‘Becoming the Woman I never thought I could be’

Mum of 3 Alexi Willoughby, 36, joined her local Slimming World group and has gone on to lose 5st 8.5lbs, transforming her health and that of her family.

Alexi had always wanted to have the confidence to stand in a room full of people and not feel self-conscious about how she looked, but never thought it was possible. She had joined Slimming World a few times but life had got in the way and she left.

But after having her last child she was determined to get the weight off as she was getting married. ‘I desperately didn’t want wedding pictures that I would look back on and hate what I saw’, Alexi said, ‘but I never believed that I would be able to lose what I wanted to make me feel confident on my big day.’

But she was determined so on 17 August 2016 she walked back through the doors of her local Slimming World group and was met with the warmest of welcomes. ‘The support and friendship from everybody was immediate and I was made to feel so special,’ she said, so she decided she wanted to lose four stone and get to a size 12 to give her the confidence she needed to walk down the aisle.

‘I will never forget those first 2 weeks’, Alexi said. ‘I had forgotten how easy it was to follow, and with a young family it was fitting in perfectly, we were enjoying all our family favourite meals like roasts and spaghetti bolognaise and even trying new things like BBQ pulled pork and fake aways. I was eating so much that I was never hungry.’

In the first two weeks Alexi was amazed as she had lost 10 and a half pounds and 9 months later, that four stone she had dreamed of became a reality. ‘I couldn’t believe it,’ she said. ‘I had achieved my target, something which I didn’t think was possible and hadn’t felt deprived at all.’

Alexi grew in confidence, so she set the target she had secretly dreamed of and a year later reached it with a life changing 5st 8.5lbs and she had got into her dream of a size 10.

Alexi walked down the aisle with her head held high. ‘The confidence I had gained from leading a healthier lifestyle is incredible, and it’s all thanks to Slimming World,’ she said. ‘I wish I had known what a difference it would make to almost every area of my life years ago and stuck at it, but better late than never.

‘In losing the weight, I have found my passion and my new career. I wanted to help others, as I had been helped.’ Alexi has now been a consultant in Hemel Hempstead since June 2019 and has grown the group and seen some fantastic achievements in this time. Wanting to continue to spread that help further she has taken the opportunity to open a new group in Berkhamsted.

She said: ‘Seeing people lose weight and become happy and confident is hugely satisfying. I want to pay it forward and give others the gift of transforming their lives too.’

For more information, visit Alexi at Kings Road Church, Berkhamsted, HP4 3BD every Friday at 9.15am from 13 March, contact her on 07792 962813 or on Facebook @AlexiSWBerkhamsted.