A WOMAN from Colwyn Bay has found that losing weight has also helped her ankle recover after suffering a nasty injury.

Lesley, who had struggled with her weight since having her son 35 years ago, slipped on black ice in December 2022.

She ended up with pins and plates in her ankle, which meant she was non-weight-bearing for seven weeks, and had to survive on ready meals.

Lesley was advised that losing some weight would aid the recovery of her ankle, so joined a Slimming World group in Colwyn Bay.

Since then, she has gone on to lose three stone, and said her ankle is “90 per cent back to normal”.

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She said: “My friend had joined Slimming World, and I could see her losing weight; she told me that, with Slimming World, there was no calorie counting, and that I could still eat real food.

“She also said that the group was really good fun all things, so at the end of July 2023, I joined my local group on a Thursday at St John’s Methodist Church.

“I was inspired by the friendliness of my consultant, Jane, who had also been on her own journey, so she knew the struggles of weight loss.

“I loved that the group members were also really welcoming and encouraging. They understood, after all we were all there for the same reason.

“I love that I’m not on a diet - it’s a healthy eating plan, and I’ve never eaten as much food as I do.

“I really enjoy using the Slimming World recipe books and magazine to make lots of normal meals, like curries and spicy foods, which I love.

“I have been on holiday, had a birthday and celebrated Christmas, and never felt that I lost out by sticking to ‘food optimising’, their healthy eating plan.

“I now have an incredible three stone weight loss, and now have more energy to tackle the hills when I am hiking. I have also joined a gym and, to my delight, my ankle is 90 per cent back to normal!”

New research published in Clinical Nutrition Open Science found that three in four respondents who received support in building healthy habits at a Slimming World group were lighter up to three years after joining.

In total, 93 per cent attributed the improvement to their weight management and the lifestyle changes they’d made.

Lesley added: “My weight was really taking a toll on my health, and I worried about the implications it was having on my health.

“But with the guidance of Jane and my group, I now feel that anything is now possible.”