Ditching takeaways and fast food has resulted in a woman dropping an impressive three stone in just six months.
She has also saved a few quid too, with her weekly shopping bill being reduced after swapping fatty food for healthier options.
And the new and improved Kayleigh, from Tingley, was all thanks to her joining Slimming World, reports Leeds Live.
She said: “I have always been a big fan of takeaways, sometimes we would have three to four per week along with a couple of visits to fast food outlets.
“But I was avoiding having my photo taken, socialising, buying new clothes as I didn’t like what I saw when looking in the mirror.”
But after signing up for Slimming World, her lifestyle changed to such an extent that the weight has been dropping off her over the past few months after altering her diet and cooking up delicious and healthy recipes.
“We still have three to four ‘fakeaways’ each week, everything from pizza, Chinese, curry and burgers, all food optimised which meant I still lost weight every week,” she explained.
“My husband and I still have a monthly ‘lazy day’, booking a day off work to do absolutely nothing.”
Kayleigh admits her new eating regime is the business, while looking back on her old habits with more than a little scrutiny.
“Historically that involved lots of high syn/calorie snacks and a pizza delivery,” she said of what she used to eat. “This has now been replaced with a healthy and satisfying buffet of chicken pieces, lean cooked meats, a variety of homemade dips, wholemeal pitta nachos, veggie crudites, fresh fruit skewers, homemade pate and a healthy cheese selection.
“I still enjoy my favourite ‘naughty treats’ and socialise while maintaining my three stone weight loss and this continues to fascinate me as I never miss out.”
Kayleigh is a member in the Tingley group. Her consultant Diane said: “I’m so proud of the changes that Kayleigh has made.
“She is such an inspiration to all the members and continues to support all of them every week in group.”
Despite Kayleigh’s food bill going down as she buys healthier ingredients, new research by Slimming World shows that a third of people are prioritising the cost of food over how healthy it is.
The survey revealed that that 36% felt they gained weight due to having to buy cheaper, less nutritious food, and 31% said they’re less motivated to eat healthily because of the cost-of-living crisis.
The study of 2,000 adults revealed 51% of UK adults report they’re finding it harder to make healthy food choices.
The good news, though, is that 83% of those who’d joined a Slimming World group agree it is possible to lose weight on a budget, 74% feel confident they can eat healthily on a budget, and 90% now feel more in control when it comes to their food choices.
Dr Jacquie Lavin, special advisor on the science of weight management at Slimming World, said: “It’s well documented that the cost-of-living crisis is having a big impact on people’s buying habits.
“Without the right support, there is a very real possibility that the financial crisis could make it even more difficult for people to manage their weight and health.”
The registered nutritionist went on: “We can see from the member survey that receiving support and advice to make healthy eating choices is more important than ever when helping people to lose weight on a budget.”
The research also polled members of Slimming World's 13,000 community weight loss group sessions and online programme.
More than half (56%) said they’ve found it easy to eat healthily on a budget since joining Slimming World and 83% say that sharing tips, support and advice at their weekly group helps with this.
