A MOTHER-of-two shed the pounds and freed herself from dependency on high-strength painkillers after joining a local slimming club.
Claire Duffy, 36, who lives in Hanwell, said her life was sheer misery while she battled ongoing weight problems and agonising pain in her back caused by complications arising from the condition spina bifida.
Mrs Duffy, who had been overweight for much of her adult life, said she was desperate to come off prescribed painkillers, which eased her suffering but made her depressed and prone to terrible mood swings.
She joined the Hanwell branch of Slimming World and has so far lost two stone, taking her dress size down from a 16 to a 10 - 12, and the experience has given her a new lease of life.
Mrs Duffy, who joined the group last September, said: “I feel brilliant. I’ve gone from 12 stone down to about ten stone and it has made such a huge difference in my life. I no longer have any problems doing things like buying new clothes.”
She said that at her lowest ebb, getting dressed in the morning was a nightmare and nothing fitted, making her even more depressed. Her confidence was at an all time low.
The side effects of the painkillers were starting to take their toll on her general health as she spent long periods of time unable to focus: “There were mornings where I didn’t even want to get out of bed. It got so bad that I couldn’t even run around the garden or play football with my five-year-old son. I was like a space cadet. ”
Mrs Duffy’s back condition means she still needs something to ease the pain but now she is now able to take regular painkillers like paracetemol, with no nasty side effects.
And her experience with Slimming World made such a difference that she is becoming a consultant for the group. She is urging people to come along to meetings at St Mary’s Church in St Mary’s Road, South Ealing every Thursday from October 6 at 7pm.
For more information, visit the website www.slimmingworld.com.
