Covid fears drove Flintshire mum to ditch the fad diets

When property solicitor Amanda Hetherington realised during the pandemic that her weight put her at severe risk from Covid, she knew she had to leave the fad diets behind and make a lasting change.

Weighing over 29st, Amanda joined her local Slimming World group – a decision she says ‘changed her life’ – and she went on to lose 15st 7lbs.

Amanda, 39, from Connah's Quay, said: “I joined my local Slimming World group during Covid. As soon as I found out I was in the high-risk category because of my weight, I felt I had to do something. 

Amanda, before and after her Slimming World transformation (Image: Slimming World)

"When I saw those oxygen machines on the news, that was it for me. I thought this is serious, I’m too young, I can’t die yet. My thoughts went to my family too as I knew if I did pass away, I wouldn’t fit in a standard-size coffin.

“Before joining Slimming World, I used to scroll through social media to see who’d lost the most weight in the shortest time and that would be the diet I’d follow, especially if I was going on holiday.

"I tried every diet under the sun including total food replacement diets which were so restrictive and extreme that I’d always cave in after a couple of days. I’d then be back to square one and feel so upset with myself for failing. That sense of failure would lead me to comfort eat – a vicious cycle I didn’t think I’d ever break free from.

"I was so tired of yo-yo dieting and not being able to stick to anything. I remember when my husband Gary and I went to see Michael Bublé in concert, instead of going for a lovely meal beforehand, I had a meal replacement shake in our hotel room and Gary went out to buy a meal deal sandwich.

Amanda Hetheringon (Image: Slimming World)

“It’s incredible to think back to those times looking at me now. Since joining Slimming World I’ve lost 15½st and I love that I’ve lost weight eating healthy everyday food that my family can enjoy too.

"I’d been a member of Slimming World before, and when a leaflet popped through my door, it reminded me it was the only weight loss method I’d ever followed which I enjoyed. 

"I’ll admit when I was a member before I didn’t follow the plan properly. I’d do it in the week but go back to my old habits at the weekends. This time, I was committed to making a lasting change which meant changing my mindset. With support from my group, I began building healthy new habits into my daily life.  

“Now, I know losing weight isn’t a quick fix. I’ve gone from a size 36 to a size 12. I’m so much more confident and I no longer have panic attacks about my health.

“With Slimming World’s healthy eating plan, my relationship with food completely changed. I make healthier versions of all my favourite foods. I’m never hungry, and it’s easy to adapt our family meals so we all eat the same thing. My daughter Philippa, three, loves when I make Slimming World's spaghetti and meatballs with lean beef mince and my own sauce from a tin of tomatoes. I’m also a big fan of the Slimming World food range at Iceland especially the Chicken Biryani or Chicken Balti.”

From not being active at all and struggling to go up one flight of stairs, Amanda is now a regular at the gym thanks to Slimming World's activity support programme, which helps you to find activities you enjoy and build up at your own pace.

Amanda attends fitness classes every week without feeling intimidated. Despite never having run before, it's now her favourite thing to do.

She added: “My Slimming World Consultant Ruth helped keep me motivated each week and supported me throughout my journey.

“Being part of Ruth’s group has been crucial to my success. Each week, I’d get a boost of motivation, fresh ideas and support from Ruth and the other members which helped me to tackle challenges and kept my commitment strong.

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"The accountability of the weekly group is important for me – you don’t realise how well you’re doing until people say so, and with the encouragement of others, I was able to stay committed week after week. Even after moving house, I still travel back to my original group because of the strong friendships I’ve made.

“Ditching the fad diets was the best decision I ever made – losing weight healthily with Slimming World’s eating plan is a way of life that I will follow forever. The habits that my group help me build and embed are now a way of life for me. I feel confident that I can maintain my weight loss for good.”

Dr Avery, Slimming World’s Health and Research Consultant Dietitian, says: “As Amanda’s story shows, it can be so easy to fall for quick fixes when social media is flooded with misinformation, especially when we're desperate to lose weight. When it comes to lasting weight loss, we can see from our research how important it is to follow an effective, healthy and sustainable approach.”

Ruth Newall runs the Runcorn Slimming World group in Cheshire and is Amanda’s Consultant. Ruth says: “Amanda's story is one that many of us can relate to. Before joining my group, she’d told us, that like so many of us, she’d tried every fad diet and quick fix under the sun, only to be left feeling hungry and disheartened.

"Seeing Amanda lose 15½st while enjoying meals that she loves which keep her full and satisfied is truly inspiring. I'm incredibly proud of her journey – it’s exactly why I became a Slimming World Consultant, to support members like Amanda in making lasting, positive changes.”