Mum who lost 4½st turns slimming success into business success

A mum-of-three who supports hundreds of people to lose weight each week has won a national award for her own weight loss success.

Since joining her local Slimming World group 15 years ago, Rachel Falcus, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, has lost 4st 9.5lbs, discovered a passion for running and trained as a Slimming World Consultant herself, helping others to change their lives just like she did.

Now the 42-year-old has been named Slimming World’s Top Target Consultant 2023 in recognition of her achievements.

Rachel struggled with her weight since childhood. She says: “I was overweight from the age of nine. I didn’t play any sports, and my mum worked nights. My dad tried his best, yet the food he would make for us while she was at work was usually ready meals or takeaways.”

After leaving school Rachel started working as a civil servant and met her husband, Craig, 41. Unhappy with her size, she would start a new diet every few months and although she would lose weight, she found she would regain any weight she lost once she stopped.

Following the arrival of her sons, James 18, and Liam 15, Rachel’s confidence was at an all-time low. She says: “I started to think about the future and feeling that I wasn’t a good role model for my children. I wanted to be an active mum and be able to keep up with them. My weight felt like a constant worry.”

In September 2007, weighing more than 15st and wearing a size 22, Rachel decided to join a Slimming World group, after hearing good things from friends and family. She says: “The idea of joining a group was daunting at first, I soon came to realise I was in a room full of like-minded people who were all there for the same reason though. The feeling in my group was like nothing I’d ever experienced before – for the first time I didn’t feel alone with my weight. The other members of the group soon became friends who rooted for me each week.”

Rachel began following Slimming World’s Food Optimising eating plan and changed her diet of ready meals and takeaways for home-made cooking. After building up her confidence by cooking simple Slimming World recipes, she soon discovered she could enjoy all her favourite meals like burgers and chips by preparing them from scratch, and still lose weight.

She says: “I had never cooked from scratch and here I was cooking up healthier versions of the foods I loved, and the weight just kept coming off. It felt good to be cooking for my family, especially knowing it was healthy food. Now, it’s second nature. Craig and I will look at the Slimming World app in the morning decide what we’re going to have that night, and then spend time together cooking. It’s a way of life that we love.

“People ask me what the ‘secret’ is to keeping the weight off, but there’s no secret really. It doesn’t feel like hard work because this is just my way of life. When I first started losing weight I had two small children and it felt like there was never enough time, especially for me, and I hear that a lot from my members. It’s not selfish to prioritise yourself though – if you feel more in control and happier in yourself, you’re better able to be there for your friends and family. I still make time for my Slimming World group, and it really helps me to stay on track if I’m ever struggling.”

Rachel hit her target weight of 10st 7lbs, losing 4st 9.5lbs and wearing a size 10, in December 2008. She says: “I was bursting with confidence, and felt like I could do anything.”

After becoming pregnant with her third child Emily, now eight, she received support from her midwife and continued to attend her Slimming World group to continue with her healthy habits during pregnancy. Slimming World is the only weight loss organisation to work with the Royal College of Midwives and provides practical and sustainable advice to help expectant mums maintain a healthy diet and an active lifestyle during pregnancy.

The next step for Rachel was to train to become a Slimming World Consultant herself. She says: “When I saw an opportunity to become a Consultant, it suddenly struck me how perfect the role would be for me. I wanted to help people change their lives like I’d changed mine. On top of that, being a Consultant allowed me the flexibility to be around for my children more, as I can tailor my working hours around the school run. Not working 9-5 means I have more time for myself, too.

“In time, I left my job in the civil service to become a full-time Consultant. As a self-employed franchisee, I’ve had the chance to build my own successful groups – I now have 400 members every week – and have been supported through training and by my fantastic team of other Consultants in the local area along the way. It’s been such a positive experience that Craig, who’s lost 5st himself, has recently trained to become a Consultant too. We’re the local Mr and Mrs Slimming World now!”

With her newfound confidence Rachel decided to think about increasing her activity levels and found Slimming World’s Body Magic activity support programme helped her to feel less overwhelmed by the idea and break it down into small steps. She says: “I was the kind of kid to be picked last for PE, so I never thought that exercise would be for me. In fact, no one was more surprised than me when I started enjoying exercise. I joined a gym and started attending a few classes to build my confidence with using the equipment.

“Then when we went into lockdown and the gym closed, I started using the Couch to 5K app. Within two years, I was running the London Marathon as part of the Slimming World team for Cancer Research UK. I have to pinch myself at how much my life has changed.”

She continues: “Winning the title of Top Target Consultant 2023 really is the best recognition I could ever ask for. I do this job because I love what I do. My members are amazing, and they keep me as motivated as I do them. It’s an incredibly rewarding role. When I look back almost 15 years ago, it’s hard to recognise myself. I am so much more active, more confident, and I’m living life to the full now. The best thing of all is that I’ve been a positive role model for my children as they’ve grown – and that will always be my motivation to never go back.”

If, like Rachel, you are feeling inspired to make a difference Slimming World has opportunities for past and current members or former Consultants who are keen to open a local Slimming World group. To find out more or to sign up to attend an opportunity event, click here. 

VITAL STATS:

Name: Rachel Falcus

Age: 42

Height: 5ft 4ins/162cm

Starting weight: 15st 2.5lbs/212.5lbs/96kg

Current weight: 10st 7lb/147lbs/67kg

Weight loss: 4st 9.5lbs/65.5lbs/29kg

Dress size before: 22

Dress size now: 10

Date joined Slimming World: September 2007

Date achieved target weight: December 2008

Time at target: 14 years 2 months

Group: Rachel runs the Killingworth Slimming World groups in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Before menu

Breakfast: Nothing 

Snack: A large chocolate bar 

Lunch: Lasagne microwave ready meal

Snack: Bag of crisps 

Dinner: A Chinese or Indian take away

After menu

Breakfast: A sweet omelette served with fat-free natural yogurt and fresh fruit

Mid-morning: Fresh fruit such as an apple, banana, melon or grapes

Lunch: Home-made pasta salad or Slimming World lunch bowl from Iceland

Mid-afternoon: A fat-free flavoured yogurt  

Dinner: Homemade fake-away such as a Chinese or Indian meal

Evening: Two Slimming World Hi-Fi bars