Melton Mowbray mum loses six stone and becomes “fit at 40” with Slimming World

Natalie, who attends Diane’s Wednesday evening Slimming World group in Melton Mowbray, joined in May 2024 and has not looked back since. Having successfully lost weight with Slimming World before having children, she knew exactly where to turn when she found herself at her heaviest and felt the weight continuing to creep on.

At a size 22, and with her 40th birthday approaching in July 2025, Natalie set herself a clear goal — to reach a size 14 by the time she turned 40.

And she did exactly that.

Determined to be “fit at 40, not fat”, Natalie embraced Slimming World’s Food Optimising plan and discovered a way of eating that never left her feeling deprived.

Natalie said: “My weakness had always been sweets and chocolate, but with Slimming World I could either choose to use my SWIPs allowance and have them, or swap them for something else.”

Instead of reaching for biscuits with her evening cup of tea, Natalie began choosing a Hi-fi bar and fruit instead.

As a busy mum, she also loved the fact that she could prepare Food Optimising meals the whole family enjoyed, with chilli con carne becoming a firm favourite in her household.

Natalie said: “I loved that I never felt like I was on a diet. I could still enjoy satisfying, family-friendly meals and make choices that worked for me.”

She also valued the flexibility of Slimming World’s Healthy Extra choices, which helped her maintain a balanced diet including calcium and fibre.

Like many slimmers, Natalie admitted that willpower and temptation could still be a challenge — especially when colleagues brought biscuits into work. But she developed strategies to stay in control, including walking away from temptation and making sure she always had a healthier alternative to hand.

The results have been life-changing.

Before losing weight, Natalie suffered with back and knee pain, breathlessness and low confidence. Now, she said she had more energy, greater self-belief and a much better quality of life.

She could run up the stairs, stand all day at work and, most importantly, enjoy playing with her children.

Reaching a size 14 by her 40th birthday was a particularly proud moment, and Natalie said her journey was far from over as she now focused on reaching her personal target weight.

Natalie said: “I had come this far and I was not stopping now.”

Natalie has described Slimming World as a complete game changer and said it had helped her become happier and healthier in her 40s.

She also paid tribute to the support she received from her partner, family and friends, as well as from fellow members of Diane’s Wednesday evening Slimming World group.

Natalie said: “The biggest support came from the Wednesday evening Slimming World group. I had weekly support and accountability, plus access to recipes, podcasts, videos and helpful tools such as the barcode scanner. It was somewhere I was never judged, only supported. I was surrounded by real people just like me, sharing their wins and struggles, and I made friendships I never expected but would not want to be without.”

Natalie also thanked the group’s new consultant, Diane, for her support and encouragement.

Natalie said: “I just wanted to say a huge thank you to my family and friends, especially everyone at the Wednesday evening Slimming World group.”

Diane’s Slimming World group met every Wednesday at Age UK, Gloucester House, Melton Mowbray, at 5.30pm and 7.00pm.