A WOMAN who transformed her life by joining a Slimming World group is using her success to help other people change their lives and achieve their weight loss dreams, too.

Cherrish Wainwright joined her group in Llangefni in 2019 and has been supporting members to achieve their dreams since launching her first group back in November 2019.

Since then, she has helped members across her three groups through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

With more than two-and-a-half years’ worth of experience, Cherrish is now opening a new group at the Llangefni Town Hall on Thursday, June 9 at 9.30am, 5.30pm and 7pm.

At the start of 2019, Cherrish was diagnosed with Endometriosis, a condition that affects one in 10 women across the world.

At the time, she was overweight which caused a complication during an operation to assess how bad the endometriosis in her body was.

Once she fully recovered, she knew she needed to do something about her weight, and fast.

READ MORE:

Illegal taxis operating in Bangor claim

At more than 13 stone, she had tried different yo-yo diets and personal training sessions in the past, feeling miserable the whole time.

After moving to Llangefni, she saw the signs for the Saturday Slimming World group, and after doing some research online, convinced herself she had nothing to lose by going along.

During her first week, with the help of the Slimming World online recipes and food diaries, she was still able to eat pasta, cheese, and chocolate, all of which are her guilty pleasures.

She said: “I was a little apprehensive walking to the group for that first weigh-in as I had still enjoyed my favourite foods I have always been told to limit, but after stepping on the scales and I gave a little yelp as I saw I had lost 4lbs.

“At this exact moment, I knew I had found something so special.”

Across the next six months, Cherrish found out a lot about herself as a slimmer with the help of her group and consultant, and just before being plunged into the pandemic, lost almost two stone.

She added: “I knew I would find the lockdown hard. I was already shielding due to my asthma and felt completely cut off from all my family and friends.

“After a month, I realised how much my mental health was being affected and how that really affected the way I was now perceiving food – leading me back to habits I thought I had ditched thanks to the support of my consultant and fellow members.

“I continued my journey throughout all the lockdowns with full transparency with my members, I wanted them to know they weren’t alone if they were struggling.

“There were tough weeks for me, but I knew I would never give in.

“When the news came that in May 2021, we could re-open our groups in the community I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to see my amazing members and help them on their comeback journey.”

After returning to community-based groups from the virtual service Slimming World offered during lockdown, Cherrish found that a lot of her members had really struggled with their mental health throughout the pandemic.

She said: “Coming back into the real world was really hard for some of my members.

“I knew I needed to create a safe place for them to get the love and support they needed without feeling overwhelmed.”

A study by the University of Lincoln examined the relationship between weight loss and mental toughness in a period of six months and revealed that members of Slimming World groups lost weight more successfully than a comparison group (who were aiming to lose weight without the support of a group) and significantly improved their mental toughness.

During the six months of the study, on average, Slimming World members lost in excess of two stone more than those in the comparison group.

Their measures of mental toughness on average rose 10 per cent, from a low to an average score in Slimming World group members, whereas the comparison group had no statistically significant change to their mental toughness.

Cherrish added: “Support is really the most important thing. It all starts with feeling that you’re not alone.

“I couldn’t have lost weight without the weekly help, encouragement and understanding of my own consultant and group.

“As someone who has lost weight myself, I know the challenges people can face, which is why, along with the group, I will be there to support every one of my members all the way to their chosen target weight.

“Setting targets, sharing recipes and other ideas, and working together as a group to overcome challenges and celebrate success is so important to a successful journey.

“That’s why, at my Slimming World group, there’ll always be tons of support, encouragement, and fun.”

“Slimming World isn’t just about changing what you eat. Becoming more active is important too.

“Our Body Magic programme takes the threat out of activity by showing people, many of whom have unpleasant memories of being forced to take part in activity at school, how they can build activity into their daily routine without having to take up traditional forms of exercise like going to the gym or running.

“Everything counts from walking to gardening to washing the car. I love taking in the amazing scenery Anglesey has to offer on my walks to get my Body Magic.

“As a consultant it’s my role to create that warm, supportive atmosphere to get people sharing their ideas and experiences to help others - it’s going to be great fun!”

Like Cherrish, Slimming World consultants are all former members who have lost weight at their group themselves and groups are set up as micro businesses in the heart of communities.

There are currently about 4,000 Slimming World consultants across the UK and Ireland, running 15,000 groups.

Consultants receive training in Slimming World’s healthy eating and physical activity programmes and learn how to use the power of group support to empower members to take control of their own weight loss journey.

As self-employed micro-entrepreneurs, consultants also learn how to build a successful community-based business.

Cherrish says she absolutely loves running her own business, adding: “For me, becoming a self-employed franchisee was a great option.

“I wanted a job that was well-paid, flexible and I wanted to avoid a regular ‘nine-to-five’ routine.

“I absolutely love hearing about my members weeks and the changes Slimming World has made to their lives – whether its them coming off medication, feeling happy and comfortable on their wedding day, or welcoming a new bundle of joy to their family I am with them all every step of the way and I love it.”

Cherrish’s Slimming World group will be held at Llangefni Town Hall every Thursday at 9.30am, 5.30pm and 7pm from June 9.

For more information or to join Cherrish’s group, either pop along on June 9 or visit www.slimmingworld.co.uk.