Young Slimmer Loses 9 Stones And Gains Confidence

There’s no doubt that Melissa Harrison has the key to the door, and a future of opportunities now that the 21 year old has won the title of Female Young Slimmer of the Year after losing an amazing 9st 1½ lbs.

Melissa, from Mansfield in Nottinghamshire has swapped the size 28 clothes that she used to cover up with when she weighed 19st 4½ lb for the funky fashion she longed for now that she’s a sexy size 10! She celebrated her win with a brand new outfit for a night out at celebrity haunt The Met Bar, followed by meal at Michelin-starred restaurant Nobu, before collecting her prize of £2000.

Being overweight all of her life, Melissa struggled throughout her teenage years feeling disgusted and disappointed with herself, but was too low in confidence to do anything about it. Hiding behind a mask of make up and anger she tended to stay in, or in the corner feeling like everyone was judging her whilst her friends were out enjoying themselves.

Too embarrassed to ask for a size 28 uniform in her new job and fed up with feeling so unhappy, Melissa decided it was time to take action and walked through her local Slimming World group doors with the dream “I want to lose half my body weight”. 18 months later she has done just that and has found a new confidence and happiness to boot that amazes Melissa and her friends, who say she is an inspiration.

Having discovered Food Optimising, Slimming Worlds eating plan Melissa has swapped her love for fast food into a passion for Free Foods, which she can eat unlimited amounts of. She now enjoys sharing ideas and tips with her fellow Slimming World group members and makes no secret of her favourite meal – roast dinners, saying that being able to eat the food she loves and still lose weight is her dream come true! She even managed to take her favourite food along to the cinema, much to her friends’ amazement when, as they were tucking into a bucket of sugary pop corn Melissa produced a full roast chicken to snack on as a healthy alternative!

Melissa says “I can’t believe how much this has changed my life, I really do feel like a different person. I was so unhappy before and couldn’t even look people in the eye because I felt so awful about myself. It has been a fantastic journey physically and emotionally, but one that I couldn’t have done without the support of my Consultant and fellow Slimming World group members. Attending the group each week has given me the motivation and focus to stick with it, knowing that whether I’d had a good week or not they would all encourage and help me to keep my goal in sight. I never want to go back to the miserable person I used to be.”

Carole Lamb, Melissa’s Consultant who she fondly refers to as ‘my rock’ runs the Slimming World group in Ravenshead, Notts on Tuesday evenings. She still remembers the day that Melissa first called, asking to meet her in the car park half an hour before the class. “Melissa was so low in confidence that she could not face walking into a room full of strangers. I met her half an hour before to talk her through it all and get her settled. She soon realised that she had nothing to worry about and as the weeks went by we started to see a glimpse of the real Melissa. She has just flourished now and has recently reached her personal target weight of 10st 3lb and I will be delighted for her to attend the group free of charge for life while she stays within 3lbs of this target. Melissa is a fantastic role model for all of our members.”

Melissa’s Typical Daily Menu

BEFORE
- Breakfast - Bagels or toast with loads of butter followed by several packets of crisps.
- Lunch - From the chip shop or other fast food take-away.
- Snacks - Throughout the day Melissa would snack on chocolate, cakes, pork pies, sausage rolls and sweets.
- Dinner - Roast dinner followed with another take-away later in the evening

AFTER
- Breakfast - One large bowl of cereal or fresh fruit salad with low fat natural yogurt.
- Lunch - Jacket potatoes with cheese and lots of fresh salad.
- Snacks - Lots of fresh fruit and low fat yogurt throughout the day.
- Dinner – Roast dinner with lashings of roast beef, lots of boiled or roast potatoes with plenty of mixed vegetables usually followed by fresh strawberries for dessert.

To find out more about Melissa’s diet, visit slimming-world.co.uk.