Eastwood barmaid 'couldn't be happier' after shedding more than four stone

Keli Wilde used to fear being “judged or laughed at” by people before she joined the town’s Slimming World group at the Dora Phillips Hall with her mum last year.

The 34-year-old said: “I was so apprehensive about going, which is one of the reasons I decided to join with my mum.

“I was petrified before walking through those doors, I didn’t want to be judged or laughed at.”

Barmaid Keli admitted she chose to attend the early 9am group on a Wednesday morning to try and avoid anyone she knew.

But she said from the second she walked in she was immediately put at ease.

She said: “Everyone going in looked so happy and glad to be there.

“I sat down and looked through the plan that would change my life."

Keli was then asked to weigh herself and said she “sobbed” when the scales revealed she was 15 stones and eight pounds.

But from that moment on she promised herself she would change.

She said: “For so long I had convinced myself that I was just a big person – but as soon as I stepped off the scales that day I felt control, and not just control but support.”

After seven weeks of attending the group, Keli had lost a whole stone and another seven weeks later she had lost another.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said.

“I was doing this and I felt incredible. It wasn’t like being on some silly fad diet, it actually worked. I felt satisfied, full and I was happy.

“Little changes like using Fry Light instead of oil, switching from white to wholemeal bread, and a small glass of wine with soda instead of a large glass all became habit and not effort.”

To date, Keli has managed to lose four-and-a-half stones and said Slimming World has changed her life.

She said: “Now I pair my food optimising with yoga, gym sessions, ab training and I love it.

“Slimming World is a lifestyle change not a diet. It really has changed my life and I couldn’t be happier.”

Slimming World groups are held regularly at a number of locations across the Eastwood and Kimberley area.

For more information or to find your nearest group, visit www.slimmingworld.co.uk