Boldon mum-of-two celebrates winning Slimming World award after losing two stone

Lorraine Olsen, from Boldon, is celebrating being named as "Miss Slinky" after her peers at the Saturday morning Slimming World group at the Boldon Community Centre voted for her to win the accolade.

The mum-of-two, who works as a dental nurse manager, has dropped two stone in weight, going from a dress size 16 to 14 in the process.

Lorraine, who was 14 stone at her heaviest, has revealed that her mum's death 2020 from an non-alcoholic liver disease, which could have been contributed to by yo-yo dieting, was the catalyst she needed to lose weight.

The 56-year-old said: "I was starting to have health issues such as swollen legs and plantar fasciitis and I knew things would only get worse if I didn’t address the problem.

"My mam had died in 2020 due to non-alcoholic liver disease and the doctors told her that her yo-yo dieting had contributed to the disease.

"I wanted to make sure I didn’t go down the same route and wanted a healthy diet so when an acquaintance bumped into me at work and asked if I would go to Slimming World with her, I agreed. "

"It was the push I needed, I attended two weddings when I was a bigger size and hated the photos so something had to be done.

"I felt miserable and sorry for my partner who had met a much slimmer version of me."

Read South Tyneside's news on the go with our free email newsletters - bringing the headlines to your inbox. Catch up on the day's news and sport and enjoy even more from your Gazette. Visit our website here to find out more and sign up. Lorraine explained that her old eating habits would see her skip meals during the day and then snack before eating an unhealthy evening meal.

She has now swapped to a healthier diet filled with fruit, vegetables, and meals from Slimming World recipe books.

Following her weight loss, Lorraine says she is now more confident and is looking forward to getting married in four weeks time.

She added: "Slimming World has helped me not just to lose weight but to give me back my confidence and rediscover me.

"I'm getting married in four weeks and I would never have said yes if I’d been the weight I was before.

"I know 100% that I am will have a fabulous wedding day because I feel so positive, there’s still a way to go but I know I can do it with the support of Pauline, who leads the group and the other members.

"Pauline has motivated me to keep going and never give up, she has done amazing and is certainly an inspiration."