Portchester mother loses three stone despite food intolerances
Lisa Lassaline, a slimmer from Portchester reveals how pleased she is that she did not give up on her quest to lose weight despite her many food intolerances and health issues. Lisa now lives life to the fullest after losing 3 stone.
Lisa suffers with numerous food intolerances, rheumatoid arthritis and hypothyroid which all made her previous dieting attempts impossible to adhere to and eventually fail at until Lisa walked through the doors of her local Slimming World group in Portchester just 9 months ago. Lisa learnt a new way to fit Slimming World’s incredibly generous Food Optimising plan around her needs and subsequently dropped from 14 Stone 2lbs to 11 Stone 6lbs.
With an almost three stone weight loss under her belt and a new sense of freedom, Lisa decided she wanted to pledge to help others find the same joy and happiness in life as she has found and is now ready to embark on a new exciting, healthy, rewarding chapter of her life in becoming a Slimming World consultant, herself. Lisa is excited to share the Slimming World, evidence based Food Optimising, Body Magic and powerful Image therapy that she knows will empower others to change their lives and achieve their weight loss dreams too! Now, she has trained as a Consultant for Slimming World, the UK’s largest group-based weight loss organisation, at their national training academy in Derbyshire. Members at the Fareham Saturday group are getting ready to welcome Lisa as their new Consultant when she takes over the group on the 27th of July.
Lisa states how “the latest government figures reveal that around one in four adults are obese and it is estimated that, by 2034, this will increase to one in three. This new role has never been more important or necessary as it is right now, I cannot wait to start making a difference.” She says: “There are so many challenges that make weight loss feel impossible but there is a way, and it will transform your life, as it has mine! When I first joined Slimming World as a member, I knew that if this was going to work I needed to commit to change, which included attending the weekly group sessions. Something that represented a commitment weekly to me, to caring for my health, to filling up my cup! I absolutely focused on the knowledge I was learning and all the tools that were becoming new habits. It wasn't until I hit my target that I started thinking about sharing my story with others and helping others to lose weight too! I just can’t wait to get started. As someone who has struggled with my weight all of my life, I know the challenges people can face. Which is why, along with the group, I will be there to support every one of my members all the way to their chosen target weight. Setting targets, sharing recipes and other ideas, and working together as a group to overcome challenges and celebrate success is so important to a successful journey. That’s why, at my Slimming World group, there’ll be tons of support, encouragement and fun.”
Lisa shows empathy and understanding explaining “like many people trying to lose weight, I had tried numerous diets, but they were never sustainable because I’d always get tired of restricting what I ate. I also have many food intolerances so finding a way to eat that was healthy but allowed me to avoid the foods my body cannot process, whilst giving it the nutrients needed, I thought I was destined to struggle for the rest of my life. Slimming World is so different. The eating plan encourages you to eat lots of tasty, filling foods like pasta, rice, potatoes and lean meat and fish, you are never hungry, and no foods are banned so there’s no deprivation. I can choose gluten free, dairy free, soy free, wheat free, egg free and sugar free options and easily follow Slimming Worlds' transformative Food Optimising! I couldn’t believe I’d found a way to lose weight without starving myself.”
Lisa’s family love making their own ‘Fake-aways’ with their favourite being, Asian chicken with rice noodles. Lisa describes “Finally having the freedom to eat out and be able to enjoy food again has been incredible. Wagamama’s is a firm favourite with us!”. Lisa explains her excitement as Slimming World launch their new venture Slimming World Kitchen where delicious, healthy recipe boxes are delivered to your door enabling people to try different meals and gain more confidence in the kitchen with these easy to follow recipes.
Slimming World is not just about changing what you eat. Becoming more active is important too. A Body Magic programme encourages you to start where you are and slowly build activity into your life at your own pace. Lisa shares “having Rheumatoid arthritis and joint pain issues, the body magic programme shows how you can build activity into your daily routine without having to take up traditional forms of exercise like going to the gym or running. Rheumatoid Arthritis makes high impact activity impossible for me, but any form of activity counts from walking to gardening to washing the car. I love walking and stretching to get my Body Magic! As a Consultant it is my role to create that warm, supportive atmosphere to get people sharing their ideas and experiences to help others - it’s going to be great fun!”
Like Lisa, Slimming World Consultants are all former members who have lost weight at their local group themselves and groups are set up as micro businesses in the heart of local communities. There are currently around 4,000 Slimming World Consultants across the UK and Ireland running 15,000 groups. Consultants receive training in Slimming World’s healthy eating and physical activity programmes and learn how to use the power of group support to empower members to take control of their own weight loss journey.