A MOTHER and daughter have lost six and a half stone between them at slimming classes funded by the NHS.
Phyllis Strange, 75, and Amanda Harris, 40, were given free vouchers to attend WeightWatchers classes by the Bell Surgery in Henley.
Mrs Harris, who lives a few doors from her mother in Abrahams Road, Henley, weighed 13 stone, 7lb when she started the classes in March.
She said: “I went to see the nurse because I have high blood pressure and she offered me a set of vouchers for WeightWatchers.
“I would never have had the confidence to go without them and I didn’t want to waste them as someone else could have used them. I expected to feel totally intimidated but I didn’t at all.”
Mrs Harris, who attends weekly meetings in Henley, lost eight pounds in her first week and almost three stone in eight months, leaving her close to her target of nine stone, 13lb.
“I had a complete change of lifestyle,” she said. “I used to eat lots of sweet stuff and cheese. I ate a lot of crisps and still have to stop myself but WeightWatchers’ crisps are great. The vouchers kept me motivated and I’m really grateful for them. The weight just started falling off and now I only have 10lb left to lose to reach my goal weight.
“It’s nice to go into a shop and know that you can put anything on and it will look good. I don’t have to hide any more in dark, baggy clothes.”
Mrs Strange, a former care assistant at Townlands Hospital, was given vouchers for classes in September last year and has lost more than three and a half stone.
Mrs Harris, who is married with a son, Ben, three, and stepdaughter Jenny, 14, said: “My mum joined a year ago and managed to lose 28lb before Christmas. She has proved a lot of people wrong and that people of her age can do it.
“She’s now into Nordic walking, which is walking with poles, and does three to five miles every morning, often with another lady from WeightWatchers. My mum has been given several lots of vouchers and if you show progress and that you’re not wasting them, the surgery will give you more.”
Mrs Strange, who is married to Vivien, a retired civil engineer, and has two other daughters, Linda and Kathy, is the lightest she has been for more than 20 years.
She said: “I went to the nurse because I have a problem with my airways and she said it would improve if I lost weight.
“I’m an OAP and wouldn’t have been able to afford to do it without the vouchers. I’ve never been able to lose weight and I’ve tried lots of diets. I’m now four sizes smaller and when I reach goal weight I will have lost almost five stone. I think it’s the encouragement you get that helped me.
“I used to eat lots of chips and chocolate and drink wine but now it’s about portion control and realising you shouldn’t eat more than you need. You can still have a glass of wine at a party and it’s quite fun counting the points.
“I walk such a lot now and they’re quite pleased with me at the surgery. It’s nice to be able to move about more and not feel out of breath. I just feel so much better. My husband has been supportive. If he sees me going for something to eat that I shouldn’t, he’ll say, ‘should you have that?’”
Overweight people have been offered slimming club membership on the NHS since 2007. Vouchers are given in sets of 12 weeks to cover the cost of weekly meetings.
Doctors backed the scheme as the cost of membership is far cheaper than the price of obesity drugs or surgery.
Mrs Harris, who runs a dog walking company, Henley Doggy Day Care, said: “I needed the confidence to join as I was embarrassed and ashamed at how heavy I had got.
“My biggest fear was people knowing me and looking at me saying, ‘hasn’t she let herself go?’ Me and my mum try to encourage each other.”
Mrs Harris has doubled the length of her dog walks and has started a sport called cani-cross, where competitors run wearing a harness attached to their dog by their lead. She plans to take part at the event at Crufts next year.
WeightWatchers meetings are held at 10am on Wednesdays and 9.30am on Fridays at the Christ Church Centre in Reading Road. There is also a meeting on Wednesdays at 6.30pm at the Sacred Heart church hall.
For more information, call 0845 345 1500, or visit www.weightwatchers.co.uk
View more photographs
Published on 23 November 2009
|
