'You just don't realise': Baffins couple shed impressive 7 stone after joining Slimming World

Karen and Lee Mcavery, both 58, initially started their weightloss journey back in 2019 due to health reasons - and they were impressed with the results. When the pandemic hit, the Slimming World classes came to a halt and the pair were back in the same position. They began to put the weight back on and they decided to rejoin last October.

They started the Baffins group, run by Chantelle Ash, with Karen weighing 14 stone 9lbs and Lee weighing 22 stone 7 lbs.

Karen said: “At my heaviest I weighed 17 stone 3lbs. I had a prolapsed disc in my back and I was off work for 11 months - I put on a lot of weight because I couldn’t do anything.

“Originally, we started for health reasons but I think it has got to be a life change and we know we can’t do it on our own because we tried. “We still have our treat night on a Friday and I won’t stop that because you have still got to live.”

In less than a year, the couple have managed to shed the pounds once again and they have dropped 7 stone between them. Karen said that she plans her meals every week and the support from the Slimming World group has massively helped.

She added: “We were looking back at old photographs - you just don’t realise how much you’ve lost and I said ‘right I’m going to recreate the picture’.

“It was a shock to me to see the pictures side by side - you just don’t realise.

“We go to the group every week - Chantelle has been so supportive.”

Chantelle runs her Slimming World classes on Wednesdays at 7:30am, 9am, 5:30pm and 7pm and on Fridays at 8am and 9:30am. She has recently received the bronze Slimming World award which recognises that she is helping over 50 people lose weight.

For more information about Slimming World, click here.