Members of weight-loss group Slimming World discover they lose pounds but gain friends thanks to camaraderie

That’s the message from Natalie Meadows, team developer at Slimming World Fylde South, who has personal experience of what it feels like to walk through those doors for the first time.

Natalie used a wheelchair and crutches for years after being diagnosed with a rare disease called Synovial Osteochondromatosis – which affects the joint-lining tissue and turns it into bone-forming cartilage – as well as complex regional pain syndrome.

She was offered pioneering medical treatment but needed to lose weight first, which prompted her to join Slimming World seven years ago.

Natalie, from South Shore, said she had spent years being isolated from the outside world due to her ill health and her weight had spiralled out of control.

She said: “My fears disappeared the instant I opened the doors. It was such a safe space and I felt utterly accepted in a way I hadn’t for a very long time.

"There’s no judgement or humiliation, just kindness, care and respect. I became part of a community of people who understood what it felt like to be unhappy with your weight and I wasn’t looked down at in any way.

"My faith in strangers was restored, and I knew I was in the right place – physically and emotionally – to get the help I needed.

"Dieting alone might feel safer but, as I know only too well, it rarely works. Being surrounded by people who cared about me and my success galvanised my resolve and helped me to stick to the plan.”

Natalie, who is no longer in a wheelchair and can now walk for miles, lost four stone and went on to become a Slimming World consultant and team developer looking after several groups across the Fylde coast.

She added: “Social connection plays such a huge part in every single Slimming World group; when you enter that group to lose weight you don’t expect to find friends for life and a group of people who feel like family. I have members whose husbands work away for months on end in the Armed Forces and they have found friends amongst the group. That sense of belonging makes for a very powerful support network.”

Research shows some people are less socially connected to others since the Covid-19 pandemic.

A survey by Slimming World found 44 per cent of people said they are meeting fewer people in real life than before March 2020.

Dr Jacquie Lavin, special advisor on the science of weight management at Slimming World, said: “After years of lockdowns and social distancing, it’s unsurprising that people are feeling less socially connected. Struggling with your weight can be an especially lonely place to be. Technology played a vital role in keeping us in touch, but there is no substitute for the benefits of face-to-face connection.”

Natalie added: “There is nothing like the camaraderie that you get from the group. People are all here to lose weight, but the kindness of every Slimming World member means that you feel good every time you walk through the door.”

Natalie runs Slimming World groups in South Shore and St Annes. Visit https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/consultant/wpayn or call 07823 771318 for more details.