“Slimming World saved my life when I found a breast lump after losing weight”

Exclusive:

Jo Atkins discovered the telltale signs of breast cancer after starting Slimming World courses. She is now six stone lighter and free of the disease. She believes her diet saved her life

A mother’s life was saved when she lost ten pounds at a diet group and found a breast lump.

Losing weight world-class meant fast-food addict Jo Atkins, 50, spotted the telltale sign early on.

Doctors determined she had stage two cancer and prescribed chemotherapy.

Four years later, she is free of the disease and has lost a total of six stones after stopping fatty foods.

Beaming Jo said: “Slimming World saved my life. I’m convinced that if I hadn’t lost weight and the fatty tissue hadn’t gone away, there’s no way I would have felt that bulge.”

Jo, a credit checker from Hanworth, West London, enrolled in a local class after reaching 14.11 pounds.

Her general diet wasn’t that good. And failures on “Fat Fridays” at work — when employees mocked takeaways — did the real damage.

One of her favorites was a Fillet Tower Meal from KFC — a whopping 39 grams of fat and 870 calories.

Alternatively, she had a McDonald’s Big Mac, fries, and a soda… with an extra cheeseburger on the side.

Jo said: “I’ve tried all kinds of diets over the years and jojoed with my weight. I ate a lot of convenience food, takeaways, skipped meals and ate in the evening.”

She decided a diet change was needed after her husband Steve, 52, suffered a massive stroke in 2016 that left him paralyzed in the right side.

Jo added: “That was really a wake up call because I knew he was now relying on me for everything.

“I knew I had to do something. I was struggling to just bend over and tie my shoelaces.”

A size 18-20, Jo joined Slimming World in January 2017 and discovered the lump in November of that year.

She recalled: “I was lying in bed one night watching TV and I noticed it when I turned over.

“At first I made it out to be nothing and it took me about a week to actually make that appointment.”

Luckily, Jo had spotted the small lump early and suspended her membership of Slimming World when she underwent surgery, six rounds of chemo followed by 20 sessions of radiation therapy.

She returned to her diet group in January 2019 and slimmed down to a height of 8-10, losing a total of 6.4 pounds. Jo is now 8.7 pounds and loving life with Steve and their children Aaron, 33, and Leah, 31.

And Jo now leads her own Slimming World group too. She added, “Because of what it’s done for me, I really want to help other people.”

Louisa Hetherington, who runs Jo’s team at Hanworth, said: “I couldn’t be prouder of Jo.

“She is a fantastic ambassador for Slimming World and what she has achieved is incredible.”