was Sue, the same lovely Consultant who’d helped
me as a teenager. She remembered me straight
away, and I took a seat and felt immediately at ease.
Listening to the other members talk about their week
on plan, I was itching to get started. When I stepped
onto the scales and found out I weighed 14st 2½lbs,
somehow I was even more determined.I planned my meals for the next seven days,
downloaded the Slimming World app and headed for
the supermarket. For the first time in years, I ate
breakfast: overnight oats with frozen berries. At
lunchtime, I swapped high Syn wraps for smoked
salmon salads or home-made couscous with leftover
cooked veg. I loved the flexibility of being able to
use my Healthy Extras for things like cheese on my
home-made Slimming World lasagne or two Salted
Caramel Hi-fi bars for pudding. Terry was amazed by
how generous the plan was. ‘I can’t believe you can
eat all this!’ he’d say when I dished up our evening
meal. He ate all the dinners I cooked and really got
into the swing of it with me. Then it was my turn to
be amazed when I found I’d lost 3½lbs in the first
week. I made sure I went to group every Tuesday
night without fail and all of the group members were
full of ideas. While I’d always liked cooking, I loved it
even more now and followed the group’s Facebook
page for recipe inspiration. I became an expert at
making Food Optimising versions of our favourite
takeaways, as well as my famous burgers.Then, one weekend, I went away for my friend’s hen
do and found it hard to stay on plan. I got carried
away and at my next weigh-in, I’d gained 2½lbs. I
was so upset with myself that I ran straight out to the
car, keys in hand. Then, a little voice inside my head
said, ‘No, Polly. Get back in there!’. And I did. I saw
a quote online that really hit home: ‘If you drop your
phone and crack the screen, you don’t go and get
a big hammer and smash it some more. So don’t let
one weekend ruin the rest of the week.’I got back on track and as the weeks flew by, the
pounds steadily flew off, too. Within a month,
I’d received my one-stone award. People were
beginning to notice and they were amazed at how
quickly my weight loss began to show in my spirits,
too. Each time I went down a size, I felt a flush of
pride. For the first time in years, I dared to look at
fashionable clothes. I bought beautiful dresses,
cold-shoulder tops and skinny jeans. I felt like
a butterfly slowly spreading its wings for the first
time. Before, I’d been hiding my body away. Now,
I was ready to reveal the new me.I picked bright yellows and blues, and had a new
vibrant wardrobe to match how good I was feeling
inside. I no longer felt winded going up the 40 steps
to our flat and I started taking my dogs out for longer
walks. I knew every little bit of extra activity made
a difference. And I wasn’t the only one reaping the
benefits. Just by eating what I was at home, Terryhad lost 2st – and Mum had lost a stone, too.
Slimming World had become a huge part of our
lives and we were all getting healthier together.I started preparing for my next holiday, to Mallorca,
and tried on bikini after bikini. It was a world apart
from when I’d been packing for Goa. I’d not been
able to find a single bikini I felt good in, and had
spent hours in an expensive department store
looking for one that supported my bust and didn’t
make me feel frumpy. In the end I’d paid more than
£50 for one I didn’t even like! Now, I could choose
from a whole range of pretty, multicoloured halter-
neck styles in Primark for less than £10.Six months after joining Slimming World, I was
down to st lbs. Reaching my target weight made
me realise how unhappy I’d been before and how
unhealthy the yo-yo dieting had been. I’ve even
lost a little more since and have adjusted my target
to 10st. The biggest difference is that I’ve learnt not
to be too hard on myself if I do go off track here and
there – I know that as long as I go straight back to
Food Optimising, anything I’ve gained will soon
come off again. Losing weight has given me the
confidence to achieve in other areas of my life,
too – my next challenge is to get back in the pool
and start swimming again.With Verity’s wedding just around the corner, I
had one important thing left to do. The tie-dye maxi
dress I’d bought in Goa swamped me, so I spent a
whole day shopping and trying on new outfits to
my heart’s content...until I found the perfect body-
hugging, powder blue Bardot dress. As I posed for
photographs alongside the beautiful bride, there
was no worrying about what I was wearing, how my
body looked or what other people might be thinking.
I spent the entire day enjoying myself and it felt
totally liberating. I have self-belief now and I go
to bed every night feeling so proud of how far I’ve
come. At last I feel happy in my own skin – and
I’ve done it the healthy way. Polly’s top tips
Check out
restaurant menus
online and choose
what you’re going
to have in advance.
When you’re
eating out, ask for
substitutions or for
dressings on the side.
Staff are happy to help.
Use social media to
share your meals – it’s
a great way to inspire
others and be inspired. Tell your colleagues
about your goals.
That way, they’ll
understand if you
don’t join in indulging
in all the office treats.
If you have a day
when you go off track,
don’t be hard on
yourself, just draw
a line under it and
get straight back to
Food Optimising.POLLY WEARS:
p : Dress, Chi Chi
London. Shoes
and bangle,
both New Look.
Earrings, Mood by
Jon Richard
Opposite: Jacket
and trousers,
James Lakeland.
Blouse, Glamorous
at Silkfred. Shoes,
Lisa Kay London.
Earrings, Mood by
Jon Richard.
Rings and bag,
both New Look SLIMMING WORLDINTERVIEW: PUNTEHA VAN TERHEYDEN. PHOTOGRAPHS: PAUL BULLER
STYLING: RACHEL FANCONI. HAIR & MAKEUP: LIZ KITCHINER
LOCATION: JJLOCATIONS.COM. SEE P FOR STOCKISTSPolly_sspm_LaH_v6.indd 42 14/11/2017 15:31