Three North Yorkshire residents have shared their experiences of the benefits of an adult weight management programme which has transformed their lives.
Leanne Evans and Christopher Coupland, who live in Selby, as well as Grassington resident George Bellas, successfully completed our Adult Weight Management Programme delivered at Selby Leisure Centre and Craven Leisure, Skipton, and other areas across North Yorkshire.
The trio have not only achieved a healthy weight but are now eating more healthily and have increased their physical activity.
The free course runs for up to 24 weeks and aims to improve participants’ physical and mental health by helping them to eat well and undertake more exercise.
Participants receive a personalised weight loss plan and friendly, highly skilled weight management advisors help them at every step through online, telephone and face-to-face support.
Leanne, 59, said she joined the “Move it Lose It” programme in Selby after she hit a weight that was impacting on all parts of her life.
She said: “I have three young grandchildren who I love looking after but I soon found I couldn’t keep up with them. I am disabled and realised how much stress my lower limbs were under, and I felt I was crushing my upper organs just with the excessive weight, so I decided enough was enough and I urgently needed to find a way to lose the weight but also to keep it off.”
Leanne added that she found the scheme “revitalising” and she quickly realised she could achieve her weight loss goals.
“I started with swimming, then added yoga to help with my flexibility and later the gym, figuring what equipment worked for me with guidance from the helpful staff.
“I can truly say I feel fitter and more mobile now than I have in 15 years. I also feel a sense of euphoria knowing that I am five stones lighter. I couldn’t have imagined this at this time last year.”
Executive member for health and adult services, Cllr Michael Harrison, said: “The proof of the programme’s worth is in the words of those who have used it to make such positive differences to their lives. For anyone who is thinking of starting it, it is not just about counting calories and getting weighed and trying to follow recipes at home.
“It is a much more holistic approach to weight loss and a healthier lifestyle. All credit goes to the participants for their commitment, and I hope their words encourage others who need support to seek it and make the changes they want to see in their lives.”
Father-of-three George joined the programme as he knew he needed to lose weight to lower his soaring blood pressure. He had also been diagnosed prediabetic.
Since completing the Healthy Lifestyles programme at Craven Leisure in Skipton, he said he has not only lost more than two stones, but he now exercises at least twice a week at the leisure centre and his diet has changed considerably for the better.
“The weight loss has resulted in less pressure on my joints when moving,” the 46-year-old said. “I can swim faster now which helps, but most of all I feel more confident and more comfortable in my own skin. Also, my blood pressure is a lower now.”
George, who runs an office supplies business in Skipton, added: “If you wish to lose weight and live more healthily, then this free programme should be your first call. I would like to thank the Healthy Lifestyles staff at Craven Leisure for their investment in me. I have really enjoyed the journey.”
Before joining the Move it Lose it programme in Selby, Christopher could not walk more than 500 metres without pain in his hips and knee and he weighed 28-and-a-half stones. He admits completing the course has given him a new lease of life after he lost seven stones in weight.
He said: “The course has changed my life. I am the lightest I have been in 30 years, and I have built up fitness levels to the point that to date I have completed 27 park walks. I went from not walking at all to completing my first five-kilometre walk and without stopping and achieving a personal best time. My outlook to life and my mental health has greatly improved.”
Our adult weight management service is for people aged over 18 who live, work or are registered with a GP in North Yorkshire. It is available to people with a BMI of 30 or above, or anyone with a BMI of 25 or above who is also in a black or minority ethnic group, or has conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease or hypertension.
Selby Leisure Centre’s Move it Lose it programme offers participants access to 12 weeks of weekly support alongside 12 weeks of leisure centre membership where they are free to make use of the gym, swim and classes. They are given a five per cent target weight loss, and if achieved by the end of the 12-week programme, they have the chance to take up a further 12 weeks of leisure centre membership only.
Meanwhile, the Healthy Lifestyles programme at Craven Leisure in Skipton is a free weight management programme that combines exercise with nutritional advice to help people to lose weight, change their lifestyle and improve their health and wellbeing. Clients have access to the gym and swimming pool at Craven Leisure and Settle Pool.
See more details about the adult weight management programme held at venues across North Yorkshire.