Joe Thompson was horrified when he was asked to be best man at his closest friend's wedding and he couldn't fit into his suit.
Like many of us, the 35-year-old had piled on the pounds during the Covid pandemic and this was the shock he says he needed to take action.
He joined his local Slimming World group and has now shed a massive five stone without having to give up his favourite foods.
Joe explained: "I joined my local Slimming World group in Woodford Green in October 2021 weighing 19st 9lbs. Three days before, I’d tried to fit into a suit that I’d bought before the pandemic for a friend’s wedding as I was the best man.
"Dusting the suit off, the trousers didn’t fit and I needed to get it altered to be two sizes bigger. I was mortified and knew I needed to do something."
After trying to lose weight on his own with calorie counting but failing the shed the pounds, Joe's health was also starting to suffer.
He explained: "I was on medication for chronic gout and I could barely walk any distance because of the pain. I also suffered from crippling anxiety – I was full of self-doubt and worried what people thought of me and hated having my picture taken.
"Although I know I’d have seemed confident at the time, especially professionally as I work from home in recruitment and my screen persona was always positive, in a way I felt quite isolated and inside I was nervous and felt people were judging me."
It was when Joe spoke to two of his friends, they told him they thought they had a solution.
He said: "When I told two of my friends how unhappy I was, I was surprised when they got quite excited. It turns out they’d both lost weight with Slimming World and they encouraged me to give it a try. I was so fearful of joining, but I needn’t have been."
Slimming World has carried out research revealing people are less socially connected to others since the Covid pandemic. As well as having an impact on physical and mental wellbeing, UK adults say this lack of social connection is also contributing to their weight problems.
The study also shows that feeling connected in a group of like-minded people, who care about your success and positively support you to succeed, makes all the difference when you are trying to lose weight, and highlights the slimming power of social connection.
Joe fully agrees, saying: "The consultant Lorna was so reassuring and when I heard about the flexibility of the Food Optimising eating plan, it all made sense. I couldn’t believe I could eat foods like meat and chicken, rice, pasta, fruit and veg freely on the plan, without needing to count, weigh or measure them.
"Then I started listening to everyone else in the group and I realised I wasn’t alone. There’s something about being in a space together like that, where we all feel safe enough to talk about our habits and temptations, which is a great connecting factor.
"After trying to prove the eating plan wrong that first week and eating as much pasta as I could, I was amazed when I lost 11lbs! The reaction from the rest of the group was so lovely! Losing weight suddenly felt doable and I wanted to do well for the group as much as I did for me.
I feel such a part of my community now, which is an incredible feeling. My Slimming World group is amazing, I’m not sure I’ve ever met a more supportive group of people."
And the kind actions of the members of his group have made all the difference.
Joe said: "I was having a tough time a few weeks ago and one of the members drove to my house to deliver some homemade Slimming World-friendly muffins! I’m constantly blown away by the kindness of the group.
"I never realised when I joined Slimming World that I’d gain all these extra benefits, I’ve made firm friends with the other members and I’m excited about going to group each week – there really is no comparison to seeing everyone in real life and not hiding behind tech.
"I was surprised at how many people were around my age and the group is a lovely spread of all ages. I’m also delighted to see more men join our group too."
The range of food Joe could still eat while losing weight was also a welcome relief.
He said: "If I think back to how I used to eat before joining Slimming World, it was all highly processed food and takeaways. Now I’m never hungry and I make healthy versions of the food I ate before like a full English with bacon medallions and scrambled eggs using a low-fat cooking spray.
"I love the Slimming World fakeaways, particularly the curries which I make from scratch, I love the chicken tikka. I’m always busy so I make full use of the Slimming World food range at Iceland and add extra vegetables.
“My husband Gareth and I recently had our kitchen renovated and I know if I hadn’t joined Slimming World, I would have had a takeaway every night.
"I dread to think what shape I’d be in, but I stayed focused, attended group every week and now I have a beautiful new kitchen that I associate with healthy eating. There are so many easy recipes to try on the app, it shows that you don’t need to be a wonderful cook to eat healthily."
And Joe can't rave enough about all the benefits to his new, healthier lifestyle.
He said:"Losing 5stone has improved my health and made me respect myself more. I eat in a way which fuels my body now and gives me more energy.
"I make extra time for long walks and I cook from scratch a lot more. I used to snore heavily before losing weight and now apparently it’s eerily quiet when I’m sleeping.
“Since joining Slimming World and losing weight, I’m less anxious and much more confident. I’m not scared of life anymore and I’m enjoying the ride."
Dr Jacquie Lavin, Special Advisor on the Science of Weight Management at Slimming World added: “Joe’s story shows the sense of belonging our members very quickly feel within our groups, which helps to lift them out of any loneliness and isolation they’re feeling and helps them to feel valued – sometimes for the first time in some time.
“Being part of a community of likeminded people is as important as our healthy eating plan when it comes to successful weight loss as it’s what keeps members coming back week after week to get the support they need.
"As our members’ self-esteem and self-belief grows, they feel safe enough to open up and do the deeper thinking needed to make changes.
"They also have more confidence in their ability to adopt the new healthy, life-changing habits which the group supports them to build, and to develop and share real-life strategies to deal with potential pitfalls which makes losing weight easier and more successful in the long run
Lorna Sheridan runs the Woodford Green Slimming World group and is Joe’s Slimming World Consultant, added: “Joe is such a great member to have in my group. When he first came through the doors, he was so nervous and it’s been wonderful to see him gain confidence, make such good friends and incredibly lose over 5stone.
"I’m so proud of Joe and the group – they’re great at lifting each other up and I’ve seen myself how when everyone supports each other that’s where the magic is!”
The research also polled members of Slimming World’s 7,700 community weight loss groups.
For more information or to find your nearest group, visit slimmingworld.co.uk.
To read the full story of Joe's amazing weight loss, pick up the October issue of Slimming World Magazine, on sale in all good newsagents and major supermarkets from 1st September.
Joe Thompson
Starting weight: 19st 9lbs
Weight lost: 5st 2lbs
Current weight: 14st 7lbs
Height: 6ft
Before
Breakfast: Bacon and sausage sandwich on white bread with lots of butter and ketchup, greasy fry up at the weekends
Lunch: King size pot noodle and Pringles
Dinner: A lot of processed foods, take-away Chinese, fish and chips, Indian or kebab
Snacks: Pringles, crisps, bars of chocolate, sweets
Drinks: Sugary cup of tea, can of coke, fizzy drinks, full sugar energy drinks
After
Breakfast: Baked beans on wholemeal toast with scrambled egg or bacon medallions
Lunch: Lunch pot from Slimming World’s food range at Iceland with extra vegetables
Dinner: Freshly cooked diet cola chicken with lots of vegetables and/or salad
Snacks: Individual packet of crisps, Freddo bar, low fat yoghurt
Drinks: 6-8 glasses of water a day, occasional vodka and diet coke
