Super slimmers gain from huge loss (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Super slimmers gain from huge loss

1:33pm Thursday 24th July 2008 in News By Scott McPherson

Two determined dieters who attend a Chippenham slimming class have lost 25 stone between them and been named as Britain's slimming super champs.

Brian Semple lost an incredible 15 stone in a year to take the title of the Slimming World Man of the Year.

Fellow weight watcher Stephen Dangerfield, 57, from Malmesbury, has been attending the Chippenham class for a year and has lost a staggering ten stone.

He was named as this year's runner up but said his weight loss was a prize in itself. He said: "I originally joined because my daughter wanted to lose weight after collapsing but was too embarrassed to join alone.

"I thought it would be harder than it was to be honest but you just have to have a positive attitude.

"I feel fantastic and love it when I go to meet old friends and they genuinely don't recognise me."

Mr Dangerfield, who has five children and 19 grandchildren and works as a depot manager at Kerry Foods, went from being 25 stone and having a size 56in waist to weighing just under 15 stone and a 36in waist.

He attends the Slimming World class held every Monday at Sheldon School.

Group consultant Candy Neale said: "I cannot believe that we have the nation's two top slimmers right here in Chippenham. They have worked so hard to reach their goals and have done a phenomenal job.

"They have both shown the grit and determination that is needed."

Mr Dangerfield and Mr Semple were the guests of honour at a Slimming World ceremony on July 13 when they were presented with their awards by Coronation Street star Kym Rider.

Calne slimmer Laura Tawn lost six stone in six months to be fabulous and slim for her 40th birthday last October.

Mrs Tawn, a mother of one, overcome a life long battle with her weight by following the Cambridge Diet.

She said: "I would always celebrate and commiserate with food. I would never binge on chocolate, crisps etc but I always enjoyed hearty home cooking."

Mrs Tawn put her weight gain down to the irregular hours as a police control room operator in 1987, the birth of her daughter, now 11, and stress.

Her second husband left her eight years ago without warning.

A few years after her marriage broke down, Mrs Tawn met her third husband, Marcus, and thinks she has finally found her soul mate.

"He married me when I was at my heaviest, 17 stone six lbs, and I know he married me for what's on the inside," she said.

Now a trim size 14 rather than a size 22 Mrs Tawn has found a new confidence.

She said: "Despite all that has happened to me in the past, I am now happier than I have ever been."