Seaton Delaval grandmother loses HALF her body weight by eating healthier and being more active

Rose Mary Halliwell, 73, weighed 24 stone at her heaviest, but has shed 12 stone by eating healthier local produce and becoming more active, including taking up hula-hooping.

Rose said: “I have been overweight all of my adult life but when my daughter arranged her wedding, I wanted to look better than I had done at all of my other children’s weddings.

“Being overweight was always difficult and clothes were a problem.

“I could not enjoy doing things with the children, I never felt confident in social situations, and I did the usual thing of hiding my feelings by making jokes and derogatory remarks about myself.”

At her largest, the mother-of-three and grandmother-of-eight was too anxious to admit she wore size 24 dresses.

She said: “My husband and I were feeders so it was big meals, takeaways at weekend, and he bought me chocolates and wine every week.

“When he developed diabetes, aged 60, we changed our lifestyle somewhat and my weight slowly came down.

“My weight was down to 19 stone before his death six years ago and I lost a bit more as I adjusted to life alone.”

After attending a Slimming World class in 2017, Rose made further weight loss progress by eating more fruit, vegetables, and fresh meat from the local butcher.

She said: “I love cooking and creating dishes, or putting my own twist on standard recipes.

“I have substituted low fat and fat-free alternatives for everything I use. Eating is still fun and guilt-free.

Mobility also used to be an issue for Rose, who used walking sticks and a stair lift when arthritis pain became particularly bad, but now she is regularly active.

She said: “I have so much energy compared to before. I can walk for miles and, although I have never been keen on exercising, I do something every day, even if it is housework.

“I was also introduced to hula-hooping at Slimming World. It was something I could never master in my youth but I love it now.

“I know that by losing weight with Slimming World I have extended my life, but it is also a better quality of life.”