You might be feeling nervous. Deciding to lose weight is a really big step in itself. I vividly remember the night I joined. I think I stood outside the door giving myself a little pep talk before I built up the courage to walk in the doors. I don’t know what I was expecting but in a weird way I felt like I would be the only person there who was struggling to lose weight. Everyone else would be losing beautifully and I would be the newbie. The one who had so much to learn. Surely I would say embarrassing things and trip myself up when I tried to speak. I didn’t want anyone to know that I had been secret eating, comfort eating and basically eating so much that I constantly felt sick. How could I disguise this from everyone? 

It sounds dramatic but I really couldn’t believe how different the group was in reality. When I walked in the door I was greeted by the consultant. She was chatting to another member and noticed me walking in looking a little anxious. I had spotted a sign that welcomed me and pointed me in the direction of the new member's area. The consultant caught my eye and approached me as I walked there. She was lovely. So warm and welcoming. She told me she was a total foodie and acknowledged that I was probably feeling nervous about being at a group for the first time. As I filled out the enrolment form I couldn’t help but notice the buzz in the room. People were laughing,  chatting and welcoming each other as they entered the room. There was a tea and coffee station and a little shop that sold Slimming World bars, cookbooks and magazines. I couldn’t wait to have a browse. 

The consultant sat down with myself and another new member and explained the Slimming World plan. I had no idea what to expect but as she spoke I grew more and more excited. I could have a big hearty cooked breakfast with bacon and fried eggs? Burgers and chips were allowed? There was room for chocolate and wine? I was sold. I felt empowered and excited to start the plan. I had really expected to feel the opposite. I expected to be waving goodbye to all the food that I associated with tasting great. How wrong was I. This plan just sounded so liveable. HOW were people losing so much weight on it? 

And they were. After the plan was explained to us we were encouraged to sit down and join Image Therapy. This is the part of the group where everyone sits down for about forty minutes. I loved the layout of the room because it wasn’t too formal but everyone could see each other. The consultant gave out awards – one person got their five stone award and I was amazed as we clapped to celebrate their achievement. She spoke about her favourite meals which included Chicken Curry, Shepherds Pie and my absolute favourite – Chilli! The consultant spoke to the members individually but in a really relaxed way. To my surprise, not everyone had a great week. It reassured me and from that point, I knew that if I struggled I could still sit in group and feel comfortable. We celebrated the losses, helped people move passed a gain and I got some great food tips, recipe ideas and motivation. I just couldn’t wait to start this plan. Image therapy was full of laughs and learning. At the end, the consultant called out the winning raffle ticket (they do a raffle every single week and the prize was really great) and the Slimmer Of The Week winner. It was just so positive and uplifting. 

At the end of the group I paid my joining fee, picked up a box of Slimming World bars (these are yummy) and it was my time to get weighed. This was the part I was most nervous about. I stood up on the scales, my start weight was logged and I had the opportunity to choose my Personal Achievement Target. I loved that the choice was mine. I knew exactly what weight I wanted to be and logging it felt really empowering. My details were written into my Slimming World book along with my consultant’s telephone number and details of the private members-only Facebook page. My consultant asked me if I had any questions or concerns and assured me that she was at the other end of the phone if I needed her at all during the week. 

Joining that Slimming World group is one of the best things I have ever done. It grew to be something I looked forward to every single week. It was my time, a chance to have a cuppa with my new friends and losing over five stone was the cherry on top.