Slimming World: Sheffield woman loses 11 stone after thinking weight-loss surgery was her only option
She thought weight loss surgery was the only option left.
A Sheffield woman who believed weight-loss surgery was her only remaining option has lost 11 stone in just over a year and is now helping others on their own journeys.
Ann-Marie Weaver, 43, from Greenhill, had struggled with her weight since her teenage years, alongside severe mobility problems and other health challenges.
After being told she was not eligible for weight-loss injections, she began pursuing surgery and faced a waiting list of more than two years.
She was asked to lose weight while waiting to show she was committed to the procedure.
Instead, she returned to Slimming World in May 2025 and began losing weight herself.
“I was going there to lose enough weight to prove I was ready for surgery,” Ann-Marie said.
“I had no idea that decision was actually going to prove something very different – that I could do this myself.”
By September, she had lost four stone.
Her weight loss continued and she eventually decided she no longer needed the surgery she had once seen as her only option.
A photograph taken at a family wedding had been a major turning point for Ann-Marie, who said seeing herself at her heaviest made her realise she needed to make a change.
“I had a very destructive relationship with food,” she said.
“On the outside I was positive, smiley and always getting on with life. Inside, I knew I was in turmoil.”
Now 11 stone lighter and almost at her target weight, Ann-Marie says the biggest change has been her confidence.
“I’m now living a life I once struggled to imagine for myself,” she said.
“I’ve found confidence, determination and a belief in myself that I didn’t know I had.”
Her experience has also led to a new chapter. Ann-Marie has trained as a Slimming World Consultant and will relaunch the Greenhill Thursday evening group at St Peter’s Church, Reney Avenue, on September 3.
She hopes her own experience will help people who feel they have already tried everything.
“I want to be there for the person walking through the door thinking they’ve tried everything,” she said.
“For the person who doesn’t quite believe they can do it yet, or thinks they have to face it alone.
“Because I was that person.”
The Greenhill group will meet every Thursday at 5.30pm and 7pm.