Mum sheds half her bodyweight after spotting two words on doctor's computer

A mum has shed over half her body weight and been crowned 'Slimmer of the Year' after noticing the term spotting two words on her doctor's computer. Ali Ridgley, 52, achieved an astounding 13st (82kg) weight loss to claim the title of Slimming World’s Woman of the Year 2024.

The military mess manager from Plymouth, Devon, was motivated to change her lifestyle after seeing the alarming words 'morbidly obese' flash up in her medical records during a routine check-up. Now, she's training for a marathon, running her own dance classes, and takes pride in having stayed a 'foodie' throughout her transformation.

Tipping the scales at nearly 23st (145kg) at her heaviest, Ridgley said: "Seeing the words on my doctor’s screen spurred me into action. " She added: "I was a heart attack waiting to happen.

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"Ultimately, I started this journey because I wanted to live life to the fullest – and that’s what I feel I can do now. These days I’m not a heart attack waiting to happen. I’m the woman I always wanted to be."

Her remarkable journey to health began when she joined Neil Fenton’s Slimming World group in Southway in 2019. She has since slimmed down to 9st 13½lbs and dropped from a size 30 to a size six.

Starting with a complete overhaul of her diet, as the weight fell off, she gradually incorporated exercise into her daily life. Reflecting on her past, she shared, "I knew my weight was a problem – I’d always been bigger than my friends, but it wasn’t until I went to college and started socialising more that my weight began to climb."

"In 2018 my marriage broke down and I had a massive crisis of confidence. I tried to lose weight alone and would make some