'I never ate vegetables and my weight spiralled to…

'I never ate vegetables and my weight spiralled to size 30 - this is how I lost eight stone'

Approaching her 50th birthday, Samantha Spendlow knew it was the milestone she needed to turn her life around for good.

The mum-of-three had tried endless diet and exercise plans over the years but nothing seemed to shift her weight – seeing her balloon to over 20 stone.

The 49-year-old, from Wilmslow, would always skip breakfast and lunch and instead snack on biscuits, chocolate and unhealthy ready meals throughout the day. At her heaviest, she was a dress size 30.

Desperate for a healthy lifestyle, she joined Slimming World in January 2022 and watched as the pounds dropped off – eventually shedding eight stone and becoming a size 12.

“I woke up on New Year’s Day last year and decided I didn’t want to hit 50 being fat,” she said. “I was really sceptical about joining [Slimming World], I’m not a people person.

“I thought the group would be happy-clappy and that I would feel totally uncomfortable in that situation, but I was wrong.”

Not only did Samantha transform her physical health, her mental health began to improve too – with her new-found confidence seeing her get a promotion at work.

Samantha, 49, now has her dream job as a head teacher at a primary school in Sale. “After building my confidence in group and recognising the changes I had made, I now knew I was capable of achieving anything and went for it,” she said.

"I knew my weight was holding me back, stopping me from being the confident version of me I so desperately wanted to bring out.

“Feeling that others could make assumptions about me, my size and judging my ability on my weight this is something that made me judge myself and would on many occasions knock my confidence and self-esteem.”

Samantha now with Slimming World leader Ben (Samantha Spendlow)

Before her weight loss journey, Samantha tried exercising at her local gym but struggled to take part in classes. Although the exercise gradually became easier with the help of a personal trainer, she was still unable to lose weight.

But following her incredible transformation, she now works out at the gym every day for at least two hours, particularly enjoying pilates, yoga and dance.

Reflecting on her former diet, she said: “I wouldn’t have breakfast, I’d eat biscuits and chocolate during the day. I've completely cut all the chocolate and sweets out now, I just get sugar from fruit.

“Then for an evening meal, we would get a takeaway at weekends. It was a free-for-all. I’d get a Chinese, but it wouldn't just be a main meal, I’d get a starter and eat a main meal on my own whereas most people share them.

“I’d get a whole portion of fried rice, chicken curry and a portion of ribs. If I went to McDonald’s, it would be a burger, nugget and chips. When we ate anything, it would be fried. We used a lot of oils and the portion sizes were big.

“I’d eat lots of oven chips, burgers and really quick, convenient food. I never ate any vegetables.”

Commenting on Samantha’s success, her Slimming World consultant Ben, based in Eccles, said: “Samantha really is an inspiration to others in group each and every week.”

Samantha's diet before her weight loss:

Breakfast

No breakfast

Lunch

No lunch - just snacks including chocolate and biscuits

Snacks

Chocolate and biscuits

Tea

Easy oven ready meals like burgers, chips and sausages. At the weekend, Chinese takeaways including a starter, main meal, fried rice, chicken curry and a portion of ribs. Samantha would often get McDonald's including burger, nuggets and chips too