Longford woman achieves dream weight by shedding six stone

She was also voted Woman of the Year in August by her group members.

47 year old Julie , who has dropped from a dress size 22 to a size 12-14 having started her journey at 17 stone, says: “I was already really looking forward to this Christmas and feeling glamorous enough to wear the outfits I’ve been dreaming of.”

She addded , “Achieving my target weight in October means I have even more to celebrate and I know this Christmas will be extra special as I reached my dream weight. I used to hate clothes shopping before I started to loose weight as I couldn't find the clothes I liked in my size. Now I love clothes shopping every chance I get."

Julie's weight problems really began, like most ladies, when her children started to arrive and as a mother of eight, life just became so busy that convenience foods and takeaways were part of life but Julie does say she has struggled most of her life with her weight.

She joined the Temperance Hall Slimming World group in January 2016 after a few other attempts before. This time was different though as she was advised by her doctor to commit to losing the weight as she needed surgery to remove her gallbladder and needed to lose weight before they would proceed with the surgery.

Julie believes that staying and being part of group was the secret for her on this attempt as her fellow members inspire and motivate each other each week and help each other overcome common challenges and swap food tips and ideas.

She began following Slimming World’s Food Optimising healthy eating plan, which encourages members to satisfy their appetite on healthy foods like fruit and veg, pasta, rice, potatoes, lean meat, fish and more.

Slimmers are able to lose weight without ever going hungry and still enjoy treats without feeling deprived, so there’s no need to miss out on their festive favourites this Christmas.

With a large family for Julie this was the best bit as family get togethers are a big part of life and to know that these events could still be enjoyed meant that all Julie had to do was to make simple changes to her usual habits.

Siobhan Brier, who runs the Temperance Hall Slimming World groups which Julie attends, says she's extremely proud of Julie:
“Christmas is a time of year for getting dressed up and having a good time. However, when people are overweight they often dread it because they feel uncomfortable and out of place at parties – that’s if they don’t make an excuse to avoid socialising altogether.

“This year I know that Julie will feel completely different from previous years. She will be accepting every invitation she receives and showing off her gorgeous new figure with confidence – she definitely lives up to her new title of Miss Slinky in my eyes.

“I’ve no doubt that she will inspire other people, men and women, to lose weight too and show that whether you’ve got a little or a lot of weight to lose, slimming down can make a big difference to how you feel about yourself and really boost your confidence.

“Julie is happier, healthier and fitter, and every week the group have loved hearing about her achievements. Julie is so very proud of the fact that she has climbed Croagh Patrick three times now.

She has suffered from arthritis in her lower back for many years and carrying that extra six stone did hold her back from being able to join her friends and family on the climbs before as she would get tired very easily and had no energy."

Julie explained, “My arthritis doesn't cause me the same issues now and having had gallbladder surgery too I feel like a new woman.”

Siobhan concluded, “Anyone who has been inspired by Julie is welcome to join us at the Temperance Hall every Tuesday at 9.30am, 11.30am, 5.30pm & 7.30pm and Wednesdays at 9.30am. New members can simply pop along or if they’d like more information they can call me, Siobhan, on 083-3533130 or to find your nearest group simply log on to www.slimmingworld.ie and groups are listed by county.”