Richard's life is transformed after losing weight with slimming group

Yahoo

05-06-2025

RICHARD Rawlinson was taking part in a motoring rally in Paris when he felt he needed to do something about his weight.
'I was competing in a rally in France and had stopped off in Paris. There's a picture of me outside Notre Dame which was my turning point picture,' he says. 'I looked at it and remember feeling heavy, my race suit had split at the side, and I was feeling unfit and sluggish.'
Company boss Richard, 52, from Bradford, loves road racing in his spare time. He co-drives for a team which competes in the Northern off-road club and in the French championship.
Co-driving in a rally
Richard with wife Anne Marie The dad of grown-up children Caitlyn and Dylan, he is also a successful Slimming World target member, having lost more than three and a half stone in 2019.
Richard, who runs a service engineering firm for the print and packaging industry, began attending Slimming World with his wife Anne-Marie, who was already a member.
'I wasn't going along to a group alone,' he says, 'When I started I felt relieved that a line had been drawn and I could see a solution to my increased weight.'
Richard loves cooking and saw finding new ways to make meals as a bonus.
'Changing the way I cooked without adding fats and oils and removing fat and skin where I saw it, was the simplest of changes; filling up on vegetables and lean meats so that I felt satisfied and wasn't hungry, was key.
' I work away a lot and found it difficult to start with, but soon acquired the skills to navigate around a menu, avoiding choices that were smoothed or creamy and finding the better choices like grilled and boiled, meaning I could still lose weight.'
When Richard was growing up he had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis - now known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. His weight put extra strain on his leg joints, causing him pain.
'Keeping track of my weight is a great way to help my joints. I do sometimes get flare ups but these are few and far between now I'm at my target weight.
'Mentally and emotionally, I feel much better in myself, and not as self-conscious about my body, I still have to look again at the pictures of myself to see it's me.'
Working on his fitness was important too. 'I was encouraged at group to build on my activity through Slimming World's Body Magic programme, an activity pathway that's rooted in behaviour change.
Richard can't believe how he looks now
Richard's diet is rich in vegetables (Image: Pixabay)
'We now have two beautiful border collies who can walk for ever; we've walked a few Lake District mountains and the Yorkshire Three Peaks, one at a time. I also set myself a yearly challenge, so far I've completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks twice, a 10K Tough Mudder, and completed the Couch to 5K - it doesn't feel normal to not have activity in my life.'
He adds: 'I love our group, and even though I am at my personal achievement target, I still go as much as possible, my fellow members supported me on my journey, and now I see it as my job to encourage other on their way. There's tons of support, food ideas, and strategies and its full of fantastic inspirational people, who are making amazing changes to habits and existing lifestyles.
'I am proud of myself for losing weight and working on my health and wellbeing, I've been privileged to have be asked to co-drive for several off road teams, winning the 2023 and 2024 Northern off-road championship, as well as been invited to the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
'It's so much more than the weight you lose, it's the life you gain - go along to your local group to hear more.'
*Find your nearest group at slimmingworld.co.uk