Birchington support worker spurred by helicopter flight gift to lose 4 stone

Lynne has lost 4 stone during a year of lockdown and tier restrictions

A birthday gift for a helicopter ride last year spurred Birchington support worker Lynne Brough to take control of her weight and shed more than 4 stone over the next 10 months.

Lynne,61, says she received the gift from her husband but participants had to be under 17 stone to take the flight.

The mum-of-two and nan-of-four weighed 17-and-a-half stone and says she had just weeks to lose the pounds before the flight in April.

Lynne said: “Doing it on my own, I was struggling. My friend had been part of a Slimming World group for quite a while but I was sceptical as to what they could do for me that I couldn’t do at home.

“I had lost weight before using a Tesco plan and still had the menu plans but I was mixing them up and eating the wrong quantities.

“I decided to go along and see what happened and was very pleased to lose 7lb in the first week.”

Lynne joined a Saturday morning Slimming World group at Salmestone primary school just four weeks before covid forced the first national lockdown.

She then stayed with the group online and lost two stone by week 17 and four stone by Christmas.

The weight loss saw her reduce her clothing size from a 24 to around an 18.

She said: “I feel fitter in myself and don’t get out of breath as much. It has motivated me. I can exercise and get back into clothes I was wearing four or five years ago. It has given me confidence again.”

Lynne, who works nights, says she has ‘tricked’ her body by swapping out crisps for snacks that are still crunchy such as carrots and celery and use a group optimising food plan which gives the right combination of food groups per meal and includes unlimited amounts of rice, pasta, lean meat and fish, pulses, fruit and vegetables.

She said: “I like planning the week’s menu and sticking to it, that is the big thing really. I would definitely recommend people try it.”

Group consultant Vicki Wilks said: “This is a great example of somebody who has decided not to put their life on hold during the pandemic. We found that a lot of people in the first lock down felt unable to continue with their plans due to life feeling out of control. Our member Lynne is a great example of somebody who understood the importance of reducing their BMI to a healthy range during this pandemic and that her weight loss journey was something that she could personally control. Lynne will be like many of our members coming out of this pandemic feeling a sense of achievement.”

Unfortunately Lynne is still waiting for her helicopter ride which has been postponed due to covid restrictions.

A Slimming World survey across 1.1 million  members found:

People who lost 5lbs or more in their first week of attending a weight loss group were 4 times more likely to lose 10% of their body weight within 3 months.

Almost twice as many men (45%) as women (21%) saw at least 5lbs weight loss success in their first week.

Those who attended a weekly slimming club more regularly (at least 75% off sessions) lose more weight achieving 7.7% weight loss (15.4lbs) in their first 3 months and 14% weight loss of 31lbs on average over the course of the year.

How to join the group

Vicki’s group runs online. Pre-covid these were in person on Wednesday at Newlands Primary School with two evening sessions and Saturday at Salmestone Primary School with three morning sessions.

To find out how to join in call Vicki on 07920 402436.

12 Comments

  1. Well done & 10 months is a huge achievement. However the real fight comes over a long period of 1-2 years or so-any diet plan will work in the short-term due to the reduction of calories, the problem is they fail the overwhelming majority of people long-term because for most people they just aren’t sustainable. Hence why WW etc have such huge profits, their customer base returns over & over with the lure of it worked for me before, it will work for me again-but it will always work for you in the immediate-because every diet is about calorie restriction.

    This sounds more like a paid advert for SW. The one stat missing is that diets have a long-term failure rate of 95% plus-because to keep weight off is about a complete lifestyle change & no matter what gimmick is presented in place of calories-points, syns etc it ultimately boils down to sticking with a well planned out ‘diet’ forever, living a healthier lifestyle generally & not having to rely on group motivation. The best advice-go & see a registered NHS dietitian to work out a long sustainable plan & research/read the label information on the food & drink you are going to buy before you go shopping, control the portion sizes & don’t forget things like dressings which are often calorie dense & you can easily smother your food in hundreds of empty calories with that alone.

      • Of course it is a diet, whether the word is mentioned or not. The business model is the same for all the companies-subscription based, food/drink product lines sold online &/or in the shops, merchandise etc.

        There is no doubt most of the consultants working for these giant companies have the best of intentions for their clients-the upfront costs are apparently high & so is the time & effort they have to put in, but people lose weight quickly on any diet or mode of starvation & the heavier you are the more you will lose rapidly via calorie reduction-I lost a stone in a week once without belonging to any club or doing any exercise-it is just simple science. The problem is long-term results, which is why you hear about three months, six months, sometimes a year-but rarely two years or over which is what Bariatrics looks at as the true measuring stick, because the majority of people don’t find them sustainable, lapse back into unhealthy habits & either rejoin, or eventually join another companies programme.

        As the lady in the article said-she had previously lost weight with the Tesco plan, had dug out the info, but incorrectly applied the portion sizes second time around-hence why no weight loss, or possibly even weight gain.

        • You don’t even have to sign up. There are books with recipes etc.

          You will be surprised at how well people do and stay focused.

    • Slimming world isn’t a diet, it’s a healthy eating plan.
      Can’t fault slimming world. The support (before covid & while we’re going through these times) is unbelievable.
      Why would anyone join slimming world or weight watchers if thay didn’t have the desire to lose weight. Doing it alone is difficult. In a group with like minded ppl is by far easier to achieve your goal.
      And yes I know what I’m talking about,I have been a member of slimming world for five years, still an active member today. Because I’m one of those ppl who, if I didn’t attend, would gain weight to easily. Its a way of life, and one I intend to keep going to.
      It’s obviously a service that’s needed or you wouldn’t see these companies or success stories about members in the media

  2. Well done Lynne hope you keep the weight off
    As Steve says all slimming clubs are just as they say I have been to all of them dieted all my life weight on weight off diet plans are pointless it’s all about life change thinking about what you eat when you eat it if you have to go to a slimming club to maintain your weight loss you haven’t got it right

  3. Hi well done Lynn I to have lost weight nearly 3 stone but I am crippled with arthritis so exercise is nearly impossible any suggestions

  4. Diets make you fat! I had a lady friend once who was always eating the right food, cutting out animal fat(including butter!) carbs, and sugar, the only problem was she still ate too much, including snacks, ice cream etc! You are what you eat, as my mum used to say, so if you eat crap you will look like it!

  5. Blimey you lot, I feel sorry for your other halves! How about giving this lady who’s managed to lose weight some encouragement instead of telling her she’s doing it wrong?

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