Sabrina Choudry was out shopping for clothes one day and found herself in the changing rooms of a clothes store looking in the mirror and thought, this can’t be me. Here she explains how she lost one stone 9 pounds.

I was trying on a dress and thinking there is no way I am this size.

After having my daughter, I managed to keep my weight in control and still felt I could eat what I wanted, without having to worry too much about putting weight on.

But after having my second child, my son, it got harder. I was struggling. 

My son was in and out of hospital with various issues and my dad was seriously ill in hospital and had been for months.

There was no time in between to be thinking about healthy eating options, or so I thought at the time. 

Any chance I got, I was eating takeaways, because I was too tired or just couldn’t be bothered cooking from scratch, and then munching on junk food in between meals.

You don’t realise how quick things can escalate, especially if it is the last thing on your mind, and at this time in my life my weight issues were right at the bottom of the pile. 

Things got harder for a little while, as I lost my dad in 2015, and my son’s health issues seemed to be getting worse. 

What did I do? I comfort ate. There was hardly any healthy food or snacks in my diet and at the time I couldn’t care less. 

Until the day I stood in the changing rooms of this store. We were going away on holiday and I couldn’t get into this dress, because in my mind I was still a size 14-16. I was wrong. 

The unhealthy eating habits had got the better of me and I was actually thinking of buying a size 18. 

But I just couldn’t do it. I refused to buy it. Instead I just got clothes that were a big size 16 and went on the holiday. 

I had a really good time but there was always that niggling feeling at the back of my mind of how I looked. My fears were confirmed when I saw the photos. I looked awful.

I didn’t think about my weight, after the holiday for a few months and just went back to my normal eating habits. Until my sister mentioned that she was joining Slimming World in January 2018. 

I had heard of it before but never given it much thought as I had tried dieting before and it just never worked for me.

My sister went to her first session and loved it, so I decided to join her the following week.

I was nervous and embarrassed as I entered the group for the first time but I was warmly welcomed by the consultant and reassured that I had made the right decision. 

The support of the caring consultant and understanding of other members was amazing and I started to feel relaxed as I sat and listened to her talk about the eating plan and offer support to the members in the group.

I was still nervous as I stepped on the scales for the first time as I didn’t want anyone to know how much I weighed, I couldn’t believe how much weight I had gained.

But I was reassured once again that tonight was the start of my new life, my journey to feeling slimmer and healthier had now begun, 

The following week at my first weigh in, I was shocked! "You’ve lost seven and a half pounds".

I just laughed. I thought she was joking. I couldn’t believe it. Never would I have thought you could lose that amount in one week. And what was I eating that week? 

Cheeseburgers, chips, and curries all cooked using the Slimming World way, the recipes are amazing. You can eat whatever you want, the only thing you have to change is your cooking method.

The Slimming World eating plan helps you balance everything, I didn’t even mind having to fill a third of plate with speed foods, which by the way are not just salads! Every week the weight was dropping off. 

By the end of March I was 1 stone and 9 pounds lighter and never once was I hungry.

Every other diet I have tried before, I have been denied certain foods, which made me crave them more, but with Slimming World I was eating crisps and chocolate and still managed to lose weight.

I was going away the week after and went shopping. I picked up a size 12, to see how much more weight I would need to lose to be able to fit into it. To my complete joy it fit me perfectly and I looked and felt great too.

Friends and family started to make comments about my weight loss and I felt amazing.

As my confidence grew and I started to see the results each week it made me more determined.

I had the odd week don't get me wrong when I didn't lose or maintained but I knew exactly what I had caused it and what I needed to do to get back on track and our consultant and the group would help me get a plan in place.

There is never any humiliation or judgement in group just lots of support for each other. we share recipe ideas, hints and tips on how cope with weekends/parties and celebrations too its a real fun atmosphere in group.

The consultant was lovely and never was there any mention of how much I weighed.

The group are all very supportive of each other with our journeys and there have been some amazing losses and still able to eat my favourite foods like pizza and chips without feeling guilty.

Slimming World has given me a new lease of life and so much more confidence that I am now launching my very own Slimming World group which I'm so excited about, and I cant wait to help other people in our local community achieve their dreams too. 

With flexible working hours I can still work and look after my growing family.

I'm expecting my third baby at the end of the year and I'm so lucky that my new job allows me to still be at home with the children and have a career for myself too.

Sabrina has now  launched her own Slimming World group at Blackburn Golf Club, Beardwood Brow, Blackburn . For more information call Sabrina on 07702069230.

For more information on consultant opportunities in your area you can contact Bev on 07850411038