People in Southport are being invited to discover the difference that one Slimming World group session can make
New research suggests that Slimming World members switch from uncertain to confident, from their very first time in the group.
Award winning Southport Slimming World consultant Dee Wright, who has led local groups for the past eight years, said: “Our research shows that very quickly after their first group, new members experience a powerful switch – a change that happens on day one in group, which has a massive impact on their self-confidence, their self-belief and their motivation to lose weight and, ultimately, on their weight loss success.
“Crucially, the remarkable aspect is – for those who’ve longed to lose weight, but lacked the confidence, hope and self-belief – and perhaps felt this way for years and years – how quickly this switch occurs. Within just 90 minutes – less time than it takes to watch a movie.”
Many people will delay taking that first step, for many different reasons – including simply not believing that we can get the lasting weight loss we want.
In a new Slimming World survey* of more than 2,000 UK adults…
- 50% say they’ve put off trying to lose weight
- 22% say they’ve delayed losing weight for three years or more (with many saying that has impacted their health and caused them to gain even more weight)
- 42% have thought about losing weight at least once a week without taking action
These findings back up a separate study** of more than 7,000 new Slimming World members, in which 69% said that, before going to a Slimming World group, they didn’t dare dream they could lose weight and stay slim. More than half of the members surveyed said that they’d had feelings of doubt, uncertainty and a lack of motivation and control for more than a year – with some people saying that they’d felt that way for 10 years or more.
However, in just one session, almost every new member left filled with self-belief, confidence and determination. This switch came from learning more about Slimming World’s healthy eating plan, seeing the success of other members, and experiencing the empowering support needed to help them overcome their personal barriers.
They left feeling…
- committed to their weight loss (98%)
- like they could lose weight and keep it off (96%)
- motivated to make changes to their lifestyle in order to lose weight (97%)
- more confident to manage the things that had previously got in the way of them losing weight (89%)
Southport Slimming World consultant Dee Wright said: “The rising cost of obesity in the UK has soared from £58bn in 2020 to £98bn. Over one in four (26%) adults in the UK are living with obesity, placing huge pressure on the health and care system.
“Children living with obesity are approximately five times more likely to become adults living with obesity, compared to children of a healthy weight. Research shows that a major spike in child obesity levels during the pandemic could cost the UK over £8 billion, and the NHS £800m.
“This is the first generation where children will pre-decease their parents because of weight-related problems. If this epidemic isn’t stopped, millions more people will suffer, every year.
“The nation is in a fight for weight loss. On a national level, this growing epidemic is a major public health emergency and economic emergency.
“Yet, there is a much bigger battle, for self. On an individual level, people feel lost, desperate and hopeless. Their self-confidence and self-belief that anything can help them has been worn away. They are stuck in a painful, psychological battle between wanting to lose weight and the fear of failure – feeling condemned to a lifetime of struggling.
“This lack of hope and desperation for a quick solution makes the allure of the new ‘magic bullet’ weight loss injections even stronger. The costs are high. Painful and expensive weekly injections, with side-effects of diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, vomiting and more. Growing evidence suggests that weight regain is very likely once people stop injecting. For many, lack of appetite removes the pleasure from eating and socialising. And the long-term safety of the regulated drugs is still unknown.
“Within the already deafening weight loss arena, weight loss injections add even more confusion, contradiction and uncertainty. The personal conviction and self-determination of people living with overweight and obesity depletes further.
“There is good news. With the support of Slimming World, there is a way people can win the battle for self, rebuild their hope and optimism, and achieve a healthy, lasting weight loss.
“Laura attended our group with someone who she cares for, she wasn’t planning to join but after leaving the room and struggling with her own weight, she decided to join the following week and found her sense of self restored – her motivation was jump-started, her commitment, confidence, self-belief and motivation was locked in, within just 90 minutes, she went from thinking she’d never win the battle to lose weight, to believing in herself and her ability with group support to reach her weight loss goals, for good.
“She achieved target with a 9 stone 3.5lbs loss in December after 15 months at our Slimming World Group.
“Laura is incredibly inspiring, from day one she gave it everything she had got, dug deep on the difficult weeks and always listening to the ideas and inspiration from other members in the room – the power of group is essential to mindset shift and behaviour change, she fell in love with food optimising realising its sustainable changes, she started moving more as the weight came off too.”
Laura said: “Group helped me to find a belief in myself that didn’t exist, the kindness of others was cheering me on.
“I’d always been told eat less and move more, but I now know that isn’t the case, I’m not eating less, I’m eating right – less calories but never going hungry eating everyday foods.”
Laura added: “It’s family friendly, in my house we are eating the same meals, which means it fits in with us, dieters will know, it can be very lonely and boring to eat salad! My mum has recently joined too and has lost 3 and a half stone, I’m so proud of us both!”
- Slimming World Southport with Dee meets at St Simon and St Jude’s Church, Old Park Lane, Southport PR9 7BQ every Thursday (9.30am, 4pm, 5.30pm and 7pm) and every Friday (7.30am – a new session for early risers and shift workers; plus 9am and 10,30am).
- For more details visit the Slimming World Southport with Dee page on Facebook or call Dee on: 07711566153.
- *The research was conducted by Censuswide, with 2000 Nat Rep Respondents (aged 18+) in the UK between 22.11.2024 – 26.11.2024. Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles and are members of The British Polling Council.
- **Between 2nd and 31st January 2024, 7,106 Slimming World members who joined their local group that week completed an online survey about their experience.
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