A grandmother is celebrating after losing a staggering seven stone in just over a year as part of an anti-obesity campaign.
Joyce Conway, 64, weighed 19st when she joined the Lifestyle initiative organised by Stoke City Council.
Joyce was the 5,000th person to join the programme, which has changed her life. Her weight meant she was struggling with mobility and did very little exercise.
She met with Lifestyle coach Yvonne Rowland and has never looked back.
Joyce said: “I couldn’t have done it without the support of the Lifestyle
Programme – in fact, if it wasn’t for the programme I’d probably be in a wheelchair by now. Yvonne was very encouraging and made me believe in myself and that I could succeed.”
She started snacking less and eating more fruit and vegetables and then began swimming and using a gym twice a week.
She began attending sessions at Slimming World and was so successful she was named Slimmer of the Month every month. Joyce has now been nominated to be the national organisation’s Woman of the Year.
Residents in the city who are overweight or obese, but who also have conditions such as diabetes, can be referred to the Lifestyle initiative – which is supported with £500,000 worth of funding from Sport England. Patients have to be referred to the scheme by their doctor or another NHS professional.
Dr Ruth Chambers, a family doctor from Tunstall, said: “We are lucky to have such a great support programme in Stoke-on-Trent.
“Lots of my patients have gone along and we are now seeing them with lower blood pressures as they exercise much more, and their excess weight has dropped off.”