Mum and daughter shed more than 11 stone at Slimming World - here's how they did it

Gillian Ross and her daughter Emma are sharing their slimming success story as an encouragement to those trying to lose weight and are stressing that you can still enjoy plenty of delicious food while achieving a new slimline look.

They were supported on their slimming journey by Ciara van Es at her Slimming World Saturday morning group in St Cedma’s Parish Hall in Larne.

Ciara said there’s no need for anyone looking to lose weight or to go hungry, after new research found that filling up on low energy dense foods is more likely to lead to weight loss success than counting calories and cutting portion sizes.

The Solutions for Weight through Psychology, Satiation and Satiety study, led by the University of Leeds and published in the Journal of Nutrition, compared women following Slimming World’s Food Optimising eating plan, to another group of women following the NHS Choices programme, which is centred around calorie counting. Unlike a calorie-controlled diet, the Food Optimising plan encourages slimmers to fill up on low energy dense foods (foods that contain fewer calories per gram) including normal everyday foods like fruit and vegetables, lean meat, fish, pasta, rice and eggs freely to satisfy their appetite.

Emma said: “I tried so many fads when I decided Iwanted to lose weight – skipping meals, food replacement shakes, even the ‘cabbage soup’ diet… you name it, I did it! I was just desperate to get quick results. Yes, I lost weight at first, but I only put it all back on again because I felt too restricted and deprived.

“I felt so ashamed at ‘failing’ too. You can’t keep that up for long at all.”

Mum Gillian added: “When I joined Slimming World everything changed - and so did my preconceptions of what Slimming World entailed.

"From the very first week I learned that actually, you can feel full and lose weight enjoying all your favourite dishes, just by making small changes to the way you shop, cook and eat.

"I eat more than I ever did before, I just eat smarter – filling up on lean meat, vegetables, fruit, potatoes, rice and fat-free diary before anything else. I make healthy, homemade meals from scratch that the whole family can enjoy. My family can’t get enough of Slimming World lasagne for example, and I can still enjoya regular glass of wine or small bar of chocolate too - they are just planned and counted within my daily syn allowance.”

The results of the new research is no surprise to Ciara, who said: "My members know they don’t have to weigh, count or measure everything they eat to lose weight. They don’t have to give anything up and they don’t have to ever go hungry thanks to Slimming World’s Free Food.

"It’s a lifestyle not a quick fix, and something that can be kept up forever as members are taught on their journey how to change their mindset and behavioural change through our unique process of IMAGE Therapy.”

Both Emma and Gillian now have free target membership, having lost 11 stones and 2lbs collectively.

Emma has lost seven stone 11.5lbs since joining the group in Jan 2022 and Gillian has lost three stone.

Gillian said: “If I’m honest I was a little sceptical before I joined Slimming World – it sounded too good to be true. I always thought the only way to lose weight was to simply eat less or count everything that I ate and drank. I soon learned that wasn’t the case – I can enjoy meals like homemade fish and chips one night, curry another, roast dinners, ‘fakeaways’ – the list is endless.”

Gillian’s success inspired daughter Emma that it was possible to enjoy food as much as ever and lose weight at the same time and she then joined the group a few months afterwards.

Emma said: “I’ve stopped counting, weighing and measuring everything and I’ve made small changes – like using lean meat, low-calorie cooking spray and adding plenty of fresh vegetables to fill my plate.”

The pair both agreed that the group support had also made a huge difference to their success. They made a lot of new friends and look forward to sharing their success with them each week, as well as talking through challenges on the more difficult weeks.

The group shares tips and motivation as well as recipes and are “like one big family”.

Gillian and Emma said that now they are slimmer, they feel so much more happy and confident – and have got so much more energy too. They even joined a local gym, the Fit Factory, to keep them on our physical activity journey as they know both food optimising and physical activity will keep them achieving long-lasting success and keep them at their target weight.

Ciara described Gillian and Emma as “just two shining examples” of the success within the Slimming World groups.

"It has been my honour and privilege to watch them and others lose weight, gain confidence and a whole new life out there they didn’t realise was possible! You only need to look at the pictures, which shows how happy they are - I couldn’t be prouder.”

For more details on the Larne Slimming World group contact Ciara on 07919 264449 or call in to the group which is held every Saturday morning at 8am, 9.30am and 11.30am at St Cedma’s Parish Hall, Church Road, Larne. More information is also available at www.slimmingworld.co.uk