A UK mom and son duo have shed an impressive 160 pounds between them after motivating each other to lose weight.
Emma Howells, 44, and her son Elliot, 20, had both been struggling with their weight for years before joining Slimming World.
She was a size 22 while Mr. Howells was a triple XL, and their weight was having a negative impact on their everyday lives.
However, after Ms. Howells joined said weight loss organization in 2010, she lost 42 pounds by following a flexible lifestyle and dietary program.
She also became a consultant and got down to a size 14, before family bereavement sent her reverting to her old eating habits.
“I lost three stone [42 pounds] and became a Slimming World consultant. I did it for seven and a half years and loved my group,” Ms. Howells, from Ipswich, Suffolk, said.
“But then I suddenly lost my 24-year-old sister and had a run of illness and bereavement in our family.
“Within four years I lost five family members.
“When I lost my mum, I was exercising like mad as a way of coping with grief, but I didn’t have a very healthy relationship with food.
“I ended up having an operation, and I gained some weight again, so I went back to the group as a member.”
Now, after her second go, Ms. Howells has lost just over 28 pounds and has decided to relaunch her own group to inspire others.
In doing so, she has helped her son Mr. Howells with his own transformation.
Mr. Howells was plagued with knee issues growing up, and after being told he would no longer be able to play football, he was devastated and turned to food for comfort.
The pair used to snack on chocolate and biscuits, they binged on takeaways, and there was no structure to their diet.
“When I was a consultant previously, Elliot lacked motivation to change. He just needed to decide for himself,” Ms. Howells, a mom-of-three, said.
“But when he found out he needed to lose two stone [28 pounds] to have a double-leg realignment, he then rejoined the Slimming World with me.
“The ladies absolutely adored him. He got so much attention.
“They were like his additional mums.”
Mr. Howells has now lost 90 pounds, has returned to playing competitive football, and is studying at Nottingham Trent University.
As a family, they’re always planning healthy meals like low-fat chili and spaghetti bolognese and packing their Sunday roast full of hearty vegetables.
Mr. Howells is now at his target weight and a size medium-large. But Ms. Howells wants to get to a size 12 to complete her weight loss journey.
“My son is living his best life at the moment. He’s got so much more confidence,” Ms. Howells said.
“I also love that we can now all eat the same healthy food as a family. I used to make my own food and something else for the rest of them.
“Slimming World doesn’t feel like a diet, it feels like a lifestyle.”
