If you lived in Britain, Slimming World would already be a household name to you. For forty years they and their dynamic founder, Margaret Miles-Bramwell, have helped over five million men and women lose weight and keep it off while enjoying satisfying portions of everyday food they can buy at their local grocery store. There are no portion limits, no pills, shakes or special diet foods. There’s no weighing or measuring, no calorie, fat or carb counting. There’s no guilt and — wait for it—NO HUNGER. You see, it’s not a diet. It’s a healthy eating plan you can follow for the rest of your life. It’s hunger-free weight loss at last.
And with the UK’s favorite weight loss club now open in Flower Mound, Frisco and The Colony, I visited Margaret to discover why losing weight the Slimming World way is so different.
Margaret, you’re launching the UK’s leading weight loss organization in Dallas – what’s made you decide to launch in the States?
The work we do in the UK was recognized by Queen Elizabeth II this year when I received an OBE in her birthday honors list. The award was given to us as a recognition of all the work we’ve done to help transform the lives of millions of people suffering with weight problems, as well as the part we play in helping the British government to tackle the UK’s growing obesity crisis. For years now, people have been asking us to bring our unique service and support to the USA, where obesity is just as serious a problem for millions of people. In Texas 63% of the population are overweight or obese – and all of them are struggling to find an easy, practical and sustainable way to lose weight, and keep it off. So in our 40th birthday year, we decided the time was right. Britain has always felt a strong alliance with the USA – it seems right to me that we bring the best of British to our friends in the States.
You started the very first Slimming World club 40 years ago in your own home town. What was your inspiration for opening it?
I’d always found it so difficult to lose weight. Every diet I’d tried – and there were a lot – had been restrictive and unsustainable. I knew there had to be a better way. I knew how it felt to embark on yet another diet, losing a bit more faith in myself every time, and despairing of ever finding a long-term answer. I wanted to create a weight loss club where the Consultants – the group leaders – understood those feelings, where members would be treated with respect, and feel encouraged and empowered.
That sounds like an ambitious plan for a 21 year old.
It was – but I had an unshakeable belief that my idea would work. It took me six months to create a program that freed slimmers from the burden of counting calories, and that swapped the classic ‘I shouldn’t be having this’ mindset for a positive perspective. Food Optimising is all about what you can have – being able to choose what and how much you eat from a huge list of Free Foods gives you the most incredible psychological release.
Weight loss without hunger. Eating as much as you like. It
sounds too good to be true! How do members lose weight at Slimming World?
It’s based on the science of energy density and appetite satisfaction. That might sound complicated, but we’ve made it deceptively easy for Slimming World members! Being allowed to eat freely from a huge list of everyday foods you can buy from any grocery store that are low in calories and very filling – like lean meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, fruit, rice and pasta – and still enjoy those innocent (high calorie) pleasures like a glass of wine or bar of chocolate, means that you avoid feelings of deprivation and the need to rebel.
Understandably, members are quite often skeptical at first; having being told for so long that they can’t, shouldn’t or mustn’t eat that if they want to lose weight. Learning which foods can be eaten freely and which foods need to be kept an eye on is a great way of learning how to eat healthily for life. And so liberating! It’s very different from obsessive and restrictive calorie-counting or point-counting, where it’s important to count absolutely everything obsessively and stick rigidly within your daily limit. We help members learn which foods will be the kindest to their well-being, their happiness and their waist-line.
There are now over 6,000 Slimming World groups running in the UK, with almost 3,000 Consultants. What’s so successful about your meetings?
In our groups you always find a really friendly, open, nonjudgmental atmosphere, with delicious recipe ideas, swapping of hints and tips and lots of shared laughter. I guarantee there’s nothing like our group support available here yet – it’s caring, it’s empowering, it’s will-power boosting, and designed to keep people motivated all the way to their chosen target weight. A Slimming World group – whether you have 7lbs or 170lbs to lose – is a great place to be.
We’re still only reaching a fraction of the millions of people who need help – in the UK and in the States. It’s important we let people know that you can lose weight without hunger and deprivation. You can make changes that will help you and your family lead healthier lives, and that will last a lifetime. You can enjoy a social life, and lose weight too. Together Slimming World and slimmers here in Dallas will achieve amazing things.
Slimming World groups are now open in Frisco, The Colony, Plano, Lewisville and
Flower Mound.
You’re welcome to come along – with no obligation to join – and discover more about this amazing way of achieving your dream weight and staying there for life!
See the group details here...
Join your nearest warm and friendly Slimming World group today! Find your nearest group...
