I lost six stone and have kept it off for 11 years WITHOUT weight loss jabs: Simple diet changes helped me beat the odds.. here's how I did it

Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight will know that shedding six stone is no mean feat.But keeping it off for 11 years? That remarkable feat is exactly what Pauline Smith, 75, has managed – without weight-loss jabs, a punishing exercise regime or giving up her favourite foods.Once weighing 17st 8lb and wearing a size 26, the grandmother from March, Cambridgeshire, is now 11st 10lb and a size 14.And the benefits have gone far beyond her waistline. Having previously struggled to walk without becoming breathless, she now enjoys an active lifestyle and no longer needs the blood pressure medication she took for a decade.Her transformation is particularly remarkable because research shows that while many people successfully lose weight through dieting, keeping it off is often much harder.Indeed, studies suggest that most dieters eventually regain at least some of the weight they lose.So how has Pauline managed to buck the trend – and could the slimming club she credits with her success hold the secret to keeping the pounds off for good? Pauline Smith, 75, has managed to lose six stone and keep it off for 11 years – without weight-loss jabs, a punishing exercise regime or giving up her favourite foods Once weighing 17st 8lb and wearing a size 26, the grandmother from March, Cambridgeshire, is now 11st 10lb and a size 14For Pauline, the battle with her weight began in childhood, when she turned to food for comfort after being bullied.Later, eating became a way of coping with the devastating grief of losing her baby son, Christian, at birth, and subsequently her sister.'Food became my emotional crutch and helped me deal with feelings I didn't know how to process,' she says.Over the years, she tried numerous diets, but none seemed to address the emotional reasons behind her eating habits.By 2013, her weight had reached 17st 8lb. She was increasingly inactive, became breathless simply walking and had been taking medication for high blood pressure for around ten years.The turning point came during a hospital appointment when, ashamed of how much weight she had gained, she refused to step on the scales.'When the doctor asked why, I was defensive and brushed it off,' she recalls.'But I was terrified to face the reality of where my weight had taken me. That moment became my wake-up call.' Over the years, she tried numerous diets, but none seemed to address the emotional reasons behind her eating habitsShortly afterwards, Pauline joined her local Slimming World group, hoping that a different approach might finally help her get her weight under control.Within six weeks, she had lost 1st 7lb. But then she suffered a life-threatening medical emergency that required major surgery and left her in intensive care.'For many people that would have been a reason to stop, but for me it strengthened my determination,' she says.'I remember medical staff telling me that losing weight had already benefited my health.'Waking up in intensive care afterwards was a huge reality check. I realised just how fragile life can be and promised myself I would never give up on my health.'She continued losing weight until she reached her target, eventually dropping from a size 26 to a size 14.Her success even inspired her husband, Colin, and daughters Rachel and Rebecca to embark on weight-loss journeys of their own.But perhaps the biggest change was in her relationship with food. Rather than turning to eating for comfort, Pauline learned to plan meals ahead, adapt her favourite recipes and find other ways of coping with difficult emotions.'I still eat comforting meals, but I prepare and cook them differently now and I plan in advance to make sure after a busy day I have healthy meals available,' she says.Gone are the butter-laden jacket potatoes, rich lasagnes and puddings with custard or ice cream.Instead, breakfast is typically gluten-free overnight oats, lunch might be an egg mayonnaise sandwich made with low-fat mayonnaise, salad, fruit and yoghurt, while dinner can still include favourites such as homemade nachos.Chocolate and crisps haven't disappeared from the menu either – although she now opts for smaller, lower-calorie portions.She has also become more active, regularly walking and gardening.The transformation has extended to her working life, too.In 2019, aged in her late 60s, Pauline returned to education to train as a professional counsellor. She now runs her own practice, helping people struggling with self-esteem, trauma, anxiety and depression. 'I went from hiding behind food to helping others rebuild their confidence,' she says.'Now, the shame and embarrassment I once felt have been replaced by confidence, self-worth and happiness.'Yet while Pauline's weight loss is impressive, maintaining it for more than a decade is arguably the more unusual part of her story.So what is the secret to keeping the pounds off – and can commercial slimming clubs really help?Slimming World is one of several popular weight-loss programmes, alongside WeightWatchers and The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan.Their approaches vary, from points-based systems and group support to meal-replacement shakes and soups, but all ultimately aim to create a calorie deficit – meaning people consume fewer calories than their bodies burn.There is good evidence that structured weight-management programmes can help people lose weight. However, keeping it off is much harder – and not simply because people return to their old eating habits.When someone loses a substantial amount of weight, their body needs fewer calories to function. Changes in hormones that regulate appetite can also leave them feeling hungrier, making it harder to resist eating more. A major review published in the British Medical Journal in 2021, examining 249 trials involving more than 59,000 people, found that participants in behavioural weight-management programmes typically regained some weight after the intervention ended.However, they generally remained lighter than people who had not received the same support, with benefits persisting for at least five years.Crucially, programmes offering continued support were associated with slower weight regain.Slimming World says its approach is designed to help members maintain their weight loss, offering a 12-week maintenance programme and free ongoing group support for those who stay within 3lb of their target.But while continued support has been linked to better long-term outcomes, that doesn't necessarily mean commercial slimming clubs are more effective than other approaches.And Pauline's experience, however encouraging, cannot tell us how many people who join such programmes manage to maintain their weight loss for a decade.According to Rob Hobson, a registered nutritionist and author of Unprocess Your Life, no particular diet holds the secret to lasting weight loss. The real test is whether people develop eating habits they can sustain long after they have stopped actively trying to lose weight.'There's no point trying to follow a plan that then when you come off the plan, it just doesn't work in real life,' he says.He warns that restrictive diets often fail to equip people with the skills they need once they have reached their target.'If you're not actually developing any new behaviours that are going to sustain long-term, then it's just not really going to work,' he says.Instead, one of the most important skills is learning how to eat enough to feel full without consuming too many calories.This means including protein and fibre in meals, alongside plenty of foods that provide volume without being particularly high in calories, such as vegetables, beans and pulses.'There's no point trying to make small portions of food,' he says. 'You need protein, you need fibre, and then you need to fill the plate with kind of food volume.'For example, adding vegetables and pulses to a tomato-based pasta sauce can make a meal more substantial without dramatically increasing its calorie content.And foods often avoided by dieters, such as potatoes and rice, can still have a place on the menu.'Everyone's so scared of carbs, but I actually think they can be quite useful to sort of bulk out the plate,' he says.He also advises against skipping meals to save calories, warning that this can leave people so hungry they end up eating more later.And allowing occasional treats is important, too.'You need to be taught how to be flexible within your diet, so you can have a little bit of what you like as well without that kind of ruining everything,' he says.This flexibility matters particularly because losing weight triggers biological changes that can increase hunger.'When you lose weight, you get more hungry. That's your biology kicking in, telling you, I don't want to lose this weight.'Ultimately, Hobson believes the most successful approach is one people can continue following for years, rather than weeks or months.For Pauline, continued support has been just as important as changing what she eats.'I think however you lose weight, whether that's with or without medication – you need to have the right people around you to keep it off,' she says.'The secret to lasting weight loss is making sure you have support in place.'I know I've found what works for me – so I'll never look back.'