Two Nottinghamshire women lose more than eight stone combined after deciding 'enough is enough'

Two Nottinghamshire women have shared their inspirational weight loss stories after managing to lose more than eight stone combined. Susan Else and Cindy Maria Allcoat were both experiencing health issues as a result of their weight until they got a "final wake-up call" which helped them turn their lives around.

School lollipop lady Susan's inspirational weight loss journey saw the 64-year-old lose five stone in just 10 months. Susan, from Nottingham, weighed in at 13 stone and 12.5 lbs at her heaviest.

Recalling the moment she decided "enough is enough", Susan said: "I decided when I reached the heaviest I have ever been after a very indulgent Christmas. I hated the way I looked and felt.

"I was struggling to fit into even my biggest clothes. I was actively avoiding friends and social events as I was too embarrassed and felt too uncomfortable. I dreaded seeing people because I could see they were visibly shocked by my weight gain."

Susan expressed that her biggest pillar of support was her husband who helped her through her weight journey by deciding to join her, losing three stone himself. After starting her journey to a healthy weight, she was able to achieve her goal in October, 2024, after 10 months on the Slimming World programme.

Since reaching her target weight at the end of last year, Susan says her confidence "has grown immensely". She added: "I no longer hide myself away from the world.I now actually enjoy exercising them instead of dreading it.

"I have become a School Crossing Patrol person (Lollypop Lady) and am thoroughly enjoying it. I would never have put myself on display in such a public manner before."

Meanwhile, Cindy Maria Allcoat has shared how she dropped down from 12st 2lb to nine stone after a three-and-a-half-year journey. Cindy, who is married, has four children and five grandchildren, has seen massive progress after not putting on any weight in 2024.

Cindy, 63 and from Cotgrave, said: "I joined Slimming World on June 1, 2021, because I could not walk the golf course any longer due to pain in my knees; I always had to have a buggy. This became expensive and not very good for my mobility or health.

"The wake-up call was when the SW consultant said that for every pound of weight lost, it would be 4lb of pressure off my knees. It was 12 months before I could ditch the buggy and start walking 18-holes

"I was still able to play golf, but it was very painful after a round and I could barely walk the day after. I also had breathing problems, which resulted in having a pacemaker operation in 2024."

After joining Slimming World, Cindy lost 6.5 lbs in her first month as a result of changing her eating habits and starting to exercise more. Now, Cindy has been inspired to create her own Slimming World at the Jubilee Clubhouse in Ruddington.

If you want to join Cindy's new group, it will meet at the Loughborough Road clubhouse on Tuesdays from January 28, at 9am and 10.30am.