Weight off my mind

Eating more than ever, slimming down, feeling healthier and fitter than ever before. This is how Rachael Farmer now describes her current lifestyle after joining Slimming World in 2015. However, for Rachael, this was not always the case and she spoke to the Cork Independent about her Slimming World journey and how her life has changed since she joined.

“Looking back, in my late teens and early twenties, I was very unhealthy. Although not overly overweight, I was definitely going down that road through endless binge eating on takeaways and drinking alcohol every weekend.”

Rachael suffers with anxiety and has done for many years. Before learning how to control her anxiety, she used to turn to food for comfort, as a way of dealing with her emotions. Eventually, she realised that her unhealthy lifestyle was a big trigger of her anxiety and lead to many terrifying panic attacks.

“Although my poor diet was not the cause of my anxiety, binge eating and especially binge drinking at the weekends used to trigger it a lot more and it completely affected my quality of life and I really began to struggle.”

In June 2015, at the age of 25, she joined a Slimming World group having seen it on Facebook.

“I originally joined to lose weight, but what I learned was a completely new way of healthy eating, without feeling restricted, a plan where I could still enjoy my favourite meals such as spaghetti bolognaise but without the guilt.”

To her shock, she lost 4lbs in her first week, which quickly led to half a stone after three weeks to losing a stone in eight weeks. Rachael lost just over two stone in total within the year and never felt better.

“I felt I regained control, eating healthier made me feel better which helped hugely with my anxiety. The benefits of healthy eating go far beyond a number on the scales, although seeing the weight come off was a bonus." Rachael says the key to her successful weightloss was down to her group and the support of her consultant and fellow members.

“Staying to group every week helped me to stay focused, and to remember why I was there in the first place. You get great tips to help keep you motivated, especially during the tough weeks and it was a nice social evening too.”

Rachael also found that light exercise such as walking really helps with the mind and she has now incorporated this into her weekly routine as well, to get the overall balance of healthy eating and healthy living. Nearly four years on and Rachael is still as passionate about the Slimming World plan as ever and has now become a Slimming World consultant herself, with the aim of inspiring others to strive towards a healthier lifestyle and to make permanent positive changes to their lives.

“The food optimising plan is not a diet, it is a healthy eating plan that we can enjoy and use for life and still lose weight, it’s amazing,” she concludes.

Rachael is re-launching the Slimming World Blarney group on Thursday 30 May at Blarney Woollen Mills Hotel at 3.30pm and 5.30pm.

For more information, you can contact Rachael on 083-0028299 or visit slimmingworld.ie.