Grace Anderton-Pearson, a 35-year-old mother of two from Cardiff, lost three and a half stone in six months with Slimming World after being horrified by a secretly filmed video of her engagement. She has now launched her own Slimming World group in Thornhill.
Horrified by engagement video
When Grace's boyfriend of 11 years proposed in 2017, her mother-in-law secretly recorded the moment through the doorway. Watching the video back gave the art teacher a reality check.
Growing up as one of three sisters, Grace was always described as "the bigger one." She said people "don't mean anything when they say it," but it still affected her self-esteem. After finishing university, she began to gain weight and did not realise how much until she got engaged.
Grace said: "My mother-in-law secretly filmed our engagement through the doorway, and when I watched it back, I was just so upset."
Weight loss journey
Grace tried various diets and exercise but found they did not work for her lifestyle. She lost 6 lb in six months on her own before joining Slimming World in August 2017.
She said: "I joined Slimming World then, and I lost 3 stone in 6 months. Because you've got that support of knowing what to eat. Like I do like to eat, but now I kind of know how to do it in a more sensible and a healthy way."
She exceeded her target weight before her wedding, feeling "amazing" on the day. She said: "I remember walking into the room and my mum walked me down the aisle and I just remember hearing like a little 'Wow.'"
Starting her own group
After having two daughters, Grace put weight back on and re-joined Slimming World as an online member, losing a stone. But she missed the community aspect of a group.
After a colleague who works as a Slimming World consultant inspired her, Grace decided to start her own weekend group in Llanishen and Thornhill, where no local group existed.
She said: "I'm hoping it'll be somewhere that people can kind of come together, because I can't quite describe what it's like when you go in, but it's just so supportive."
Grace's Slimming World group officially launches on Saturday, September 5 at Thornhill Church at 9.30am.
