Home   News   Article

Former nurse from Alness gears up for new challenge as local Slimming World consultant after being won around by impact of group on her own life


By Hector MacKenzie

Easier access to your trusted, local news. Subscribe to a digital package and support local news publishing.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!
Lorraine McKee: Delighted with her journey and now keen to help others.
Lorraine McKee: Delighted with her journey and now keen to help others.

AN Easter Ross grandmother who thought she had tried every trick in the book to shed unwanted pounds is this week embarking on a new chapter in her life – as a weight loss consultant.

Lorraine McKee, from Alness, admits that she used to look at the Slimming World banner she passed regularly and wonder: "Why would you pay almost £5 just for someone to weigh you?"

The recently retired nurse had struggled to maintain a healthy weight for more years than she cares to remember and down the years lost weight several times only to put it back on – usually quicker than the time it had taken her to lose it.

It was only when the fifty-eight-year-old's daughter Stephanie started to lose weight with a Slimming World group in another part of the country that she re-evaluated her conclusion that the groups were all basically the same.

The fact that her daughter was cooking from scratch and apparently eating more than she had before her weight loss journey made Ms McKee sit up and take notice, though it was a few months yet before she was prepared to attend her local Easter Ross group.

"I was becoming more and more uncomfortable in my clothes and was desperately resisting moving into yet another size up," she recalled.

She had always enjoyed sport, playing badminton three times a week, but was finding it increasingly difficult to move around the court and was beginning to develop pain in her right knee. Keen to remain physically active and to be "a fit, fun granny" , she took the plunge in March 2013.

Encouraged by a warm atmosphere and the "revelation" of food optimising, she still got a shock when told her weight – 13 stones 7 and half pounds. She admits: "I was shocked – I was about 2 stones heavier than I thought but the consultant was reassuring. What was important was that I was now taking the steps to become a lighter, healthier version of myself."

She set her own goal – aiming for 11 stones, which was within the healthy range for her height, and set about planning her larder with the help of her husband. Was was stunned to lose 4lbs in the first week: "I couldn’t believe it; I had eaten so much and lost weight."

Three years on she had reached her goal with help and encouragement – and eating the same meals as her family.

Since then she has cycled Land’s End to John O’Groats to support a friend's dream – despite not being on a bike for about 20 years. She said: "The slimmer, healthier, fitter and more confident version of me thought I could do that."

She has never looked back and acted on a long-held desire to become a Slimming World consultant after retiring from NHS job.

Starting this week with her own group at the Perrins Centre in Alness, she's adapting to coronavirus restrictions by continuing to offer weigh-ins and then staging a virtual session later where members can celebrate weight loss, get support, ideas, swap recipes "and hopefully have a bit of fun and laugh together".

She has a Facebook presence which includes contact details and information about how to book a slot.

More news from Ross-shire


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More