A woman who battled cancer during her war on losing weight has been named as the Keswick Slimming World icon for 2024.
Angela Green was diagnosed with cancer of the uterus following a holiday to Majorca in 2023 to celebrate turning 60 and to mark her wedding anniversary.
At the time the retired teacher was in the middle of a slimming journey that has now seen her lose four stone and five-and-a-half pounds. The diagnosis was a huge setback as Angela had a hysterectomy in September 2023 which left her with restricted movement after surgery.
She also had radiotherapy and because she had a reaction to the treatment was forced to make changes to her diet leading her to have white bread, which she would not normally eat, and cut back on fruit and vegetables.
She originally joined Slimming World in 2019 after responding to a flier pushed through her letter box while living at Stoke-on-Trent. At the time she was lacking energy and motivation to do anything and weighed 15 stone and eight pounds.
“I hated having my photo taken and my enthusiasm to socialise was at rock bottom,” she said. “I continued with my slimming world journey after my cancer diagnosis and attended the group almost every week during radiotherapy as this really helped me.”
As her energy levels and ability of movement slowly returned, she and her husband, Steve, acquired their dog Thomas. “He has been a big boost and keeps me active,” said Angela.
“The support of my fellow members – now my friends – and my consultant Sharon Johnson have kept me going and continue to inspire me with my weight loss.
“My biggest change personally is feeling confident and happy in myself. I no longer have to go straight to the plus size section when clothes shopping and my wardrobe has had an overhaul.
“Our group in Keswick is always so welcoming even when we haven’t had the best of weeks and I am so pleased I made the decision to join.”
She said that she achieved her weight loss by “sticking to the plan”. She said that she already had a “fairly healthy diet” apart from the snacks in between meals. Her fight against the flab has also sparked an interest in cookery. “Before I used to cook very basic stuff but I can now experiment to my heart’s content,” she said.
The Keswick Slimming World group meets every Thursday in the Quaker Meeting House at 8.30am and 10am.
