Ditching fad diets and losing three stone leads Karen to a happy, healthy life and a new career!

When Karen, assistant store manager, from Crawley, realised that her weight was stopping her living the life she wanted to, she knew she had to leave the fad diets behind and make a lasting change. Weighing over 12st, Karen joined local Slimming World group and she went on to lose 3stone.

A new study shows that more than half of UK adults (56%) say they’ve followed a fad diet[1] in an attempt to lose weight with almost three quarters of those (71%) reporting they didn't lose any weight or didn’t lose as much weight as they wanted, and 11% gained weight.

The online survey of more than 2,000 adults commissioned by the UK and Ireland’s largest weight-loss organisation Slimming World, found of the 1,123 UK adults who’d tried a fad diet, more than a third (38%) say they found it on social media and 35% said they could only stick to it for up to six days.

The prevalence of fad diets – promoting rapid weight loss without robust scientific evidence to support them – means they can be hard to ignore for people keen to lose weight quickly.

The most common fad diets adults in the UK have tried including weight loss supplements (29%), apple cider vinegar (21%), a juice diet (19%), skinny tea (16%), vitamin water (15%) and the cabbage soup diet (14%).

Karen, 50,from Crawley, says: “I joined my local Slimming World group in 2021. I had previously seen friends & families try, and fail, all kinds of fad diets, they were left feeling disappointed and like a failure when in actual fact what I realise now is, the fad diet wasn’t sustainable

Karen says “I’ve lost weight by eating real, tasty food that we all really enjoy. Seeing my Consultant and the group each week keeps me motivated. I know fad diets don’t work, and I feel confident I can stick to my new healthy lifestyle for good!"

“It’s incredible to think back to those times looking at me now. Since joining Slimming World I’ve lost 3stone and I love that I’ve lost weight eating healthy everyday food that my family can enjoy too. I was committed to changing my mindset and with support from my group, I began building healthy new habits into my daily life.”

Karen has loved her newfound confidence so much that she has gone from a successful slimmer to training as a Slimming World consultant and will be looking after the members of the Slimming World group that meets at St Andrews Church, Furnace Green 9.30am every Monday.

“Now, I know losing weight isn’t a quick fix. I’ve gone from a size 16 to a size 10. I’m so much more confident. 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. I’m passionate about helping as many people as I can to lose weight, feel great and never go hungry!!”

“Being part of a Slimming World group has been crucial to my success. Each week, I’d get a boost of motivation, fresh ideas and support from the other members which helped me to tackle challenges and kept my commitment strong. 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. I want to provide that inspiration for others”

“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. And I have a new career that I love.”

If you would like to find out more about Karen and Slimming World please call Karen on 07835 338364 or pop along to St Andrews Church, Furnace Green, Crawley every Monday at 9.30am.

[1] Fad diets – promoting rapid weight loss without robust scientific evidence to support them – can be hard to ignore for people keen to lose weight quickly.Popular ones include plans where you eat a very restrictive diet with few foods or an unusual combination of foods.