An Elland woman who lost over four stone in a year says she did it all “without dieting.”
Lynn Parker weighed nearly 16st before she decided to join her local Slimming World group.
The 53-year-old shocked herself into losing weight after seeing pictures of herself at a time when her dress size was 24.
She originally tried to lose weight for her son’s wedding in June 2015, but struggled to do it alone.
After the wedding photos had been developed, Lynn knew it was time to get help.
The single mum-of-three was due to give her daughter away at her wedding in September 2016.
She started attending consultant Michelle Bancroft’s Slimming World class in Elland on Tuesdays in September 2015. By November 2016, she weighed under 12st.
“I lost my mum and dad in 2010. I lost them within 12 hours of each other. Before that, I had always been very slim,” she said.
“It really cut me up because I had to choose between being with them.
“My mum had had a stroke in Lancashire and my dad was in hospital in Halifax. I chose to be with my dad because I thought my mum would be okay, but she had a seizure and died while I was with my dad.”
Lynn, a former divisional business support manager for a private healthcare company, said: “My typical diet was ridiculous because I was travelling for work.
“I would stop at a local garage and get crisps and chocolate and would gorge on them and then open the fridge when I got home. I would often order takeaways on the way home from work and I would eat takeways at the weekend.”
Exercise is limited for her as Lynn has a number of health problems, including spinal stenosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and coronary artery calcification (CAC).
“Walking into my first meeting, I felt so embarrassed and ashamed, but deep down I felt really proud of myself,” Lynn said.
“All I really changed was my shopping list and eating three meals a day. Now, even my doctor asks how I did it.”
She added: “It’s about lifestyle change. I don’t call it a diet. I can still eat burgers and chips if I want. I’m very passionate about it not being a diet.”
Lynn, who is now a size 12, is launching her own Slimming World group in Elland Working Men’s Club in Rosebery Street. Her first sessions will be on April 17 at 5.30pm and 7.30pm.
