Martin is strictly serious about making healthy changes
A police officer from Daventry, inspired by Strictly Come Dancing, has taken to the ballroom after losing an incredible 9st 3lbs with Slimming World.
A police officer from Daventry who feared his weight would impact his health has lost 9st 3lbs and has taken up ballroom dancing.
Martin Turner, 36, decided to join Slimming World as he was struggling to keep up with the physical aspects of his job after his weight crept up over a period of 10 years.
Martin says: “My job can be stressful, and I’ve always worked irregular shifts which meant I ate a lot of quick and easy, but unhealthy, lunches and dinners.
“I’d tried a lot of diets, including an 800-calories a day diet, and I even cut out carbohydrates. Every attempt worked to a small degree, but they weren’t sustainable, and the weight would soon go back on when I stopped eating that way.
“I stepped on the scales for the first time in years after my mum had a health scare which made me consider my own health. I was shocked when I saw the number looking back at me and knew that I needed to take control of my weight once and for all.”
Martin joined his local Slimming World group in July 2022 following a referral from his GP. Although initially nervous about walking into his group for the first time, Martin says he was warmly welcomed by Consultant Leanne Saunders and the other group members.
He says: “I wasn’t looking forward to my first day at group because I had this perception that Slimming World is more for women, and I wouldn’t fit in. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, and everybody made me feel supported from the very start of my weight-loss journey.”
Since joining, Martin has lost 9st 3lbs following Slimming World’s Food Optimising healthy eating plan and is still able to enjoy his favourite meals like chicken stir fry and Chinese style fakeaways.
“I expected Leanne to tell me that I had to follow a strict diet in order to achieve my goals; I wondered how many food groups I’d have to cut out or which of my favourite meals I’d no longer be able to enjoy. So imagine the relief when I found out nothing was off limits with Slimming World!”
It’s not only his food choices that have helped Martin turn his health around; he has also increased his fitness with the help of Slimming World’s Body Magic physical activity support programme. Martin started to slowly build up his activity levels by getting off the bus a couple of stops early and walking to his destination. These additional daily steps then turned into regular jogs as his fitness improved and he took on the Couch to 5k challenge.
Losing weight and becoming more physically fit gave Martin the confidence to accompany his wife Sarah to their first ballroom dancing class, something she’d been asking him to do for a long time.
He said: “There has always been a physical side to my job but outside of work I didn’t exercise. Similarly to my food choices, I knew I wanted to change but I just didn’t know where to start. What I really like about Slimming World’s activity programme is that I could do any exercise I enjoyed and take it all at my own pace.
“Sarah and I have always watched Strictly Come Dancing, and she has been talking about taking ballroom dancing lessons for years. I always shrugged it off as something that would just never happen. I knew I wouldn’t enjoy it at the size I was, and I never thought I’d lose enough weight to be light on my feet. After losing the weight and gaining confidence, I was so pleased to tell Sarah that I finally wanted to go – and she was delighted too.
“When we sit down to watch the Strictly final this year, I’ll definitely have a greater appreciation of the dancer’s skills and feel pleased in how far I’ve come in being able to hit the dancefloor myself!”
Martin’s group is now run by Consultant Louise Heath, who also runs her own group in Daventry.
“Martin is such a great member of the group and gives everything his all. I’m so proud of him and how far he’s come. To go from being inactive and stuck in a cycle of unhealthy choices, to having the confidence to give ballroom dancing a go is incredible!”
Martin’s menu before and after weight loss
| Meal | Before | After |
| Breakfast | Would skip breakfast, banana and a coffee | Berries and yoghurt with a banana |
| Lunch | Supermarket meal deal with crisps and a pasty | Leftovers from the night before or a salad |
| Dinner | Takeaway or a ready meal | Chicken stir fry or a fakeaway |
| Snacks | Sweets, chocolate, crisps | Apples, grapes, peppers, carrot sticks |
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 physical activity support programme, Body Magic helps members to overcome any barriers around exercise. 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