Nine years ago, Christine Sumner, 60, started her weight loss journey. She had struggled with weight all her life because of health issues. Christine, of Hindley Green, said: “I’ve got an underactive thyroid which makes your metabolism become sluggish.
“Even though I did a lot of competitive swimming and sports at school, I was always on the bigger side. I piled weight on.” Over the years, she tried to lose weight, but her health condition didn’t make it easy.
She said: “I’d tried umpteen diets and always failed and gave up. I’ve done them all.” At age 50, Christine joined Daisy Hill’s Slimming World and finally found a “perfect” diet.
She said: “It was quite easy to follow, you were never hungry. “I had the treats I wanted so I wasn’t depriving myself. It was great.
” Christine Sumner (Image: Catherine Cleary) The Slimming World diet allowed her to eat as many “free foods” or vegetables and lean meats as she wanted along with some “sin” foods, crisps and chocolate. And it paid dividends. She lost eight stone, keeping it off for four and a half years.
She was happy to hit her goal weight. Then coronavirus hit and life got complicated. She said: “I had two operations.
“Then during Christmas, I lost my brother-in-law, he was in the hospice for a month. “I ended up putting the weight back on because I comfort ate. I just kept eating the wrong foods, I could see it spiralling out of control.
” But she became determined and re-committe.