Draperstown sisters shed an amazing 15 stone between them

Draperstown natives Donna and Amanda McWilliamson joined Slimming World in Cookstown in 2012 after watching “the pounds slip on over the years”.

And the results, according to their weight-loss leader - Anne-Marie Convery - have been amazing.

“I am just delighted,” she told the Mail. “It’s lovely to see.

“The biggest thing for me is their confidence and their health - there has been a real good turn around for that as well.”

And her advice to anyone with concerns about their weight, she said is “not to be afraid”.

“Slimming World is not a place for judgement,” she added, “it’s a group of people who are there to support each other.”

Speaking about their experience at the weight loss club, Donna McWilliamson, 37, and her 35-year-old sister Amanda said: “Joining a slimming club was a big decision and very nerve-wracking, but we can honestly say it’s one of the best decisions we ever made.

“We were finding it difficult to do the everyday things in life like walking up the stairs, but now are active members at our local leisure centre.

“It isn’t a diet - our family have got a whole new lifestyle.

“By making small, realistic changes and using the Slimming World ‘Food Optimising’ healthy eating plan, we were able to satisfy our appetite on healthy foods like fruit and veg, pasta, rice, potatoes, lean fish and. And we didn’t feel that deprived.”

Proud of her proteges’ success, Anne Marie added: “They wouldn’t have socialised an awful lot... and now to be able to go out and meet people... it’s lovely to see the difference in them now.

“The girls hope to encourage people who are feeling unhappy or low because of their weight to put their fears aside - it worked for them.”