Parents in St Austell are discovering that making healthier lifestyle changes for themselves can have a positive ripple effect across the whole family.

When parents decide to lose weight and make healthier choices, the benefits may reach much further than their own waistlines.

That’s the experience of families attending local Slimming World groups, where members say changes they have made to their own eating habits and activity levels have naturally become part of family life too.

New independent research, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), carried out at the University of Bristol and published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Paediatrics Open, has found that many parents attending weight management groups reported positive changes in their children’s health behaviours – including healthier eating and increased physical activity.

The survey of 396 Slimming World members with children aged between five and 11 found that almost half (48 per cent) reported improvements in what their children ate after joining the programme, while more than a quarter (27 per cent) said their child had become more physically active. Among parents who were concerned about their child’s weight, 67 per cent said they felt more motivated to support their child after addressing their own weight.

For local Slimming World Consultant Maria Majid, who runs the Bethel group, the findings reflect what she sees among members every week.

“I see the ripple effect of weight loss in my group every week. Parents often join wanting to improve their own health, yet soon they’re telling me their children are enjoying the healthier meals, the family is being more active together and everyone has more energy.

“We find community-based support plays a big role in that – when people share ideas, encouragement and real-life experiences, healthy changes are more likely to stick.

“Whether it’s cooking together, eating more healthily or finding fun ways to be active, those small changes can make a real difference to family life.”

For member Jolene Woodhead, what began as a personal journey when she joined Slimming World in January 2018 soon became something shared by her whole family.

“As a family of four with two young children, I soon adapted all of our favourite hearty family meals and based cooking them around Food Optimising choices,” she says.

“I never thought I would say this but I really did find a new love in cooking meals for my family from scratch and continue to do so.”

Jolene says family favourites such as spaghetti bolognese, cottage pie, chicken stew, crustless quiche and lasagne have all remained firmly on the family menu, while being adapted to support healthier choices.

Even the children’s school lunches have benefited.

“For a hot school packed lunch, the children even take Food Optimising meals such as spaghetti bolognese and chicken stew in their hot food flasks, and their flasks always come back empty,” she says.

“Therefore, I know that what they have eaten will be full of goodness, satisfying and will fill them up until teatime.”

For Jolene, healthy eating has gone hand in hand with keeping her children active. Swimming, cross country and football have all been part of their routine, helping to make an active lifestyle a normal part of family life.

“Being active has always been part of the children’s routine,” she says. “So along with Food Optimising and keeping up the active lifestyle, this makes me a happy Mummy. For myself and my family we cannot thank Slimming World enough.”

Slimming World
Zoe and her family (Slimming World)

Member Zoe Barreira has also found that her weight-loss journey has had a positive impact on family life. Currently working towards her target of losing five stone, she says the experience has been about far more than her own weight.

“Being a Slimming World member has had such a positive impact on our family,” she says. “It’s not just about my own journey, it’s had a huge impact on my family, especially my toddler.”

For Zoe, food is deeply connected to family and culture. As a Greek Cypriot, traditional dishes and sharing meals together are an important part of family life – something she has been able to maintain while making healthier choices.

“I’ve loved adapting traditional Cypriot dishes to make them Slimming World friendly, using plenty of meat, fish, rice, salads, cheese and yoghurt,” she explains.

“This means we’re not missing out at all. We still enjoy our favourite foods and treats together while making healthier choices.”

The family has also become more active together, finding simple ways to incorporate movement into everyday life.

“We’re also much more active as a family, from walks on the beach collecting stones to playing football in the garden,” Zoe says.

“I love that my children are growing up seeing food as something to enjoy and share, while also learning healthy habits along the way.”

It’s a message Maria believes is particularly important at a time when childhood overweight and obesity remain significant concerns.

Research suggests that children whose parents are living with obesity are more likely to develop obesity themselves, while global studies predict that by 2050, one in three children, teenagers and young adults could be living with overweight or obesity.

The new research suggests that supporting parents with their own weight and health could therefore offer an opportunity to influence the wider family environment and potentially help break cycles of intergenerational obesity.

Professor Julian Hamilton-Shield, one of the lead researchers from the University of Bristol and Professor in Diabetes and Metabolic Endocrinology, says the findings strengthen the case for putting families at the heart of adult weight management.

“Supporting parents doesn’t necessarily just improve outcomes for individuals – it may positively influence children’s everyday health behaviours such as their diets and activity levels,” he says.

For Maria, however, the impact is about more than statistics.

“It’s one of the things I love most about helping people to lose weight – seeing the positive effect it has on those around them too,” she says.

“When we help parents make healthier choices, we’re not just improving one person’s health, we’re helping shape a healthier future for the next generation too.”

And for Zoe, that family-wide benefit is exactly what makes the journey so worthwhile.

“For me, Slimming World isn’t just about losing weight,” she says. “It’s about creating a happier, healthier lifestyle for all of us, while keeping our family traditions, food and love of eating together at the heart of it.”

Maria’s Bethel Slimming World group meets every Saturday at 8am and 9.30am at Bethel Methodist Church.

To find out more, contact Maria on 07875 203657, visit Slimming World to find your nearest group or if you are interested in finding out about the very special role of Consultant, contact Margaret on 07825 206877 or follow this link to register for one of our FREE online events: https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/become-a-consultant/consultant-enquiry