Saffron Walden slimmers happy to be ‘greatest losers’
Kirstie Frost - Credit: Archant
Four slimmers from Saffron Walden have become ‘greatest losers’ after shedding a combined total of more than 20 stone between them.
Josh Riccio - Credit: Archant
Nicola Clarke, Kirstie Frost, Josh Riccio and Sue Luxon-Seymour, who all attend the town’s Slimming World group, lost the weight as part of a competition to shift the pounds.
The four Saffron Walden ‘greatest loser’ group winners achieved the impressive transformations over a period of months, with Josh being the overall champion after a weight loss of 7st 7lb.
After he featured in the Reporter last year for shedding more than 7st following an embarrassing incident with a seatbelt on an aeroplane, 23-year-old Josh, of Chaters Hill, has continued to lose.
He said: “I’ve stuck with the diet, and my lifestyle is very different now. I play football, and go to the gym three times a week. I’m looking to lose another stone and a half, and then it will probably be maintenance after that. But I’m pleased to be one of the ‘greatest losers’.”
Nicola Clarke - Credit: Archant
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Mother-of-three Kirstie Frost, of Lancaster Lane, said struggling to keep up with her children and a bad back made her want to lose some weight.
The 29-year-old, who works at the Bell Day Nursery in town, says a structured diet was the key to her 4st 7lb weight loss.
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She said: “Before I joined Slimming World, I wasn’t eating breakfast or lunch really. I would just have a big evening meal. Now I am a lot more structured with what I eat and I walk everywhere. I was having real problems with my back, and didn’t have enough energy to keep up with kids, so it’s great that I can have more fun with them now.”
Speech and language therapist Nicola Clarke, who works at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, says her 14-month-old son was the sole reason for wanting to get her weight down.
Sue Luxon-Seymour - Credit: Archant
Nicola, 38, of London Road, said: “I starting eating a lot more during my pregnancy, and even after my son William was born, everyone brings round cakes and biscuits. It just didn’t drop off me and I felt as though I was unable to care for him properly, and I just didn’t want to be that mum.
“I wanted to be a role model for my son, and through Slimming World and boot camps with Lorraine Thompson in town, I have managed to lose 4st 5lb. I’m very proud and still have a stone and a half before I reach my target.”
Former lawyer Sue Luxon-Seymour, who works as a secretary in the architecture department at Cambridge University, says she had a secret weapon to her 3st 10lbs loss.
The 56-year-old, who originally hails from Toledo, Ohio, said: “My husband is an excellent chef and he loves to cook. So he has stuck religiously to the Slimming World recipes, and we are eating really healthy food. I just made the conscious decision to lose some weight, and everyone from the groups has done so well.”