Support helps Northumberland resident Trudie to get slimmer

Trudie Morland was hospitalised for five weeks with respiratory issues. She was around a size 18 at the time and the medication she was on meant she went up to a size 22.

A couple of weeks later, a Slimming World flyer came through the door and she decided to give it a try.

And the 58-year-old said the support from her “family” in the group that meets at Meadowdale Academy in Bedlington has been a key factor in helping her to lose 3st 8lbs.

Trudie said: “I felt very down and uncomfortable in all areas of my life.

“I ate three meals a day, but never the right things and at work it was too tempting to eat chocolate, cake, sandwiches and crisps.

“Now, I eat so much fruit, vegetables and salad as well as cooking so many Slimming World recipes such as chilli, bolognese, curry and pasta dishes.

“I have not only got off all the medication, but I am happy, have self confidence, don't stress about clothes and am enjoying life to the full.

“The support from the consultant and members is outstanding – they are there for everyone all the time. It is a great forum to share recipes/meal ideas and discuss different ways to cook the same item.

“It is not just a group of people all wanting to lose weight, but a family where amazing friendships and support is formed.”

She was speaking in the same week that new research from Slimming World was released.

More than a third (38 per cent) of those questioned in a survey of 2,000 adults said they feel less socially connected now than they did before the Covid-19 pandemic, 44 per cent said they are meeting fewer people in real life than before March 2020 and 31 per cent said they feel socially isolated even when with other people.

In contrast, the research also polled members of Slimming World’s 7,700 community weight loss groups. Three in four people (74 per cent) who joined a group said they were more confident and self-assured as a result. They had also made new friends (73 per cent) and felt more connected (68 per cent).