Slimmers in Rochester have been cooking up a healthy storm to celebrate the launch of a month-long food festival, they invited Parliamentary Candidate & local Medway Councillor Kelly Tolhurst who is on the Medway’s new Health & Wellbeing Board along to share it with them.
Members of the morning St. Justus Slimming World group created a delicious feast with the aim of showing people that you don’t have to go hungry or feel deprived in order to slim down.
Linda Booker who runs both the morning & evening group at St. Justus said members in January had lost an incredible 994 lbs (71 stone) between them & have been so successful in losing weight that they their families have also been benefiting from making healthy meals.
Because of their success, a new session at 3.30pm has been started, this was to enable younger adults to be able to learn how to make healthy choices and smart swops as part of Slimming Worlds policy of allowing free membership to 11-16yr olds when accompanied by a parent or guardian (if not a member then a reduced fee applies).
Rochester like many other areas of Medway has a high obesity rate for this age group and members had mentioned it was difficult to get good practical advice for their teenagers, some of whom are being made to feel uncomfortable due to the size.
The slimmers hosted the gastronomical event as part of their weekly weight-loss session, which is held every Wednesday morning at St. Justus Church They each brought along a dish that can be enjoyed without counting, weighing or measuring when following the club’s Food Optimising healthy eating plan.
Linda says: “Slimming World’s Food Optimising plan encourages members to eat a wide variety of healthy foods to satisfy their appetite, so they never need to suffer the hunger pangs that usually see people throwing in the towel on other weight-loss plans. We call these foods ‘Free Foods’ because they can be enjoyed freely and this month at Slimming World we’re celebrating Free Food February.
“Free Foods are those that are low in calories yet filling, including fruit and vegetables, pasta, rice, potatoes, lean meat, fish and more. So by using these foods and making just small changes to the way they cook and prepare meals there are hundreds of delicious dishes, from roast dinners and big breakfasts to curries and pasta dishes, that slimmers can enjoy without having to worry about tucking into tiny portions.
“It’s really flexible too so whether you love to cook or are quite inexperienced in the kitchen, you’re bound to be able to find something you’ll enjoying making – and, more importantly, eating. We had a huge spread at our group’s party, including mains, snacks and even desserts everything from BBQ Chicken Drumsticks to Baileys Cheesecake.
“Every week in our group we swap recipes and food ideas that with Slimming World at least – isn’t all carrot sticks and lettuce leaves!”
To find out more about losing weight with Slimming World, pop along to the Rochester Slimming World group, which is held at St. Justus Church on The Fairway, Rochester ME1 2LT, every Wednesday at 9.30am, 3.30pm, 5.30pm or 7.30pm, or call Linda on 07980882359. You can also visit www.slimmingworld.com.