however, without the support of my weekly group, I just didn’t think about what I was eating at all – it was all processed foods and sugary drinks. I was just getting bigger and bigger. I was so fed up being overweight and not being able to play with my children or go swimming as I was conscious of people looking at me. I had aches and pains in my hips and didn’t do any exercise at all. I would get out of breath walking and even putting on my socks was a struggle.
“I messaged my friend to see if she would like to re-join Slimming World and I was so pleased when she agreed. I was anxious at first, but everyone was so friendly, I just felt welcome and comfortable straight away. I now realise how important support is when you’re trying to lose weight. Spending longer at the group to listen to the Consultant’s advice and the tips from the other members has made all the difference. We all talk and share ideas whether you’ve had a good week or not. You end up feeling so motivated, you don’t want to go back to old habits as you know you’re all in it together. If you have one day where things don’t go to plan, you know it doesn’t ruin everything. You hear other people’s successes and think, wow I can do that. I never go without anything – I still have the odd chocolate bar when I want it.”
Hayley’s story is so inspiring and backs up our research involving 1.1m slimmers which found that regularly attending a group helps people to lose weight, with members who attend at least 75% of group sessions losing more weight, achieving on average over 7% weight loss (around 1st 1lb) in their first three months. Hayley’s success mirrors what we often hear our members say – that they feel part of a community. This is so motivating as members know they’re not on their own, but with a group of people who care about them and their weight loss with no judgement or humiliation, just kindness. That kind of community and support is so powerful!
Hayley says: “So many people ask how I’ve lost weight, I can’t wait to tell them as I’m so proud of myself. I’ve gone from a size 20 to a size 10 and I’m a regular at the gym. I hated the gym at first and now I love it! At my heaviest, my family bought me a hairdresser’s tool belt and I couldn’t do it up I was so embarrassed. Now it’s almost too loose! I eat so much more veg now and love having fruit as my snacks instead of the sweets, biscuits and crisps I used to have. I’ve ditched all the fizzy pop I used to drink and replaced it with water and I love cooking from scratch, my favourite dinner to cook is Slimming World's cottage pie.
“As someone who left their Slimming World group thinking I could ‘go it alone’ after I lost weight, I know how challenging that can be. I realised I needed the support of my group to keep me on track and lift me up when I’d had a bad week. The complete lack of judgement in the room is one of the biggest things for me.”
Linda Duncan runs the Shrub End Slimming World group in Essex and is Hayley’s Slimming World Consultant. She says: “We were thrilled when Hayley joined our group, and she soon became such an inspiration to so many members. Hayley likes to say she’s a slow steady loser, with just less than 1lb weight loss a week and yet those pounds added up to over 5st in a year. So many members compare their progress to hers knowing that small steps can lead to big results – it makes them so excited for their future as a result.”
Slimming World was founded by Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE in Derbyshire in 1969 and has become the UK and Ireland’s leading weight loss organisation with more people choosing to attend a Slimming World group each week than any other weight loss programme. We support hundreds of thousands of people, both in our groups and online, to lose weight and to adopt new habits to stay slim for life.
Over the years our founding principles haven’t changed:
· Our unique programme is based on a powerfully motivating support system called IMAGE (Individual Motivation and Group Experience) Therapy. Underpinned by a deep understanding of the psychology of overweight people, and incorporating the most effective sustainable behaviour change techniques, IMAGE Therapy is designed to inspire and motivate slimmers to make positive changes and to develop new, healthier habits around food and activity.
· Food Optimising is our healthy eating plan, based on the liberating concept of Free Food. We encourage our members to fill up on those foods that are naturally lower in energy density (calories per gram) and also highly satisfying while limiting foods that are highest in fat and sugar and are less satisfying, so they lose weight without ever feeling hungry or deprived and without having to weigh, measure or count everything they eat.
· Our activity programme, Body Magic helps members to overcome any barriers around activity. Members choose when to start and they set the pace, finding activities they genuinely enjoy, until regular physical activity becomes an intrinsic part of their daily routine.
At the heart of everything we do lies our passion for treating every member with genuine care, empathy and respect.
We’re proud to work with the NHS, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), The Royal College of Midwives and others to help shape the future of weight management in the UK and Ireland.
For more information about Slimming World’s approach visit slimmingworld.co.uk or slimmingworld.ie
Follow Slimming World on Twitter at twitter.com/slimmingworld or become a Slimming World fan on Facebook at facebook.com/slimmingworld
For the Press Office visit our newsroom or email public.relations@slimmingworld.co.uk
Hayley Short
Height: 5ft 4in
Starting weight: 17st 2lbs
Weight lost: 6st 2lbs
Current weight: 11st
BEFORE
Breakfast: Large bowl of sugary cereal with skimmed milk
Lunch: Ham sandwich made with white bread, butter and mayonnaise, crisps, chocolate biscuit, fizzy drink
Dinner: Processed food like burger or a sausage roll, chips and beans with ice cream and cake for pudding
Snacks: Sweets, crisps and chocolate – anything I could find in the cupboard
Drinks: lots of sugary, fizzy drinks throughout the day
AFTER
Breakfast: Fresh fruit, for example an apple and low-fat yoghurt, black coffee
Lunch: Sandwich made with wholemeal bread, boiled eggs mashed with light mayonnaise, high fibre bar
Dinner: Slimming World Shepherd’s Pie made with lean mince, served with lots of vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
Snacks: Low fat ice cream
Drinks: Black coffee and lots of water throughout the day