Kim Ryan has struggled with yo-yo dieting over the years and had even considering going under the knife before overhauling her lifestyle and habits helped her lose seven stone
Dublin woman Kim Ryan
A Dublin woman has opened up about her journey to lose a whopping seven stone. Kim Ryan had struggled with her weight for some time before she overhauled her lifestyle and her diet in order to reach her goals. Here, she tells RSVP the key to shedding the weight and how it inspired her to help others do the same.
Kim’s weight had yo-yo’d over the years as she managed to lose weight a number of times before gaining it back. At her heaviest, Kim was at such a difficult place with her weight that she was considering weight loss surgery.
“I had been in and out of Slimming World for years,” she told us. “I would always join, then fall off, then join again and fall off. The last time I joined was after I had my fourth baby. I had gotten to 18 and a half stone and I knew I needed to do something.
“Before that, I was so desperate that I had emailed a clinic asking for information on weight loss surgery. I wanted to be thinner and healthier yesterday; I was too impatient. My husband said, ‘You’ve done it before, try it again’, about losing weight naturally because it’s a massive operation and I hadn’t thought it through. With his encouragement, I joined Slimming World again.”
This time around, Kim was determined to make it work and that she did, as she managed to lose seven stone and keep it off in the years since. As a busy mum, the plan worked for her because it wasn’t restrictive and suited the whole family.
“I love not having to count calories,” she said. “There’s lots of variety. Nothing is restricted, you can have everything in moderation.
“The family all eats the same. My children’s diet is unreal because they’re getting healthy, homemade food.”
Making sure her children grow up with a good relationship with food and eating a balanced diet is important to Kim, as her struggles with her weight affected her through years of her life.
“It really affected everything,” she said of her weight. “I used to dread it when it was someone’s birthday and we all had to get dressed up and go out. I was so self conscious and had no confidence at all. Growing up, I always felt that way and as a mum to two girls, I really didn’t want that for them. I didn’t want them to feel the same way I did. Growing up with a healthy, balanced diet means they won’t have to change anything down the line.”
Living life seven stone lighter has had a huge impact on Kim’s happiness and health.
“Now I can’t wait to go out and get dressed up!” she laughed. “Even when I had the weight on me, if we went to the playground with the kids I would sit on a bench. My husband did all the running around with the kids because I didn’t want to be seen. But now I’ll run around and get on the swings with them. Everything’s more exciting to me. I’m kind of re-living my youth with them!”
Kim is now a weight loss consultant, as she was so inspired by the support she received from her own consultant throughout her journey.
“I want to be able to (help) other people as well. I want to be able to change people’s lives.”
Kim’s Slimming World group is on at 9.30am and 11am on Wednesdays at Raheny United FC. For more details, you can follow Kim on Instagram at @slimming_world_with_kim.
Read Kim’s interview in May’s issue of RSVP Magazine on shelves now
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