Woman sees 7st weight loss after feeling too unfit to dance at parties
A woman has shared how she achieved an incredible 7.5st weight loss after feeling too unfit to dance at parties and build sandcastles with her sons.
Leanne Hemming, 40, from Canonstown, Cornwall, decided to make a change after attending a beach party for her aunt's 60th.
Hemming says her size left her struggling to move and at the birthday celebration she noticed she was was the only one not dancing.
When she started her weight loss journey in August 2021, she weighed 18st 2lbs, but having overhauled her diet and fitness regime, she now weighs 10st 9lbs, and says she is much happier.
Now she is able to go on long walks along the coast and has become the fit and active mum she always dreamed of being.
Recalling the moment that inspired the change, Hemming, who is mum to Elliott, 11, and Hugo, nine, explains: "My two boys were only young, and I felt as though I was missing out.
"I’d wanted to be a mother for so long and yet there I was too unfit to run around after them on the beach or get down on the floor to build sandcastles without struggling for breath."
At her heaviest Hemming describes feeling constantly tired and says she even found standing up hard work.
"My children were much longed for, so being a mother soon took priority over everything else and my weight and health suffered as a result," she explains.
"I'd started to feel as though I was letting the boys down though and I couldn’t allow that to happen."
A couple of days after the beach party, after her cousin revealed she had lost 2st through Slimming Word, Hemming decided to sign up too.
Through the group, she built a healthy eating plan and used the group's physical activity support programme to create a tailored exercise plan.
"I live in a beautiful part of the country, right near the coast, so I started making the most of it by going on lovely walks," she says of her new fitness regime.
"As I became more confident, I joined the gym and now love the feeling I get afterwards. I gradually built this up until I was able to exercise four to five times a week, and now it's just a part of my routine."
Dropping from a size 24 to size eight, Hemming rediscovered her confidence and is now the first on the dance floor at a party.
The weight loss has also had a positive impact on her fitness levels with the family all now enjoying an active lifestyle.
"My days of sitting on the sidelines are over – if there’s a party these days, I’m the first one out of my chair!" she says.
"I was totally inactive before I lost weight – the idea of exerting myself or being out of breath was my worst nightmare."
Following her weight loss success Hemming has been crowned Slimming World's Miss Slinky for 2024 - an accolade voted for by members for the person who has inspired them most.
"The most important change for me is that I’m now the mum I always wanted to be," she adds. "Our family is fit, active and happy and that is all I could have ever asked for."
It's also important to remember that size doesn't always reflect health, but the lifestyle you lead.
Hemming's diet before:
Breakfast: Four slices of thick white toast, spread with butter
Lunch: Cheese and onion sandwich on thick white bread with a packet of crisps
Dinner: A Chinese takeaway or a pizza
Snacks: Crisps, crumpets spread with butter
Hemming's diet after:
Breakfast: Granola and fat-free natural yoghurt with a banana
Lunch: Homemade pasta salad, fresh fruit, a Slimming World Hi Fi bar
Dinner: Slimming World chips, veggie sausages, baked beans, mushy peas
Evening: Fat-free natural yoghurt, fresh fruit
See NHS guidance for eating a balanced diet, which means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions, and consuming the right amount of food and drink. It's also wise to try and lose weight, if that's right for you, in a way that's good for your mind and body and sustainable.
Additional reporting SWNS.
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