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Welcome to the Slimmers4All community! With Easter just around the corner, we wanted to share some tips on how to stay on track with your weight loss goals during this holiday season.

1. Plan ahead: Before you attend any Easter gatherings or events, plan out your meals for the day. This will help you avoid overeating and making unhealthy food choices.
2. Be mindful of portion sizes: Easter is a time for indulging in delicious treats, but it’s important to be mindful of portion sizes. Try to stick to small servings and savor each bite.
3. Stay active: Incorporate physical activity into your Easter celebrations by taking a walk or participating in an Easter egg hunt with your family and friends.
4. Make healthy swaps: Instead of reaching for high-calorie snacks and desserts, opt for healthier alternatives. For example, try making a fruit salad instead of a cake.
5. Don’t forget to enjoy yourself: While it’s important to stay on track with your weight loss goals, don’t forget to enjoy the holiday and the time spent with loved ones.

We hope these tips help you stay slim and healthy during the Easter season. Remember, small changes can lead to big results. Happy Easter from the Slimmers4All team!

Client spotlight number 3!
Meet Eileen Purcell. Eileen’s story is very important to anyone who has been diagnosed with a health condition as a lot of people think it’s impossible to lose weight because of a diagnosis.
It emphasises the importance of learning and educating ourselves to look after our health.
It’s also for every person out there that has said or been told that calorie counting is too difficult or doesn’t work.
Eileen had only 7 lbs to lose but this effected her health for over 12 years.
The 1st thing she said to me was Julie what is a calorie!!!
But look at her now…. In Eileen’s own words ❤️

Hi my name is Eileen Purcell, I’m 58 years old and I joined slimmers 4 all in February 2022. I have 3 children and 4 grandchildren and I also work full time.

Over 10 year’s ago I suffered pancreatitis due to gallstones blocking the ducks of my pancreas. I now have no gallbladder and therefore I cannot consume spicy food and struggle with dairy food along with certain fruit and vegetables.

Over the last 11 yrs I have been diagnosed with Fatty Liver disease and have been told numerous times to lose weight, which has caused me a lot of stress. In the last couple of years I’ve asked the doctors for ways to lose weight and improve the condition I have been diagnosed with, and have explained that considering I don’t have a gallbladder the liver has to work harder to break down the fats in my body. I have struggled to gain any support or advice on how to improve this condition apart from being told to follow a Mediterranean diet. This unfortunately didn’t work for me.

In February this year, I was discussing my situation with my best friend Sue, who is also Julie’s friend, and she recommended Julie’s class. As it happens we were on the pier when we bumped into Julie and after a short discussion I joined Slimmers 4 All class the following week and have never looked back.

Prior to starting this class I didn’t know what a calorie was and didn’t know anything about the benefits of protein etc. 3 months in I was able to lose half a stone in weight (although I did put a little back on when I went on holiday) and received the news that my annual test have all come back normal for the first time since being poorly all them years ago.

Slimmers 4 All has been an education of healthy eating and simple advice that no one else seemed to be able to help with, this is because Julie has walked the walk, plus the ladies at my Jarrow class on a wed are fabulous and if one of us is feeling down or poorly we all support each other.

Lastly I find it refreshing being part of a slimmers class knowing that Julie is the same as every lady there and is very supportive to us all and also an inspiration to everyone.

In our very 1st client spotlight I’d like to introduce Tracey.

Tracey is one of our target members who has lost an incredible 4 stone 11bs with us at Slimmers4All.

She is an invaluable member of our Friday morning group having now maintained her target for almost 2 years. She checks in every week and loves coming into class.

Like a lot of us, Tracey’s weight loss journey started a lot of years ago but has found her journey with us a lot more successful and most importantly sustainable.
I’m sure you’ll agree she looks incredible and is an inspiration to everyone.
Here’s Tracey’s own story.

My name is Tracey, I’m 48 and a support worker for adults with learning disabilities. I joined Slimmers4all in Jan 2020, proud to say I was one of the 1st members. I wanted to lose 4 stone  and I achieved this on Oct 23rd 2020 and I have maintained this ever since, even dropping a further 10lb. I have lost weight in the past doing it on my own  but I have always put it all back on again.
I know I have succeeded this time as I have had the support and encouragement of Julie and the other class members. It is so easy to follow and no food is off limits, just count it into your daily calorie allowance which Julie will work out for you. During lockdown Julie provided an online service for members to check in and this was invaluable to me. Julie is very flexible and with my job I can’t always get into class so she let’s me check in online when I can’t. The difference in my health has been a great benefit  I’m no gym bunny, I just love walking to get my exercise.When I first started I used to do 6000 steps in an hour,  now I do 7000. I really do feel so much happier and healthier.

Tracey Jameson

Do you plan your meals? Plan for a day? Plan for a week?

Most of our clients who plan their weekly meals often have the best results.

A lot of people tell me they couldn’t be bothered to plan or they don’t have time to plan!
The fact of the matter is… having a plan can actually save you time and money!

Write you plan at the beginning of each week, every meal. When you’ve done that write a shopping list.When you go to the shop only buy what’s on your shopping list. This will save you time and money because you won’t go slowly browsing around the shop wondering what you can buy you’ll just pick up what’s on your list.

You’ll have all your meals planned for the week and when you open the fridge or cupboard you’ll know exactly what you’re going to have. No more looking in the fridge and thinking urgh what can I have and then just grabbing something quick or something easy.

When you go on holiday you have a plan. What day you’re travelling, what time you flight is. You wouldn’t wake up get ready and ring a taxi to go to the airport would you?
You’d PLAN in advance and book it a few days before. You wouldn’t trust yourself to wake up in time for the taxi to arrive either you PLAN what time you should get up to make sure you were ready by setting an alarm and so on!

You PLAN everything in life even down to what time you need to leave the house to pick the kids up from school in time and PLAN to give them their tea, put them in the bath and bedtime!

So why not PLAN your meals for the week to go with it? You’ll really see the benefit and get the results you dream of?

It’s all in the Planning.

What a night we had last night at The New Sundial for Slimmers4all Christmas party!

It was so lovely to see everyone all dressed up and having fun. We had gorgeous food plenty of drinks and we danced the night away. Our slimming themed lucky dip raffle went down really well and we had a good laugh as the prizes got opened and some found booby prizes of Gaffa tape, wool and a crocheting hook and even a tube of toothpaste 🤔

Big thanks to my gorgeous assistants Chris and Dan for hosting the party games.

We played roll the lemon, play your cards right, and the pineapple game and had lots of giggles.

It was fabulous to see everyone from all 4 groups and online members all finally meeting each other and putting faces to names.

A truly lovely evening full of sparkles and smiles.
A special highlight of the evening for me was seeing how much more confidence everyone had after achieving brilliant weight losses this year.
We all can’t wait for next years party

How many of us say “I’ll wait till the new year” to delay joining a group? A few extra nibbles and drinks in November (hot dogs at fireworks night, early festive sessions) can easily add 1lb a week, then we hit the party season, drinks and parties and take outs can easily add 1.5lb a week and then there is the week, or 10 days, or fortnight itself if we are lucky its only 2lb a week gain so between now and joining in January “waiting till the new year” means that you are over a stone heavier than starting now!

A little bit of food for thought for you all this week.
It’s 45 days til Christmas!

55 days until our 1st check in of the new year. Let’s just say you’ve got 4 Christmas parties or nights out before Christmas (I should be so lucky haha).

We’ll call these celebration days. Then we have Christmas Eve, what do you normally do on Christmas Eve? A meal out? A takeaway? A few drinks?

Ok we’ll add that to our celebration days.

Christmas Day, Christmas dinner that’s an easy one really, but then there’s dessert, Christmas cake, a few chocolates? Yes?

We’ll add that on too.

Boxing Day! That’s my downfall buffet food, nibbles, pickies and drinks. I love nibbles and can easily sit and nibble until I’m full. So yeah we’ll add that one to our list of celebration days making it 7.

Then we have New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Do you celebrate one or both of those days?
Let’s just say both. That’s 9 celebration days in total. Let’s just say you won’t plan or track any of those days because it’s only Christmas once a year!

57 – 9 = 46

So you have 46 days where you could potentially plan, track and stay on plan and still enjoy Christmas.

How much damage can you do in 9 days of celebrations?
Half a stone? Maybe more?

My point here is if you could do that damage in 9 days, then how much damage could you do in 57 days if you didn’t check in? If you just thought oh you know what? It’s nearly Christmas and I’ve got too much on so I’ll just wait until the new year now and start afresh.

It doesn’t bear thinking about does it?
I really think I’d do some damage in that time. Just like I said a few week’s ago! Losing and gaining those same pounds or stones.

It’s damage limitation.

So join one of my classes now, or if you already have, stay in class, keep checking in and stay on plan as best you can even if you do decide you’re gonna enjoy Christmas it doesn’t matter. There’s a huge difference between enjoying 9 days or over indulging for 57.

None of us want to go back to the beginning of our journeys now do we?

We can all do this and still enjoy our celebrations 🎄💪🏼🎄
We’ve got you covered!
Have your own back ❤️

If you can relate to any of this you need to get in touch with us at Slimmers4all and don’t put off waiting for the right time, the next Monday, the next week or even after that next family occasion!

I have skipped meals, took supplements or only ate special K or cabbage soup and drank milkshakes in a desperate bid to get back into my old clothes.
Every Monday would come with great intentions, ready to be strict, ready to get rid of this weight once and for all… but by Tuesday I’d already given up and ate another full packet of biscuits.

Why did I keep doing this to myself?
Why after years of dieting was I no closer to losing this weight!

How did I constantly think about food but I still made the wrong choices?Then I realised it wasn’t me stopping myself it was the way I was trying to lose the weight that was wrong!

Skipping meals and real food made my sugar cravings even worse in the evenings and caused me to binge on anything in sight!The truth is, none of these diets actually worked for me and I’d finally had enough.
I desperately wanted to get rid of the baggy hoodies and leggings and get into skinny jeans and fitted tee shirts without going hungry or skipping meals, over-exercising, cutting out foods I love
and without doing another boring diet.

I finally discovered that I could reach my goals and get back in control of food flexibly.I started counting calories it made me more aware of food values and it was a whole new ball game.So after years of losing and gaining those same pounds/stones and sometimes even a few more, I saw the light and discovered I could win this battle.

This works and I don’t go without it!

Here’s what our members have said who’ve changed their eating habits around… for good.

I don’t feel deprived and I am so close to my ideal weight now that I am in awe of myself!
I’m so glad I found Slimmers4all.
Julie is incredible and the support is amazing!
4 stones lost since January.

This is an amazing way to healthy eat and lose weight at the same time. The Sws, WWs and fad diets are not sustainable I’ve learned that food is not free. This amazing plan, fantastic support network and the encouragement to achieve results is just one step away. Don’t let your demons put you off another day whilst you open that pack of biscuits, make those changes for you today, do it you won’t regret 1.5 stone lighter since I joined in May and not a regret in sight! Take control, for you!

Well worth the money. Puts an end to dieting & special foods forever! After years of sw and ww, I’ve finally found a really healthy way to make a permanent change, with 3 meals of proper food a day and a few little snacks. No complaints from my experience, just compliments!

I started this in June and can honestly say have never looked back years of slimming pills / slimming world/weight watchers had really taken its toll on my Mindset I’m much happier I understand food and what my body needs so much more – would defo recommend I decided for the price I had nothing to lose – so pleased I did thank you Julie and the wonderful group of ladies and gents.

My head is in the right place again, thankyou really enjoyed class 🥰 your an inspiration Xx

The lovely atmosphere always, and you make it like that 🥰 see u next week lighter 🙏😃

You are so good at what you do, lovely group ❤

Julie is a wonderful caring lady with a beautiful soul. She has a passion to help everyone to acquire their weight loss and target goals. I have attended other weight loss groups in the past for a “quick fix” then regained my weight. I have realised being part of Slimmers 4 All this is and will be a forever positive life choice and what an enjoyable one ! Nothing is restricted !
Our groups are wonderful non judgemental caring and warm because such a fantastic lady gives 110% with a massive heart ! I wouldn’t want to be any where else.

What are you waiting for?

It seems a lot of people have struggled with their weight over the summer so with kids going back to school and routine coming back this week in class I did a back to basics talk.

After a few months on a diet or healthy eating journey we all start to get a little complacent and just need a little recap on what we did those first few weeks.

First of all you have to remind yourself of your original goal, we weren’t happy with ourselves and wanted to lose a bit weight.
Then how did you feel those first few weeks on a plan? Most of my members come back and say how much they enjoyed the freedom of being able to eat the food they love and still lose weight.

So we come up with a plan, a meal plan, wether it’s for the week or for a few days if you have a plan it will save you time and quite often money as you know what you’re going to eat so you write up a shopping list and buy the things you need to make those meals.
Saves you the time of thinking of what you should be buying as you’re browsing around the supermarket and money by only putting in your trolley what you need.

Remind yourself to keep your protein intake up and also your water consumption. So try and get those 8 glasses of water per day in too!
Also try and get those extra steps in, even if it’s walking to the next bus stop or getting off the bus a stop sooner. Taking the washing upstairs rather than putting it on the bottom of the stairs until the next time you go up!

10,000 steps per day may sound daunting to some so if it does why not aim for an extra 250 steps per hour? I’m sure you could all do this by just pottering around the house? They all mount up at the end of a day!
Let’s get some accountability and motivation going, we have an awesome members only Facebook group who support each other every step of the way.

We’re all on the same journey and I know you can all do this!
If you haven’t already joined us what are you waiting for?
1lb per week loss is over a stone by Christmas.

As we all know it’s sometimes difficult staying within your calorie goal. Did you know you can burn between 300 and 500 calories (even upto 1000 depending on your pace) by taking 10000 steps!

Exercise and moving more helps with weightloss because of the extra calories burned you effectively increase that calorie defect but also it conditions your muscles to burn more calories. Muscles are active tissue that burn energy even at rest. More muscle = more calories burning.

This month we are bringing back our popular 10000 steps per day challenge.

Our members are committing to moving more to help them achieve that all important calorie deficit. Feel like challenging yourself? Join our members only facebook group to see how others are getting on, find out how people are getting there steps in or just how they are staying motivated.